Jan Henry becomes a caffeine addict
Nine years ago, Jan Henry was working at Shaw Industries and didn’t know much about coffee since she didn’t drink it. Today, she’s the java junkie she should be as the owner of a coffee shop.
It all started when Henry’s daughter mentioned that a friend had a coffee shop for sale at a great price. Henry’s brain began to whirl. “I wanted to find something else to do,” she says. “The heavy lifting I was doing at Shaw was getting to be too much.”
Henry went to look at the shop and decided to take the plunge into business ownership. But before she signed any paperwork, she wanted to make sure she had a new location for her store: Caffeine Addicts. “It was originally in Dalton,” says Henry, “but I wanted it closer to home.”
Specifically, Henry wanted to be located in a place with a friendly, small-town atmosphere where customers would come to feel like family. She found her spot in the heart of Ringgold between the Courthouse and the Depot. “My son, my husband and I spent two months remodeling and getting things set up to open.” The result was a unique arrangement.
Henry’s shop has space and atmosphere to suit every taste – there’s a bar with high stools and café tables in the subtly lit inner shop, and long tables in a more brightly lit area for groups. Sofas and soft chairs offer yet more seating and gathering options for customers. Large plants, framed prints and homey art, shelves full of books and other unique décor round out the many moods the shop offers. There’s free Wi-Fi for tech-savvy customers.
Also in preparation for opening day, Henry started drinking coffee. “I discovered that when I roasted coffee myself, I loved it.”
One of the special things about Caffeine Addicts is that all the coffee is roasted in the shop and isn’t ground until it’s ready to be used, except for the bagged ground coffee Henry sells.
The shop roasts Guatemalan, Colombian, Sumatran, Ethiopian, Brazilian and Costa Rican coffee. It makes three blends: Roastmaster, French and espresso, and it sells Swiss water-process decaf.
Customers can buy a straight-out cup of coffee or an espresso, a latte, a cappuccino or a frappe. Flavors range from vanilla, caramel and hazelnut to Irish Monk, raspberry and Mounds (dark chocolate and coconut).
But coffee is far from the only thing on the menu at Caffeine Addicts. There are many more drinks and plenty of good food. There are
fruit smoothies, frozen creams, Italian soda, hot chai tea lattes and even chocolate milk.
On the food side of the menu, the shop makes ten kinds of sandwiches on four kinds of bread, salads (tossed, potato, pasta), specialty turkey spinach wraps and grilled ham-bacon-ranch on tomato basil wraps, and over a dozen desserts, including homemade muffins, cupcakes and brownies. There’s ice cream, Coca Cola products, and for kids of all ages, cream drinks in orangesicle, cotton candy and bubblegum flavors.
“We try to have something for everyone. Coffee is a specialty with us, but we’re not a place for just coffee drinkers,” says Henry.
When Henry first began to roast coffee, she took samples home to her husband. “One day, he tasted some and asked what it was. I told him it was Colombian, but he said it didn’t taste like Colombian coffee he’d had in the past.”
Henry set about some research, turned her roaster up ten degrees and took another sample home. “Now, that’s Colombian,” her husband said.
While customers can drink their coffee at the shop, they can also buy fresh-roasted coffee in both bean and ground form to take home. “We sell it in one-pound and half-pound bags and in sample-size packs so people can try different types,” says Henry.
Yet another unique feature of Caffeine Addicts is the groups that meet there. “We have a Bible study that comes in,” says Henry, “a school study group, some ladies who come here to knit and crochet while they eat, the Southern Lit book club.” The shop can also be rented for parties after-hours.
This past Thanksgiving, Henry held her family dinner at her shop. “We managed to get all 17 grandchildren to the gathering,” she says.
The National Coffee Association’s mantra is: We believe that coffee is more than just a drink: It’s a culture, an economy, an art, a science – and a passion. Henry feels the same way – with plenty of add-ons to accompany your brew or other drink. “I love making my customers happy,” Henry says.
Caffeine Addicts is located at 7819 Nashville St. in Ringgold. Hours are Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Contact: 706-935-3355 or www.facebook.com/ CaffeineAddicts.