Secrets
August 2009 Â www.specialty-coffee.com BY MARTY WEIL I 'm seated comfortably on the upper oor of a London bus, and if the destination placard can be believed, I'm bound for Trafalgar Square. However, the vintage bus I'm on hasn't moved an inch from the corner of Biltmore and Aston in downtown Ashville, N.C., since the Double Decker Co ee Company parked the iconic vehicle here in 1999. Tea-drinking Londoners might wince, but for the two million tourists that ock to Asheville each year, the Double Decker has become a co ee landmark. Instead of Big Ben or Buckingham Palace, my view from the top berth of this double-decker bus is the majestic Smoky Mountains, rolling unobstructed to the Southern horizon. Inside the cozy quarters, my robust mug of Darth Vader co ee (the house blend) cools on a tiny Formica table top. Meanwhile, a oor below, at the back of the bus, the barista pours an espresso shot for an Asheville Bobby who boarded moments earlier. I gaze again at the astonishing beauty of the Appalachian range and take comfort in knowing that it will always stay beautiful here. e cop and barista share a good, pleasant laugh, and a magical feeling swims over me. I look around at the other passengers on the stationary bus and wonder if they notice the magic, too. is is a visually unique place, says owner Nicole Mitzel. A lot of our business comes from the tourist trade. People stop and come in for co ee because this is something they've never seen before. It's a priority for me to provide our local customers with a quality cup of co ee, but the key to our success is the iconic nature of our retail space. In addition to seating for 30 guests inside the bus, the Double Decker has more than 1,000 square feet of patio space that can accommodate 40 more patrons. Mitzel, 31, renovated the 560-square-foot bus in 2007 when she acquired the business. We did a gut rehab of the bus, she says. While doing so, we were careful to retain the original bus pieces and furniture. I believe we succeeded in maintaining the aesthetics of a true London bus. e Double Decker Co ee Company is located at 41 Biltmore Ave. in Asheville, N.C. Business hours: Monday- ursday, 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. A B M F ESPRESSO MAKER Astoria (Model# SAE/2N) ESPRESSO GRINDER Astoria (Model # Super Jolly Timer) COFFEE GRINDER Bunn (Model #G2-T) COFFEE ROASTER Beanworks (W. Asheville, NC) COFFEE BREWER Bunn (Model #!CDBCFDVAPS,GF) BLENDER Hamilton Beach Scovill (Model #94/Drink Mixer) DOUBLE DECKER COFFEE COMPANY Asheville, N.C. Fill in 88 on Reader Service Form or visit www.OneRs.hotims.com/23629-88