New coffee shop, same Cool Beanz
Cool Beanz Espresso Bar recently moved to an expanded location on South Main street in downtown Statesboro. The new location is in walking distance of their previous location on East Vine Street.
Cool Beanz Owner David Hoyle is excited about the new location, giving them room for food and live music, which can only mean Cool Beanz will get even cooler.
Their new location at the corner of West Vine and South Main Street is the third, most visible and largest location yet for the coffee shop. It is the first location that is fully owned by coffee guru David Hoyle.
"Right now I'm still trying to get a handle on coffee," said Hoyle "We're going to eventually start doing food, but that's kind of down the road. Maybe within the next year, I'll have a menu and a chef to cook in the back."
Coffee is Hoyle's language
Hoyle started off roasting his beans in a single rotisserie roaster, but the demand at the shop forced him to upgrade a few times.
In the new espresso bar, patrons soon will be able to see and smell the beans roasting after Hoyle moves in a new heavy-duty coffee roaster beside the bar.
"I roast coffee how I like it," said Hoyle. "My hope was when I started doing this is that my customers would like it too."
Hoyle has had his hands on all kinds of beans and can name the flavor profiles that come from different regions or from how many times the bean has been roasted.
Hoyle is the closest you find in this area to a coffee sommelier.
Coffee tastings
One idea Hoyle and his team are working on is hosting coffee cuppings or tastings in the future. These tastings could help educate customers to the experience all the flavors different beans have to offer.
Being a bit of a "coffee purist", Hoyle has never had a coffee maker in any of his shops. Cool Beanz is known for their cold brew, requiring no coffee maker at all. Instead they use pour-overs and french presses.
"I'll put my cold brew up against anybody's any day of the week," said Hoyle. "I cant tell you how many times I've bought a cup of cold brew and walked out the door and threw it in the trash."
While Hoyle has his standards for coffee, he's not like the snobby baristas he's talked to before. Ask him a question about coffee, and he's happy to answer, he said.
"I think with my passion and my enthusiasm in what I'm talking about, I can't be snooty," said Hoyle. "I'm just like, 'Aw man you've gotta try this. It tastes awesome.'"
Jazz nights coming
Beyond coffee, Hoyle wants to host low-key jazz nights after-hours with wine tastings or coffee cuppings.
"I don't know very many places downtown to go if you're older like me and you just want nice, quiet and jazzy," said Hoyle.
Making a difference Downtown
Cool Beanz has become a popular and important downtown staple. Their following will only grow with this classy, expanded location.
"10 years ago I didn't know anything about coffee, and I just started getting into it," said Hoyle. "I really enjoy it. That's what makes it so easy."
This expansion is one more important part of the puzzle in reigniting downtown as a vibrant destination for dining and entertainment.
