The ghost of coffee shop past is returning to the heart of downtown Gainesville on Friday.
After closing its Midtown location, Wyatt’s Coffee has relocated to 202 SE 2nd Ave. and is now welcoming all coffee and tea lovers for its grand opening 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday.
There are multiple opportunities for customers to earn free drinks in exchange for interacting with Wyatt’s social media. More information can be found on the event page.
General manager Danielle Ballou said Wyatt’s relocated because the old building lacked space and visibility and was constantly disturbed by the Midtown construction.
“At one point, the entire sidewalk was ripped up, and there was nowhere for people to park,” she said.
The new space has around 34 seats and is in a great location, she said.
Although this change is large, Ballou said Wyatt’s mission remains the same.
“The whole vision of Wyatt’s is to be this place that combines science with coffee,” she said. “It’s all about how can we make the best cup of coffee possible, starting from the roast of the beans all the way through to the final brewing methods.”
Wyatt’s offers handpicked roasts and six brewing methods including drip, immersion brew, French press, pour over, cold brew and espresso, with more information on the website at wyattscoffee.com/coffee/.
Ballou said Wyatt’s Japanese-style cold brew method is what truly makes them stand out.
Instead of steeping the beans in cold water, they are brewed steaming hot, flash frozen in a 50-foot copper coil submerged in an ice bath and served out of a nitrogen-charged tap, according to the website.
“It provides the bold flavors of a hot coffee,” she said, “but the nice, smooth, refreshing texture of a normal cold brew.”
She emphasized, however, Wyatt’s complicated methods for brewing coffee should not intimidate the regular coffee drinker.
“Wyatt’s is for coffee connoisseurs and coffee novices,” she said.
Although Wyatt’s uses a scientific method to brew coffee, the atmosphere is just the opposite, she said.
Madi Florence, a UF sophomore, could not agree more.
After attending Wyatt’s soft opening and social media day from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, she said she was impressed by the baristas’ willingness to take questions and offer personal advice.
“If you come and ask questions, they will help you figure out what you want to try,” she said. “I know I get flustered when I’m ordering things at new places.”
The downtown regular said compared to Maude’s Cafe, Patticakes, and Volta Coffee, Tea and Chocolate, Wyatt’s is a good balance, serving high-quality coffee while still maintaining a chill atmosphere.
“I think every coffee shop downtown has a different personality to it,” she said. “This is a good [choice] in between the extremes.”
Wyatt’s has a classy and creative vibe, she said.
She can see herself sipping a nitro latte and doing homework, she said, once the craziness of the grand opening simmers down.
