He first saw the Senoia Coffee Company from behind the visor
of his motorcycle helmet. It was a joining of two of his favorite
things, riding his motorcycle and good coffee. Paul Burt had
been to all the local coffee shops, but by car or motorcycle,
the Senoia Coffee Company is the one to which he returns again
and again.
His wife, Lorraine Burt, joined him on a ride soon after. Now
they’re regulars, like so many who have found this small-town
cafe with worldwide coffee bean flavor.
“We love their coffee,” said Lorraine. “It’s
the best tasting coffee around. The ambiance makes you just want
to go and sit, by yourself, with a friend, play chess or listen
to live music on Fridays.”
What makes it better than a national chain? “The owners
are great. Charles is out on the floor; we have good conversations
with him. It’s like going to a friend’s house.”
Charles Sykes and his wife Lenora live in Brooks, but spend
much of their time in historical Senoia, on a main street lined
with antique and furniture shops. Their part is creating a place
where locals and visitors from nearby Peachtree City and Fayetteville
can find a cup of steaming, in-house roasted coffee, served with
small-town charm. They bought the coffee shop in 2002, after
having been loyal customers of the previous owners for several
years.
The Sykes import their beans to Senoia from Ethiopia, Brazil,
and a dozen or so other countries. Their back room, which houses
their roaster, has burlap bags of beans lining the walls, stamped
with exotic locales.
“We do first-class coffee and coffee drinks,” said
Sykes. “I’ll match my coffee against anyone around.
But we are more than just a coffee shop. We have sandwiches,
soups, ice cream and entertainment on Fridays.”
Each Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m., live music makes the Senoia
Coffee Company a cultural experience, too. On the schedule for
Oct. 29 is live music with jazz guitarist Matt White, and on
the menu that night is prime rib, an occasional specialty available
by reservation. Lunch and evening, barbecue pork sandwiches,
fresh basil chicken salad, quiche and a host of other deli specialties
are available. Lunch won’t break the bank, only $4.95 to
$6.95 for a sandwich basket.
If there’s one thing that will frustrate the coffee lover
in you, it’s the limited hours that the Senoia Coffee Company
is open: 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Friday from
6:30 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Limited hours
are offset by very reasonable breakfast choices, like Ms. Betty’s
homemade loaded biscuit, with sausage, egg and cheese for only
$1.95.
The Senoia Coffee Company’s location is one of the reasons
customers return. It was built in 1927 as a grocery store, and
has been a beauty parlor, a real estate office, a church and
a pawn shop over the years. Now, rough, aged brick and red paisley
curtains set the scene for getting comfortable. Lit cases full
of baked goods wreck your low-carb diet, as do rich chocolate
truffles. Or you can order Lorraine Burt’s favorite Senoia
Coffee beverage, the Mocha Iced Coffee. “It’s not a
mix, like at other places. Because the coffee is roasted there,
and they use real Hershey’s chocolate, it’s the best
iced coffee.”
The back room is available for private parties and groups, and
gives a firsthand view of the roaster. Charles Sykes personally
roasts all the beans, checking them for color, temperature and
time. He listens for the first crackle and the second as they
roast; he can hear, see and taste when they’re done, a connoisseur
who tastes a bean from each small batch. He’ll point out
the uniformity of color indicating an even roast. He can show
you a handful of hot Honduran beans, just roasted, and tell you
what the color means to the flavor.
He’s a bit of a history buff on all things coffee, and
delights to talk to customers about it. One of his favorite things
is when customers come from big city places, New York, California,
Europe, even. Sometimes they expect the worst. And Charles only
delivers excellent. He likes to change their expectations about
small town coffee, as only The Senoia Coffee Company can. “It’s
quite satisfying, when you roast coffee and people enjoy it.
There’s an art to it, like baking or cooking.”
Heading into the holidays, The Senoia Coffee Company is a great
place to pick up gifts with local flavor. Gift baskets with coffee,
accessories and chocolates, or buy a bag of beans to brew at
home.
Paul Burt likes to take home Charles’ custom-roasted beans.
Then he can grind as he goes, and have Senoia Coffee every day,
even when it’s too cold to ride his motorcycle. For directions
or information, call 770-599-8000 or visit Old Town Senoia, at
1 Main Street.
