Paper Fox Coffee
1704 Capital Cir NE Suite 104, Tallahassee, FL 32308
Paper Fox’s tag line, Focused On The Craft, pulled me in. Their Capital Circle location is their second shop, a roughly 1,000 sq ft coffeehouse in a strip mall. In short, I found Paper Fox to be a perfectly serviceable, middle of the fairway coffeehouse that lacks intrigue and luster .
Coffee:
My cortado was stratified into distinct layers and lacked the velvety homogeneity of a well balanced, well mixed Cortado. The steamed milk was hotter than I like, and the milk was over textured, having a frothiness that prevented the signature velvety creaminess of the drink. My breakfast blend drip had apleasant mouth feel, and was full of flavors of chocolate and citrus. I bought a bag of their Belly Warmer Blend, described as Bold, Dark Chocolate, and Almond Butter, and found it to be intensely yummy.
Barista:
I didn’t feel the love. My barista was efficient, but seemed to have their mind elsewhere and didn’t drop that lump of goodness into my experience. There was no rudeness, or carelessness, but there also wasn’t an aura of goodness. I know, that’s a high bar, but I’ve come to expect it in establishments of excellence. I sat at the bar and my cortado and warmed blueberry muffin were promptly delivered. I asked or a napkin and was directed to a coffee station on the opposite wall.
Vibe:
Decor includes numerous images and sculpture of foxes heads. Countertops are an attractive blend of maple and walnut. They offer a few lounge chair seating areas and one that is meant to double as an enclave for coffee clutcher’s kids, being adorned with plush foxes, children’s books and a few amusement puzzles. Seven tables and and equal number of bar seats complete the indoor space. A side wall with a good amount of glass opens to a outdoor seating area thats about as big as the indoor footprint. Other than the odes to foxes found throughout the store, the walls only other art are a series of plywood panels etched with coffee plants. Music was a pleasant background of indie/folk music played through Yamaha bookshelf speakers in the corners but at a volume that made the scooping of the beans, the opening of the refrigerator door, and the stacking of coffee containers acoustically competitive with the music. Two unisex bathrooms are spacious and very clean. .
Make You Better
Everything seemed to be situated in the, play it safe, middle of the fairway, mentality. My preference would be for more precise drink making, and more engaging artwork, a bit more audio volume, and personal interactions. I also think that when serving people at the counter, it make sense to provide them with a napkin, or at least have a stack of them in easy reach. All in all though, I think this is a fine coffee stop, just not a great coffee experience.
~ Clyde <3