He first saw the Senoia Coffee Company from behind the visor

of his motorcycle helmet. It was a joining of two of his favorite

things, riding his motorcycle and good coffee. Paul Burt had

been to all the local coffee shops, but by car or motorcycle,

the Senoia Coffee Company is the one to which he returns again

and again.

His wife, Lorraine Burt, joined him on a ride soon after. Now

they're regulars, like so many who have found this small-town

cafe with worldwide coffee bean flavor.

"We love their coffee," said Lorraine. "It's

the best tasting coffee around. The ambiance makes you just want

to go and sit, by yourself, with a friend, play chess or listen

to live music on Fridays."

What makes it better than a national chain? "The owners

are great. Charles is out on the floor; we have good conversations

with him. It's like going to a friend's house."

Charles Sykes and his wife Lenora live in Brooks, but spend

much of their time in historical Senoia, on a main street lined

with antique and furniture shops. Their part is creating a place

where locals and visitors from nearby Peachtree City and Fayetteville

can find a cup of steaming, in-house roasted coffee, served with

small-town charm. They bought the coffee shop in 2002, after

having been loyal customers of the previous owners for several

years.

The Sykes import their beans to Senoia from Ethiopia, Brazil,

and a dozen or so other countries. Their back room, which houses

their roaster, has burlap bags of beans lining the walls, stamped

with exotic locales.

"We do first-class coffee and coffee drinks," said

Sykes. "I'll match my coffee against anyone around.

But we are more than just a coffee shop. We have sandwiches,

soups, ice cream and entertainment on Fridays."

Each Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m., live music makes the Senoia

Coffee Company a cultural experience, too. On the schedule for

Oct. 29 is live music with jazz guitarist Matt White, and on

the menu that night is prime rib, an occasional specialty available

fresh basil chicken salad, quiche and a host of other deli specialties

are available. Lunch won't break the bank, only $4.95 to

$6.95 for a sandwich basket.

If there's one thing that will frustrate the coffee lover

in you, it's the limited hours that the Senoia Coffee Company

is open: 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Friday from

6:30 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Limited hours

are offset by very reasonable breakfast choices, like Ms. Betty's

homemade loaded biscuit, with sausage, egg and cheese for only

$1.95.

The Senoia Coffee Company's location is one of the reasons

customers return. It was built in 1927 as a grocery store, and

has been a beauty parlor, a real estate office, a church and

a pawn shop over the years. Now, rough, aged brick and red paisley

curtains set the scene for getting comfortable. Lit cases full

of baked goods wreck your low-carb diet, as do rich chocolate

truffles. Or you can order Lorraine Burt's favorite Senoia

Coffee beverage, the Mocha Iced Coffee. "It's not a

mix, like at other places. Because the coffee is roasted there,

and they use real Hershey's chocolate, it's the best

iced coffee."

The back room is available for private parties and groups, and

gives a firsthand view of the roaster. Charles Sykes personally

roasts all the beans, checking them for color, temperature and

time. He listens for the first crackle and the second as they

roast; he can hear, see and taste when they're done, a connoisseur

who tastes a bean from each small batch. He'll point out

the uniformity of color indicating an even roast. He can show

you a handful of hot Honduran beans, just roasted, and tell you

what the color means to the flavor.

He's a bit of a history buff on all things coffee, and

delights to talk to customers about it. One of his favorite things

is when customers come from big city places, New York, California,

Europe, even. Sometimes they expect the worst. And Charles only

delivers excellent. He likes to change their expectations about

small town coffee, as only The Senoia Coffee Company can. "It's

quite satisfying, when you roast coffee and people enjoy it.

There's an art to it, like baking or cooking."

Heading into the holidays, The Senoia Coffee Company is a great

place to pick up gifts with local flavor. Gift baskets with coffee,

accessories and chocolates, or buy a bag of beans to brew at

home.

Paul Burt likes to take home Charles' custom-roasted beans.

Then he can grind as he goes, and have Senoia Coffee every day,

even when it's too cold to ride his motorcycle. For directions

or information, call 770-599-8000 or visit Old Town Senoia, at

1 Main Street.

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