Scene
Java-Sippin'
In The
Motor City
Everybody loves a cuppa Joe.
DEBBIE FEIT S
Skyler: Maybe we
Will: Yeah. Mayl
of carameli
Skyler: What 6
Will: When y
B
76
4
-
out for co
could just get to
mean?
about it, it's as arbitrary as drinking -co
ryce Sandler like fresh
squeezed orange jitlice. Jen-
nifer Wasserman . goes for hot
chocolate. And Marci Bloch?
She prefers fruit smoothies.
Coffeehouses may be wildly popu-
lar in metro Detroit, but it's apparent-
ly not just the coffee` that has people
stopping in.
Is it the cushy couches? The soft ja77?
The poetry? Or the easy conversation
that seems to flow as freely as the ja -
"Once you have good coffee, you
acquire a taste for it," says Jay Rosett,
owner of Birmingham's Lonestar Coffee
Company. "Amoco won't do."
But nowadays, even Amoco offers
some gourmet brews. It seems that
wherever you turn, you'll find hazelnut,
French vanilla, Irish creme and house
blend decaf. It's becoming almost run of
the mill.
Bobby Wolok, owner of Java Mas-
ter Coffee House and Cafe in West
Bloomfield, attributes the popularity
of his coffee to his ability to custom-
roast and blend the beans to customer
specifications.
And apparently, it's more than just
flavorful Blue Jamaican Mountain or
rich Hawaiian Kona that attract cus-
tomers. Coffeehouses are also an ideal
meeting spot.
"It's a great meeting place for a first
date," says Jennifer Wasserman, 27. "It's
low key."
Debbie Feit is a regular Scene contrib-
utor.
3/20
1998
o_Th4Jeutish Ntws
.1
— Good Will Huntin -
.41
and Jay Rosett: The Lonestar
re a brotherly love of co
r of Clicking: 17
our Business And
place to
utes the coffee craze
Coffee
" cocooning"
what bars
time at home).
the dating,
"fantasy adven-
drinking
e
monotony of
kicking it
feine, coffee s
eres more to that cup
nearly every
e an you realize.
ing,ham alone
"It symbolizes cegonomics' [which is]
strip. And don'
customization," she says. "Coffee used
fee for sale at
to be black or with milk. Now it's very
stores.
customized.
Lattes, mochaccinos, freez-
With tempting names l lik
k e
ers
...
you're
seeing a tremendous varia-
Amaretto
Delight,
`Chocolate Kiis -and
tion of specificity that consumers love
coffee drink _ s also are a relatively guilt-
to play with."
free way to give yourself a treat.
There's also a wide range of coffee-
"It's better than three scoops of ice
houses to choose from. Although most
cream," admits Karen Gordon Rosen-
of those sur-
Photo by Krim. Husa
berg, 29.
veyed
cited
Diane
location
as
Fekete, owner
the
main
of the Agape
factor in
Caffe in Royal
deciding
Oak, says the
where to go
appeal of cof-
for Joe, a
fee is "a warm
few had
and fuzzy .
favorites.
thing. It's what
"I go to
you console
Starbucks
yourself with
for frappac-
when you're
cino," says
dumped."
Steve and Carolyn Mattler serve up coffee drinks at Scott Segal,
And it's safer
any event you want.
27. "I've
than a quick
tried the
martini.
others,
but
now
I'm
pure
Starbucks.
"It's a quick, fun, indulgent hit,"
I'm a brand fanatic." Frappaccino
offers Faith Popcorn, renowned trend
blends ice, milk, coffee, sugar and
sometimes chocolate to make a
slurpee-like drink.
"I like Java Master for their fruit
smoothies," says Marci Bloch, 23.
With Starbucks making its way into
metro Detroit, one might wonder if the
Motor City isn't already filled to the
brim with coffee. Could it be too much
of a good thing?
Steve Mauler, owner of Viva Cap-
puccino, a coffee catering service, thin! ---'
the trend is here to stay. "You find [cof
fee shops] in areas you wouldn't expect
to," he says.
Elliot Lewkow, a.k.a. the Cappucci-
no Man, feels "like a saturation point is
close in the suburbs." Known for the
coffee drinks and shmoozing he serves
at social functions, he doesn't mind a
bit. "Every time one opens, it increases
my business." -\
"The concept will be around forev-
er," says Lonestar's Jay Rosett. "But the
chains don't put their heart and soul
into it. They're very cookie-cutter, and
they want you to take your coffee to go.
We encourage our guests to stay."
According to Mark Chesney, district
manager for Starbucks Coffee, total cof-
fee sales go up when Starbucks opens
---\
shop.
"We raise awareness when we go into
a market," he explains. "We're not
going in to put anyone out of business."
So maybe coffee's here to stay. After
all, "I don't know anyone who doesn't
go to them," says Bloch.
-
ti