Coffee Tour de Gainesville: Cymplify

Writing all these coffee posts makes me think I might have a coffee problem... nah

Due to another open mic night, my Thursday night was spent listening to chill jams and drinking an iced mint mocha (it was divine) at Cymplify; the coffee shop/restaurant/ice cream store/nursery/who knows what else is going on there but then again who cares because it's damn delicious.

Cymplify is a bit out of the way for me... all the way in west Gainesville, so I don't go often. But I've never had a disappointing experience. So far, it is the only coffee shop in Gainesville that I don't feel intimidated in immediately upon arrival. Yeah, it still has the typical hipsters and their aura of sophistication, but for the most part, Cymplify's clientele is friendly and welcoming.

After purchasing my coffee, the barista (baristo? He is a guy. Is that a gendered word?) offered me a punch card, and then proceeded to joke about the random pieces of paper they were using because they had run out of their actual cards. While I was taking pictures of the shop, he asked me if I have an instagram for photography, and we proceeded to exchange information. I swear, I've never had an encounter with someone behind the coffee counter that was so casual. I felt right at home.

As I was snapping away at my camera, a pony-tailed man walked by me and said "Oh, be careful, this one's a hippy." I scoffed at the term, knowing that he was taunting me because of the headband I wore over my hair. "Hippies are always nice, so you better watch out for this one," he said as I walked out, laughing.

I was taking pictures outside when this same man stepped out, and said to me "Let me guess, you're a journalism major? No, photography"

"Actually, I'm an English major" I replied. "But I have a blog and I'm doing a series where I go to all of the coffee places in Gainesville and write about them"

"Oh that's cool," he said. "You aren't reviewing them and talking about snooty things like the coffee aromas. You're just saying hey I went here and this is what happened."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed.

After this, we proceeded to talk about the various acts that had already performed, and he told me about a fundraising he was doing at the local botanical gardens. He encouraged me to continue with my blog, and seemed very enthusiastic about what I'm doing.

I didn't stay long - just enough to drink my coffee, listen to Margaret's set, and hear a historically accurate song about felines - but, so far, it was the most comfortable I've ever felt on this Tour de Gainesville. Maybe it was the Cymplify atmosphere, or maybe I'm just getting the hang of this whole blog thing. Either way, it was a great night.