When Jeff Shaw was first starting his company Gulf South Solar, which designs and installs solar power systems, 3 p.m. was always coffee time, and he would meet potential clients at the nearby Charlie’s Coffee.
Eventually, Shaw moved his business to a building on Revere Avenue, and Charlie’s closed down. Although there was a Starbucks close by, Shaw longed for the atmosphere of a more local coffee shop.
A self-described espresso snob, Shaw started conjuring up a remedy to the situation, utilizing his business’ indoor training center as a makeshift coffee stop for employees, friends and clients.
Over Labor Day weekend, he put up a chalkboard with a café logo and a list of drinks with calorie counts and flavors as a display. Thus began the Green Bean Café, which already has its own regulars—and they aren’t just clients interested in solar.
However, Shaw doesn’t sell any of the drinks. Prospective clients and friends can drop him a line through e-mail, Facebook or by calling the business, and he’ll make them a drink if he’s available and not in the field.
For him, it’s all about having fun.
“I started building it up a little bit at a time,” he says. “It kept evolving. Things are always changing.”
The drinks are made with fresh espresso beans, roasted every other day. Shaw has got it down to a science: He’ll put beans in the roaster, wait until they’re just the perfect tint of brown with a little oil coming out of their skins, then puts them in the grinder. He’s got his shot glasses, and his machine is prepped so he can get the right shot of espresso with just the perfect amount of foam.
As he prepares an espresso shot, you might hear him say, “Look at that. It’s like a glass of Guinness.”
He’s got a blender and a section of the counter is full of his favorite flavors to put in the drinks—hazelnut, vanilla and more. In the fridge, he’s got his take on his favorite drink from the now defunct local spot—C.S.I.C., or Charlie’s Special Iced Coffee.
“I can’t tell you what’s in that, but it’s really good stuff,” he says. “It’s what I used to get all the time.”
Interestingly enough, if you go to the Green Bean Café, you won’t find regular coffee—Shaw is not a fan.
“I really don’t like coffee,” he says. “I think it tastes bitter. I’m an espresso snob, though. I’ll go places and casually watch and see what they’re doing right and wrong.”
Moreover, if a client, friend or someone who heard of the café wanted to try Shaw’s drinks, they’re free. All one needs to do is call the office at 932-0035 to see if he’s available and not out building or putting up solar panels.
Employees chip in for supplies, but other than that, this is something Shaw does for fun with no plans to expand it seriously.
“I think it’s funny,” he says. “I’m a barista now.”—Matthew Sigur
