Knoxify

Black­bird Cof­fee­house, Knoxville’s newest cof­fee shop, opened yes­ter­day at it’s loca­tion on 1208 Kene­saw Avenue in Sequoyah Hills.

The focus of Black­bird is both the qual­ity of cof­fee, and pro­vid­ing a com­fort­able place to relax said co-owner Ali John­ston, who has been an occa­sional employee of cof­fee shops since she was 16 years old.

“I tried to do other things, but always kept doing this instead,” said Ali.

Black­bird has been a work-in-progress for at least a year, said Ali and co-owner and hus­band Craig John­ston. The cou­ple moved to Knoxville from Nashville where they attended the School of Audio Engineering.

Ali and Craig had orig­i­nally intended to start a busi­ness where kids could come to record and per­form music. Despite start­ing a cof­fee shop instead, the cou­ple con­tin­ues to take an active inter­est in the record­ing industry.

But their cof­fee shop is ded­i­cated to some­thing more sentimental.

The Johnston’s started Black­bird Cof­fee­house in part because of their dog Skippy, who passed away nearly a year ago. His photo adorns the refrig­er­a­tor behind the front counter.

“He sur­vived every pos­si­ble thing a dog could go through,” said Ali. “After he died, it was like our focus shifted. It put a lot of things in per­spec­tive for me.”

Skippy’s death also had an impact on her husband.

“I think I came home from work one day, and said ‘Let’s open a cof­fee­house’,” said Craig.

Black­bird Cof­fee­house serves cof­fee (and beans) from Mattie’s Moun­tain Mud Cof­fee, a roaster from New Cas­tle, Va. who used to roast for Mill Moun­tain Cof­fee out of Roanoke, Va.

Author’s review

Loca­tion: I love the fact that this shop is nes­tled back in a quiet neigh­bor­hood. And it’s much closer for West Knoxvil­lians than down­town cof­fee shops The Golden Roast and Old City Java, among others.

Ambiance: The inte­rior is small, but cozy. There are three tables (two inside and one out­side) and a couch. The music choices are a mix of indie rock and alt coun­try. I’m sure they’d be open to requests.

Black­bird Cof­fee­house also offers free wire­less Inter­net access for customers.

Cof­fee: I tried the house blend called Black­bird House Blend, and found it very tasty. The shop cur­rently serves this option in addi­tion to an Ital­ian (Appalachian Smoke) and decaf (Shade Tree).

They make all of the usual mixed drinks such as lattes, and sell whole beans from Mattie’s Moun­tain Mud Cof­fee in half pound and pound bags.

Food: Black­bird Cof­fee­house serves a vari­ety of food includ­ing: cup­cakes from Cities Cup­cakes, bagels from Hot Bagel in Oakridge, muffins, cook­ies, cin­na­mon rolls and break­fast sand­wiches. They also serve sev­eral lunch sandwiches.

Pho­tog­ra­phy by tonx