Stauf's Coffee Roasters is my favorite coffeehouse in Columbus, Ohio. Located along the main street of Grandview Heights near to trendy Italian and Japanese restaurants, Stauf's draws large, lively crowds every day of the week, every time of the day. Eschewing the now-ubiquitous over-stuffed couches, Stauf's packs the place with many small tables and sturdy chairs. The place is brightly lit for a comfortable reading level or a lively conversation. All types of people patronize Stauf's: SUV-driving yuppies, black-clad artists, dog-walking neighbors, LAN-gaming lads, affectionate seniors, and itinerant philosophers.

Tom Giesemer opened his coffee house in September 1988, naming the establishment after his maternal grandparents. The right half of the store, and the half one enters, is dedicated to the selective coffee shopper. This is where they have bins and bins of coffee beans from Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, New Guinea, Tanzania, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. Stauf's then roasts these beans themselves, on-site. Along with beans, you can buy any coffee brewing apparatus you desire, from the simple $20 French press to $500 espresso makers.

Passing through the store, where you cannot avoid a "hello" directed at you, you enter the cafe where you are first asked if you want something from "the case", the display case full of scrumptious muffins and desserts. They will toast a bagel, although you'll be expected to put the cream cheese on it yourself. Next you come to the counter where you place your coffee order (rumor has it that they sell tea too). Get your drink, grab an alternative newspaper, sit down and hang out for a while! In the summer they offer outdoor seating along their lengthy sidewalk on Grandview Ave.

Stauf's Coffee Roasters,
1277 Grandview Ave., Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
800-7-STAUFS or 614-486-4861

Order beans online at www.staufs.com

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