New coffee shop percolates in Potsdam

POTSDAM — William R. Nostrom tasted his first latte four years ago. Before he knew it, he had two espresso machines and was roasting his own coffee beans.

"Well, if you're going to be that geeky about coffee, the next logical step is roasting," he said. "It's amazing, the difference in taste from the stuff you get at the grocery store versus freshly roasted beans."

An emergency department nurse at Alice Hyde Medical Center, Malone, Mr. Nostrom is also a part-time student and the father of three. Now Mr. Nostrom has added the title of certified barista to that list.

"So I need a lot of coffee," the North Lawrence resident laughed.

He and his wife, Annette A., have set up shop on Fall Island. Jernabi Coffee, 11 Maple St., will offer just about the freshest cup of joe around, made with Mr. Nostrom's own roasted blends.

The couple named the shop after their sons, Jeremiah, 3, Nathan, 7, and Billy, 10.

"Coffeehouses kind of have a reputation for being a little snobby. But we just want to have fun with it," Mr. Nostrom said.

Jernabi Coffee, next to the Copy Shop, will hold its grand opening Friday. The shop is already open, from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The shop will offer a full line of hot and cold coffees, lattes and espressos, as well as tea and smoothies. Jernabi Coffee will also serve locally made pastries.

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive. People love what we've done with the place, and they've really expressed relief that there's another coffeehouse in town," Mr. Nostrom said. "We trained our staff, and the biggest thing is consistency. We don't want people to come three times and get three different lattes."

The Nostroms hope to draw a college crowd by offering wireless Internet access as well as a caffeine fix.

"I'll be the first to admit that I'm a coffee geek. The colleges are a pretty good place to find other geeks," Mr. Nostrom said.

Once the business is more established, Mr. Nostrom hopes to host "coffee cuppings," which are similar to wine tastings, but allow people to appreciate the flavors of different bean varieties.

"Kenyan coffees are acidic and citrusy, while Ethiopian coffees are chocolatey and taste sort of like blueberry," he said. "So many things can vary and affect how coffee tastes. If it's grown on the other side of a hill by the same farmer, it can taste different."

Jernabi Coffee's in-house coffee roasting machine will soon be delivered, and the shop will also sell one-pound bags of the ground coffee.