Aroma Cafe, Santa Rosa

I felt yesterday's coffee experience deserved a more valiant effort to find a real independent coffee house in a part of Santa Rosa that had not undergone a major bulldozer job of its history. Thus, the old main train station area of Santa Rosa is the host to Aroma Cafe. This large cafe is situated in the luggage claim area, with an adjoining ice cream shop also run by the cafe as well. The main cafe room is probably 50 feet long by 25 feet wide, with ample counter space along the walls and 60 chairs. A industrial size roaster sits in the corner nearest the service area. Ceiling fans, and bright lights hang from the open rafters. Coffee is the focus, but breakfast and lunch items are available as well. The store front is lined with a long row of outside tables facing a huge parking lot.

This is a great space. Besides being a great place to read a book, several patrons came her to talk over a coffee drink. The report from the counter regarding wifi is that it really works best in the ice cream room. So, here again, as in my recent visits to Trouble and Four Barrel Cafés, is that wifi and setting up a laptop morgue is not the focus here.

As is the case in much of the North Coast, starting in Sonoma, the sixties never really died here, they just moved away from the Bay Area. Crosby, Stills and Nash played over the speakers, softly lilting through the room in the background, not overpowering the continual chatter of friends engaged in conversation. I think I could fall in love in a cafe where people spoke to each other across the room, at every table. The other thing that makes the North Coast distinct from the Bay Area, is a generally low level of image consciousness - people in Sonoma County are much more mellow and low key than their Bay Area cousins. The crowd here is in fact a number of college aged students, a couple of young family types and a few others, like myself in their forties or so.

The coffee here is adequate on first sip. But as it cooled, the coffee flavor grew on me as I finished my macchiatto. Maybe as I listened to the hum of conversation, my coffee started to taste better. I may have to stop here again in a couple of months when I return for my next regional teachers union meeting in Santa Rosa.

Location:Wilson St,Santa Rosa,United States