I’m a bit jittery right now, and I’m acutely aware that I’m having to remind myself to blink. I just had an interview with Matt, the owner of The Happy Cappuccino, and he kept giving me samples of different coffees. This is after I had already ordered a cup of coffee when I arrived so I could taste the wares! So now, I’m trying to type with my jittery fingers and I may not sleep for days.
I visited The Happy Cappuccino at their location in Crossgates Mall. This is their second location, with their first being in Schenectady. The store has kind of a hipster, laid back vibe to it, and I could feel my coolness factor rising. Not only was there coffee to enjoy, but art work from local artists hanging on the walls. I was also excited when I saw the sign out front that advertised local musicians that play in the store weekly. I can’t wait to listen, drink a cup of Pour Over coffee, and relax. If you want to meet me there, the schedule is in the picture below.
I visited The Happy Cappuccino at their location in Crossgates Mall. This is their second location, with their first being in Schenectady. The store has kind of a hipster, laid back vibe to it, and I could feel my coolness factor rising. Not only was there coffee to enjoy, but art work from local artists hanging on the walls. I was also excited when I saw the sign out front that advertised local musicians that play in the store weekly. I can’t wait to listen, drink a cup of Pour Over coffee, and relax. If you want to meet me there, the schedule is in the picture below.
This is how our interview went:
BoNYS: Besides the obvious fact that coffee is gold in liquid form, and I love it, why did you choose to open a coffee shop?
Matt: Because I love coffee too!
BoNYS: Cheers!
Matt: I’ve always loved coffee, and always wanted to have a diner or café; something coffee related. I was finally able to open a shop, and thought it was better to open a coffee shop than a restaurant.
BoNYS: This a really cool store. How did you come up with the name? It’s a fun name!
Matt: We threw some names around. My wife wanted to call it Matt’s Ugly Mug, and sell ugly coffee cups, but there are other places that do that already. I wanted “Happy” something. That word came to me when I was drinking a beer actually. I put my glass down, and when I picked the glass back up, I saw a smiley face in it, and thought that was pretty cool. Somehow, that morphed into Happy Cappuccino. Even the logo for the store is a happy face!
I also wanted the store to be reminiscent of Cheers, with regulars that come in, and we know what they want to drink, have it ready and slide it down the bar to them. We want to have that happy atmosphere. That’s what happens at the Schenectady store. Not so much here, since there’s so much traffic, but we have our regulars here too.
BoNYS: It definitely has that happy feeling to it!
BoNYS: You’re up against Starbucks and Dunkin here in the mall. Why should people come here for coffee instead?
Matt: We use locally-grown, organic and fair trade coffees; probably 80% to 90% of our product comes from New York. The coffee is made and roasted by small businesses. My bakers are local companies as well. We also serve sandwiches, and some of that we have to order from larger companies, but we’re trying to transition that to local companies too.
Another thing we have is a small vegan menu. I’m a vegan, so I’m trying to get more options on the menu. So many people are changing their diets and getting away from the standard, so we’re trying to increase the options we have available.
We also serve Nitro coffee. Not many places make that. It pours and looks like a Guinness. Because it’s made from nitrogen and our espresso blend coffee, it’s super caffeinated. After a while, it foams up and starts to look like a dark beer. It doesn’t have an after taste, and isn’t bitter, but it’s strong and creamy.
BoNYS: Oh, yeah, it has a really creamy, soft taste to it! I’m never going to sleep tonight!
Matt: Our competitors don’t make that.
All of our coffees are made to order as well, so nothing sits for hours like it does other places. It’s hot and fresh when ordered.
BoNYS: Besides the obvious fact that coffee is gold in liquid form, and I love it, why did you choose to open a coffee shop?
Matt: Because I love coffee too!
BoNYS: Cheers!
Matt: I’ve always loved coffee, and always wanted to have a diner or café; something coffee related. I was finally able to open a shop, and thought it was better to open a coffee shop than a restaurant.
BoNYS: This a really cool store. How did you come up with the name? It’s a fun name!
Matt: We threw some names around. My wife wanted to call it Matt’s Ugly Mug, and sell ugly coffee cups, but there are other places that do that already. I wanted “Happy” something. That word came to me when I was drinking a beer actually. I put my glass down, and when I picked the glass back up, I saw a smiley face in it, and thought that was pretty cool. Somehow, that morphed into Happy Cappuccino. Even the logo for the store is a happy face!
I also wanted the store to be reminiscent of Cheers, with regulars that come in, and we know what they want to drink, have it ready and slide it down the bar to them. We want to have that happy atmosphere. That’s what happens at the Schenectady store. Not so much here, since there’s so much traffic, but we have our regulars here too.
BoNYS: It definitely has that happy feeling to it!
BoNYS: You’re up against Starbucks and Dunkin here in the mall. Why should people come here for coffee instead?
Matt: We use locally-grown, organic and fair trade coffees; probably 80% to 90% of our product comes from New York. The coffee is made and roasted by small businesses. My bakers are local companies as well. We also serve sandwiches, and some of that we have to order from larger companies, but we’re trying to transition that to local companies too.
Another thing we have is a small vegan menu. I’m a vegan, so I’m trying to get more options on the menu. So many people are changing their diets and getting away from the standard, so we’re trying to increase the options we have available.
We also serve Nitro coffee. Not many places make that. It pours and looks like a Guinness. Because it’s made from nitrogen and our espresso blend coffee, it’s super caffeinated. After a while, it foams up and starts to look like a dark beer. It doesn’t have an after taste, and isn’t bitter, but it’s strong and creamy.
BoNYS: Oh, yeah, it has a really creamy, soft taste to it! I’m never going to sleep tonight!
Matt: Our competitors don’t make that.
All of our coffees are made to order as well, so nothing sits for hours like it does other places. It’s hot and fresh when ordered.
BoNYS: You have two locations now. Any plans to continue to expand?
Matt: My original plan wasn’t to be all over the place, but I think there is room to expand. There’s definitely a need for small, independent coffee houses that help the community by buying local stuff. Even stuff we have to order from the larger companies, we’ve asked to have food that has been grown locally as much as possible. The meat is from a producer in Troy. That’s really important to me.
BoNYS: You have open mic nights, right? How did that get started? Was that something you’ve done from the beginning, or did that just happen organically after you opened?
Matt: That’s been from the beginning. I’m a musician, so I always wanted to give a voice to people. We used to do that in Schenectady, but we’ve actually stopped recently. We’re starting to bring in local musicians.
BoNYS: I love sitting in a coffee shop listening to music and having a good cup of coffee, so I’ll definitely be coming here often!
Matt: I pay for Jazz here. The schedule is on the board. They’re amazing Jazz artists. It helps brings people in. In Schenectady, there’s a piano that gets pushed out onto the sidewalk, and people get to enjoy music and coffee together. I want our store to be a fun and relaxed place for people to enjoy.
BoNYS: We’re going to play Either/Or. Are you ready to answer a couple questions?
Matt: Ok, let’s do it!
BoNYS: World domination or keep it small?
Matt: How about in the middle?
BoNYS: That’s not an option, cheater!
Matt: Haha! I would say keep it small; regional. Maybe a few more stores.
BoNYS: Ok, this is a throw-away question: Regular or decaf?
Matt: Oh, regular. Decaf isn’t even an option.
BoNYS: Black or cream and sugar?
Matt: Black.
BoNYS: Espresso or cappuccino?
Matt: Um, it depends. I drink both. It depends on how tired I am!
BoNYS: Haha! Ok, what sells more?
Matt: Oh, that would be cappuccino!
BoNYS: Iced or hot?
Matt: Right now, iced. Because it’s hot. I will still drink hot throughout the year, but this morning I had a Nitro and that’s cold.
BoNYS: For home use: French press or precolater?
Matt: Neither.
BoNYS: What should we be using then?
Matt: How about a Chemex?
BoNYS: Is that a really fancy coffee machine that I won’t know how to use?
Matt: No, it’s just like a chemistry beaker. You put a filter in it, put your ground coffee in, and pour really hot water over it. The water slowly drips through, and the filter takes out the oils, so the coffee isn’t bitter. It’s been around since maybe the 1930’s and was invented by a chemist. It’s a great way to drink coffee, because it’s hot, crisp and clean.
BoNYS: Well, it’s gotten kind of busy in here. I was going to ask if you could teach me how to make a great cup of coffee, or some coffee art, but I don’t want to get in the way of business!
Matt: As soon as the line calms down, I can have Dom show you how to do some coffee art.
BoNYS: Yay! My coolness factor is going to go up even more! Can you imagine how impressed my friends will be?
Matt: We sell coolness here! We put it in our coffee!
As promised, Dom was really good about teaching me how to make coffee art. Granted, he was much better at it than I was! Dom says with about a year and a half practice, I might be as good as him! I think I’ll just have him make my drinks for me!
Matt: My original plan wasn’t to be all over the place, but I think there is room to expand. There’s definitely a need for small, independent coffee houses that help the community by buying local stuff. Even stuff we have to order from the larger companies, we’ve asked to have food that has been grown locally as much as possible. The meat is from a producer in Troy. That’s really important to me.
BoNYS: You have open mic nights, right? How did that get started? Was that something you’ve done from the beginning, or did that just happen organically after you opened?
Matt: That’s been from the beginning. I’m a musician, so I always wanted to give a voice to people. We used to do that in Schenectady, but we’ve actually stopped recently. We’re starting to bring in local musicians.
BoNYS: I love sitting in a coffee shop listening to music and having a good cup of coffee, so I’ll definitely be coming here often!
Matt: I pay for Jazz here. The schedule is on the board. They’re amazing Jazz artists. It helps brings people in. In Schenectady, there’s a piano that gets pushed out onto the sidewalk, and people get to enjoy music and coffee together. I want our store to be a fun and relaxed place for people to enjoy.
BoNYS: We’re going to play Either/Or. Are you ready to answer a couple questions?
Matt: Ok, let’s do it!
BoNYS: World domination or keep it small?
Matt: How about in the middle?
BoNYS: That’s not an option, cheater!
Matt: Haha! I would say keep it small; regional. Maybe a few more stores.
BoNYS: Ok, this is a throw-away question: Regular or decaf?
Matt: Oh, regular. Decaf isn’t even an option.
BoNYS: Black or cream and sugar?
Matt: Black.
BoNYS: Espresso or cappuccino?
Matt: Um, it depends. I drink both. It depends on how tired I am!
BoNYS: Haha! Ok, what sells more?
Matt: Oh, that would be cappuccino!
BoNYS: Iced or hot?
Matt: Right now, iced. Because it’s hot. I will still drink hot throughout the year, but this morning I had a Nitro and that’s cold.
BoNYS: For home use: French press or precolater?
Matt: Neither.
BoNYS: What should we be using then?
Matt: How about a Chemex?
BoNYS: Is that a really fancy coffee machine that I won’t know how to use?
Matt: No, it’s just like a chemistry beaker. You put a filter in it, put your ground coffee in, and pour really hot water over it. The water slowly drips through, and the filter takes out the oils, so the coffee isn’t bitter. It’s been around since maybe the 1930’s and was invented by a chemist. It’s a great way to drink coffee, because it’s hot, crisp and clean.
BoNYS: Well, it’s gotten kind of busy in here. I was going to ask if you could teach me how to make a great cup of coffee, or some coffee art, but I don’t want to get in the way of business!
Matt: As soon as the line calms down, I can have Dom show you how to do some coffee art.
BoNYS: Yay! My coolness factor is going to go up even more! Can you imagine how impressed my friends will be?
Matt: We sell coolness here! We put it in our coffee!
As promised, Dom was really good about teaching me how to make coffee art. Granted, he was much better at it than I was! Dom says with about a year and a half practice, I might be as good as him! I think I’ll just have him make my drinks for me!
If you can't tell, mine is on the left, Dom's is on the right!
If you’re looking for an outstandingly smooth cup of coffee, make sure to stop into the Schenectady store on Jay Street, or in Crossgates Mall near Lord & Taylor’s on the lower floor.
Thanks to Matt and Dom for their time today, and for the donation of a gift card to one lucky reader! Make sure to like/comment on the blog post here, on Facebook or Twitter, to be in the running for the gift card!
Thanks to Matt and Dom for their time today, and for the donation of a gift card to one lucky reader! Make sure to like/comment on the blog post here, on Facebook or Twitter, to be in the running for the gift card!