By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
For coffee drinkers, there is nothing better in the morning than that first sip of their favorite brew from a warm, steamy mug. Whether you take it black or with cream, sugar or straight, drip, French press, pour-over, or espresso (or you just take it and are glad you didn’t have to make it) – it motivates millions of us to get up and get going in the morning. And to keep going through the day.
But coffee is more than just a vehicle for a caffeine kick. On cold mornings a hot cup can help the warmth seep into your bones while you try to shake off the chill. On a warm afternoon, an iced coffee can be a nice way to take the edge off the summer heat. It’s a multisensory experience, and the most important of those is taste, followed closely by aroma and temperature – which impacts the previous two. When it all comes together it’s a symphony for the senses.
None of us may agree on what makes the perfect cup of coffee, but we all know what we like once we’ve had it; and we hope we can have it again. So, those are the things Kyleigh and Thomas McClure, of Nook & Cranny Coffeehouse, have focused on over their first year in business – quality and consistency. If someone wants a flavored drink, they can make those. They have a lot of delicious specialty drinks on their menu; both hot and iced. You can trust they’ll be made deliciously every time, with the same high quality ingredients; including locally roasted Goose Bridle Coffee.
But more importantly, they can also make traditional espresso based drinks. If you want a cappuccino that is really just espresso, milk, and foam, without any sweetener or flavoring, or a macchiato that’s an espresso with a spot of foam, the McClures are going to understand what you’re asking for. And when they make it, it’s going to be good.
Maintaining that quality, and a lot of learning “by trial and error” Kyleigh said, has kept them going through their first year. Thomas added that part of that was the environment, and he believes the community is embracing the space and using it in the way they hoped it would be utilized.
“We wanted to provide a great place for people to come in, and sit, and get work done,” he said. “For students to come in and do their homework. And that took a while, but I think people are really starting to get that now.”
Of course, they wouldn’t embrace that if the coffee wasn’t good. Kyleigh said she knew they wanted to offer more than “just sugary caffeine” explaining, for instance, that by using better, smoother coffee, they don’t need as much sugar to cover up bitter flavors.
“Yeah, we put more work into the coffee side, so that we don’t have to pile thing with just as much sugar as the (other) places do,” Thomas added. “Just because we don’t want to keep feeding into the culture of excessive amounts of sugars.”
That doesn’t mean their sweet drinks aren’t sweet.
“There’s still plenty in there,” he laughed. “But people get nice drinks and we’re able to cut their costs a bit because it’s cheaper to produce (with less sugar).”
The couple have also expanded the space over the last year, opening up the back room with additional seating, restrooms, and a reading nook.
Nook & Cranny Coffeehouse is located at 109 East Main Street, in Grayson. They are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the week, 8 – 6 on Saturdays, and noon – 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
