I swung by Jittery Joe’s on my way to work one fall morning. Nothing planned, just needed the morning breve, as usual.
Jittery Joe’s tasting room/roasting house is an Athens experience that’s not to be missed. If you catch Charlie there (and it shouldn’t be too hard–he’s there practically all the time!), you’re in for a treat. He’s always willing and very happy to show anyone the process behind making Jittery Joe’s delicious rich, perfectly executed coffee. Oh, and the prices can’t be beat.
The name Jittery Joe’s, by the way, comes from Thelma & Louise–early in the movie the women emerge from a diner with the same name. You can read more here.
This might the JJ’s secret: there is seriously a HUGE chess board under the stacks of coffee. Charlie says that when the floor isn’t completely covered in huge coffee bean sacks, the staff plays chess with the life-sized metal pieces.
Be warned, there’s no A/C. There is, however, plenty of seating, and lots of reminders of the character of Jittery Joe’s: bikes, local publications, locally-made cookies and muffins, local CDs. Did I mention they’re into local stuff?
Welcoming pineapples.
I’ll review the swank Baxter/Alps location another time–because it deserves it, and it’s so different from this gritty, beautiful location. Don’t miss Jittery Joe’s blog.
