Stauf’s Coffee Roasters

My loving Friend and I loved coffee and a blood orange Palmer shakeup (pure awesomeness) on the veranda. The baristas are quite educated and I eventually located a tea that I could drink by the gallon.

Around Columbus, it always kind of feels like buying local makes sense, but I always assumed it meant it might be a little more expensive because of its organic-​ness (vs. how it’s supposed to be cheaper due to its removed cost of shipping, I dunno). But Stauf’s in German Village gives a great atmosphere with ample indoor and outdoor seating and affordable pricing on their coffees.
The Wifi is free and runs pretty well, especially considering how many people are there working/​studying at any one time. Sometimes the wifi does get kinda laggy though and finding a place with an outlet is meh. But I mean that kind of applies to any place where I go to study.

This review is for the German Village location. Stauff’s has great coffee, but
WHAT THE EFF IS UP WITH THE INTERNET?!
I really like how they brew, its always consistent, always on the mark. No one likes the morning cup to be a bad surprise so I appreciate the certainty of getting a damn near exquisite cup, but
WHAT THE EFF IS UP WTH THE INTERNET?!
Generally, I am a dark roast person, but their bean selection is so good that on occasion I will even try a light roast and it will not disappoint, but
WHAT THE EFF IS UP WITH THE INTERNET?!
My favorite is the Java Estate I think, but I also love the Ethiopian and Yemen Harrar, Baba Boudon, and Costa Rica. All of them complex and different, its nice to see so much diversity in a coffee cup, and have ALL of it be good, but
WHAT THE EFF IS UP WITH THE INTERNET?!
Love the back room, great ambience and so sunny; its an excellent space for some peace of mind to think things through over a cup of coffee, or focus on a school or work project except for when the internet goes down, oh that remind me,
WHAT THE EFF IS UP WITH THE INTERNET?!
The patio is clutch. So spacious, great for catching up with friends, reading that novella you picked up from the BookLoft next door, or enjoying a sunny day that seem to be getting rarer in Columbus. Chirpy folks and giggly girls all around (oh and you girls should stick to the patio, people in the back room are usually getting work done) making you feel like life is good, but then all of a sudden,
WHAT THE EFF IS UP WITH THE INTERNET?!
Seriously Stauff’s. Can’t you do anything about it? This is a bad, toxic relationship for me. Everyday I swear I’ll never return and then find myself crawling back the very next day. I’ve been devoted and loyal, but you have not held up your end of the bargain. Relationships are a two way street. Can’t we both agree to be better? To try harder? I promise to work on saving the cardboard sleeve, but you need to get off your lazy ass. I mean internet.
STAAAAUUUUUF’s!!! Please. You’re killing me. The WIFI is worse than what one would find in the backwaters of Vanuatu. The wifi is … still … stagnant … immobilized … festering like standing puddle that builds up to the most wretched smell…
IT STINKS!

Stauf’s has some of the best coffee in Columbus. They’ve got a large/​rotating selection of roasts as well as some sweeter items for when I feel like an Almond Latte. This location is my favorite. They have some prepared sandwich and salad options as well as a great selection of pastries.
There are three main sitting areas. The area in front is a bit louder (where the line waits and coffee is made), the back room (very spacious and bright) as well as a rocking patio.
Plenty of street parking and in a really cool neighborhood.
The only problem I have with this location is the wi-​fi. More often than not it works very well. However, on the busier days it can be quite slow and may not even let you join. Because Stauf’s is pretty popular I’m thinking they just need to step it up and get a better/​larger option (I’m awful with computer lingo). So, if you have a deadline or need internet during a specific time frame, I might try somewhere else. But then always come back :)

I think I gave this place short shrift eighteen-​months ago, three-​staring it for clearing the comfy old Cup O’ Joes in favor of the modern slick emptyness of the Stauf’s brand. Written as a lament, many of my complaints still exist, but after several more visits the place’s better attributes have grown on me.
Attribute one: their in-​house roasted beans are flavorful; the place smells of coffee richness upon entrance. Café mochas here, my favorite latte, are very well made.
Attribute two: the staff here is very knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly. They don’t wait on you of course, but they do come out from behind the bar and interact with customers.
Attribute three: although the stripped front room still makes me sick, the back room is pretty nice. The seperation from the front bar renders it a quiet work space, a cool conversational knook, and a warm reading lair awashed in natural lighting.
Four: the patio is sweet there, a lovely little bay dented between the ancient building and hedge rows. It seems to attract warm sunlight and/​or cooling breezes.
So here I am adding another star. It doesn’t have the cool coziness of the former brand, but it is still a great coffeehouse.

Really good coffee, great and friendly employee, I really enjoy their carrot cake. I like this location much more than grandview location as seating area.

I feel like this place gets 70% of my coffee business. Not for work; it’s a little too far from my house to go to for work, although it has wi-​fi, a ton of power outlets, and coffee, so it’s good to sit back and write in.
No, my girlfriend and I go here to play board games. It has a lot of tables and they’re not quite as small as some coffee shop tables, so we can fit most of our games without having to be that jerk who takes two tables.
Separate from my odd board gaming fixation, the coffee is actually very good here. I say this as a coffee snob: it’s well-​roasted. The food that they offer is usually very good too, and I have a particular weakness for the bacon cheddar scone.
This is the kind of place that I would probably live in if it wasn’t a hike for me to get to.

«We want to do a lot of stuff; we’re not in great shape. We didn’t get a good night’s sleep. We’re a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup.»
Jerry Seinfeld
The coffee here is good and the location is excellent. Interior is everything you would want in a new age coffee shop. Definitely has a lot of potential. Service could be improved.
A step up from Starbucks right down the street!

I’ve been going to this location since it opened, sometimes up to 4 times a week to work for an hour or two to clear my mind. I love Stauf’s coffee, and the location and very urban and chic. For those complaining about lack of parking, seriously? Head over to the COJ in Lennox. This is German Village, not Hilliard. I particularly love the patio and spent many summer afternoon and evenings there.
Problems? Well, some tables are uneven so I have spilled my coffee unexpectedly a few times. They tend to run out of certain baked goods too early in the day (especially bagels). And people seem to have discovered it. Neither this past Saturday nor Sunday could I get a table anywhere in the place. While I realize people love to work, be a little considerate? Spending $ 2 on a coffee isn’t carte blanche to pile your books over 2 tables for 4 hours. If it’s not busy, stay. If it is, be a little more conscious of people standing and waiting for a table to open.

I enjoy going to both the Grandview and German Village locations of Stauf’s. The vibes are a little different in my opinion. Grandview is more busy and open concept, and on the weekends has tons of families with young kids. The German Village location has a front and back space, and it seems that most people in the back space are doing work, while most meetings occur in the front, which is a nice differentiation.
I don’t drink coffee so I can’t really comment there, but tea drinkers should go to the Grandview location. There are so many teas to choose from, and it is nice to fill your own tea bag! They are both happy to refill your mug with more hot water, too. In addition, the omelets at the Grandview location are pretty delicious. It would be awesome if the German Village Stauf’s had a real kitchen, but I think they only have pastries and such.

Love the vibe here but the wifi connection is sketchy at times. The coffee is usually great. I get a vanilla latte or buckeye latte with soy. I sometimes get their tea. Their tea selection is amazing. Of course they fall short from their Grandview (?) location but they have the basics.
The store needs a lot of improvement though. It’s been a few years, I think, since they opened, but their area in the back still needs a lot to finish, especially behind the bar/​counter area. They keep it as a storage area and it looks messy. They should just end the kitchen where the door is and use the area for tables and such. Also, the smell is never pleasant inside. It smells like wet laundry or a guy’s dorm room. I sometimes get used to it the longer I stay but last time I was there, I couldn’t and had to use cologne, which still didn’t help. Anyways, their ventilation system needs to be looked at.
Also, if you’re thinking of staying longer than 2 hours and you’re driving to this location, you’re in trouble. Street parking is the only way to park nearby and they only allow a maximum of 2 hours. You either have to move the car every 2 hours or leave once your 2 hours is done.
I’d come here all the time because I love the lighting and ambience of the place, but the parking, smell, and sketchy wi-​fi holds me back.

Excellent coffee shop in the German Village, one of the most atmospheric places to visit in Columbus. A short 30 minute walk from Downtown and situated next door to one of the world’s FINEST book shops, The Book Loft. This book shop has 32 rooms of discounted books and is always top of my list to visit.
Staufs grinds its own coffee beans on a regular basis and staff have a deep interest and passion for coffee. This place might even rival Papercup in Glasgow but, on reflection and being biased, probably not!
It has wifi that is easy to access and the place is, every time I have visited, busy with people socialising with friends or solos on their laptops.
The breakfasts are awesome and prepared and presented with care. This is a place to hang out for hours, with papers and books to read. Seems crazy to travel 3500 miles to sit in a coffee shop before and after spending ages in a book shop but, you know what? I’ll probably do it again next year.

With its front room, back room, and patio, this Stauf’s location is like three coffeehouses in one. Each section has its own personality, and the back room is by far the quietest café area in Columbus to work. (I’m writing this while I’m sitting somewhere else that shall remain nameless, where they’re playing show tunes… and as much as I love belting out Les Mis in the shower like everyone else, it’s a little distracting when you’re trying to edit neostructuralist Marxist theory. I think I can manage a Unilocal review while Sebastian croons to me to kiss the girl, though. [Total tangent, but my sister-​in-​law dressed my then-​four-​month-​old nephew Sebastian as a crab for his first Halloween last year. It was precious.])
The front room is where you sit if you go to Stauf’s in order to smell like coffee when you leave (I’m not joking – I’ve always loved it about the original location). And I haven’t had the pleasure of spending time on the patio yet, but whenever I leave, I think, «Doggonit, the temperature’s nice now, I should’ve moved outside» (obviously I’ve mostly been there in the nice months). It’s pretty, shaded, enclosed, and has plants, and I presume the wifi reaches out there.
The food options are obviously not as vast as they are at the Grandview location, where they have an entire kitchen, but they do have your standard bagels and pastries. If they could truck a little hummus over for the bagels, I’d be content.
The tea section is also a fraction of the size they have over there, but it still operates on the bag-​your-​own system, which I’ve always enjoyed. A Stauf’s barista gave me a tip once, suggesting that I try experimenting with combining scoops of different teas, and gave me her favorite (it was a combo of some smoked black tea and a flowery herbal one, but I don’t remember exactly what). Try that with prebagged tea and you’ll end up with a dusty mess and a couple of funny looks.
Although I love the atmosphere of the back room, there is a seating comfort/​outlet tradeoff. The outlets are in the back corners by the bench seating, which is remarkably uncomfortable (though you can also sit on regular chairs at the same tables) and at the communal counters, with the tall kind of bar seats that are hard to sit in for long periods.

Since moving to German Village mid-​October I have come to really like Stauf’s.
They have great patio and a large indoor space for enjoying your coffee and talking/​working.
What I really like is their coffee selections. Usually they have four different brews each day. I really look forward to the days the either are brewing Peaberry or Highlander Grog, my two favorites.
I’m not a fancy coffee drinker, just give me a large, no cream or sugar. However my wife gives a thumbs up to their chai latte and pumpkin spice latte.
My only complaint would be that service can be slow at peak times. Although the staff makes up for it with pleasant conversations and smiles!

Trying the location for the first time since Mojo went out. Location is clean but really doesnt have a comfortable «hang out and socialize» vibe. The furniture is very stark and functional, no decorations on the walla, despite it being sub forty outside, the fireplace isn’t going.
The staff was attentive but not really friendly and for a «coffee roaster», sadly under educated about their products. They had Ethiopia Sidamo as their espresso offering and when i inquired how that tasted as Sidamo would be a little acidic and fruity for such a dark roast, the counter girls just looked at me blankly and told me «any coffee can be an espresso».
Sadly, my doppio was very bitter as now am I.

Maybe make drinks that are on the same order together, instead of making one, with whip that will melt, then making five other customers’ orders, then making the second drink from the first order. If Stauf’s has any more than one person at the counter, you’re going to have a bad time.
The layout is bad too. And while I get this used to be a MoJoe, what the hell are you doing with that old bar space in the back? It looks like an open view of someone’s storage space. Like a closet with no walls. You’d expect more outlets at a café too, but nah.

This review is strictly about the coffee. I’m going to be a terrible naysayer, but I am not a fan of Stauf’s. I do, however, appreciate the German Village location as a great place to get a drink and relax. Their coffee tastes either under-​roasted or burnt, and I’ve not had a cup that has tasted good — it always seems watery. Iced coffee tastes hot-​brewed rather than cold (as claimed) and also has a watery presentation. I’d rather go with tea here.
There are two interior areas for seating as well as an enclosed garden patio, which is lovely. A couple tables along the sidewalk are perfect for people watching.
To sum up:
Coffee — 2
Atmosphere — 3.5
Location — 3.5
Overall — 3

Solid cup of coffee, fantastic muffins, killer space. BUT…
For some reason, they seem to insist on blasting the music. WHY?
People go there to get work done, or to read, or perhaps to have a quiet chat or meeting with friends/​associates. If customers want to hear music, I’m sure they’re capable of plugging headphones into their computers or phones (which most people do, to try to escape from the noise).

The pile of bricks on the patio will forever remain.
It’s really just a redone version of it’s former self, cup o’ joe, same owners, just took out a bunch of seats in the front to put in a roaster, and took out the food (but I heard they’re re-​adding the food?)
An obviously superior choice to the chainbucks across the street, with good coffee for a reasonable price. And a nice patio, with a pile of bricks, to sit out on a nice day.

I gave this place a chance one Sunday morning. I’ve heard many things about the poor internet connection, and when I went to visit, not only was that true, but the room in the back felt awkwardly quiet… and so I left, never to return…
Somehow I stumbled back in. Here is what I’ve learned:
Assorted array of baked goods, both savory and sweet. I had the pecan «roll» which was delicious, moist, and full of buttery goodness.
Cappuccino was decent – not the best I’ve had, but not yucky.
The room in the back was a little more welcoming than before, with its roaring fireplace and perhaps some music in the background. It’s still a bit too quiet back there to have a proper conversation without feeling like the entire room is hearing about your recent date, but it’s getting there.
I think the space out front by the door it a lot more coffee shoppy – loud conversations and tables and just a place where you feel like you can disappear in your book/​work without being the center of attention every time you sneeze.
Parking is only 2hrs max, even on sundays, and I don’t think I spotted a parking lot anywhere…

When we rolled into the new Stauf’s location in German Village, I saw a familiar face from the now-​closed Bexley COJ (RIP, my favorite work spot) and I knew everything was gonna be okay.
It has a much more modern, clean-​industrial feel than the Grandview location. Lots of seating, but I did notice a couple of people almost left before we told them there were more tables in the back – a sign might be helpful for people, since you can’t see into the back area from the main space.
Standard Stauf’s/COJ menu. If you want the basics (coffee, espresso, iced tea, etc), they’re a fantastic option.
Retail area with great specialty coffee/​tea equipment, and also beans and tea – smaller than the retail area at the Grandview Stauf’s but still with a lot of options.
Added bonus: since my husband put in our order, I didn’t see the woman who worked at the Bexley COJ right away. .. but she knew it was for me and brought my iced tea out to my table. (We kind of always got the same order when we went together – iced tea and coffee.) So friendly and considerate!
Also, they have an adorable patio. I’m really looking forward to warmer weather now – hurry up, spring!