Commander Coffee — Restaurant in Augusta

Ubora Coffee Roasters has been open for just a week and this place is already booming with business!!! Andre Leon, the business owner and coffee afficionado, says so far Saturday’s are his busiest days. They have already went through pounds of coffee beans.

Andre looked all over town to find a perfect coffee shop and with no luck, he built his own. He wanted to enter the market and show Augustans the right way coffee should be made. The area being saturated with big coffee corporation chains who mass produce coffee and don’t take pride in the taste and end result of coffee.

Also, their employees can’t produce a handmade coffee drink. They press a button and voilá, coffee is produced from a machine!!! The special thing about this place, Andre gives one on one hands on training to all baristas he hires. Most of them having worked as baristas before he still has to start from ground 1 with them.

I was able to try a Vanilla Latte. I’m not familiar with all types of coffee, so I did step out of my comfort zone and try it. It wasn’t bad. Even though it was a little bitter for me, but Nora, the manager, added more vanilla favor to my drink and made it drinkable for me.

The menu is full of affordable options. There are also pastries and handmade sandwiches offered here, to indulge in while you are having your drinks. They all looked delicious, but I couldn’t decide on which one I wanted to try so I didn’t try one at all.

Andre is a native of Brazil, an active duty officer in the Navy stationed at Fort Gordon, a world traveler having traveled to 20+ countries and 50+ cities. While in another country he was able to try a proper cup of coffee and this in turn made him wondering how coffee is made and what was the whole process of bringing someone a perfect cup of coffee.

Only in his early thirties, he had more knowledge about coffee than people who have been enjoying coffee for over 50 years. You can see his passion when he discusses his coffee, his business, the process of roasting coffee in-house, and his being behind the bar and making coffee for customers.

The staff is small, yet they have been trained by Andre on how to make a perfect cup of coffee. Nora is to manage of this operation and keeps the business running smoothly. Tony, the coffee roaster, is a whiz at manning the roaster and keeping track of the perfectly roasted coffee or the not so good coffee so they are able to replicated it or tweek and correct the formula they produced.

Ubora means excellence in the language of Swahili. Andre wanted a name to mean something since he is dedicated to bringing the Augusta area a fresh and proper cup of coffee and other coffee based drinks. Andre and his team tried and tested over 50 different kind of coffee beans from all over the world and only 8 made the cut to be used in the daily coffee rotation here.

I love the swanky feel of the place. The baristas are dressed in formal clothing giving it a very upscale look and the shop is spacious and chic!!! You can tell Andre and his team took pride into what he was bringing to the area. I was able to see the roasting process first hand from Andre and Tony. It’s such a fascinating process

I see why Andre is so wrapped up into coffee. I’m already making plans to stop in and try more coffee drinks. Even if it’s to bask in the atmosphere of this...

I've been here now 5 times and the only good experience and well made "Cortado" was the frist time and if it would have stayed like that, then this review would be 4 stars because their coffee itself is good but nothing to rave about. I always order a cortado.

My frist experience was good, good service, friendly, place was warm and inviting, and I felt like this is going to be a great place.

Second time I went they put my drink in a to go cup when I clearly said I will sit right there at the end of the bar and it tasted like water down drink, not fluffy foamy.

Third time I went I got this vibe like I was not welcome there. I asked about wifi and i got chuckled at and they pointed to the sign but I was asking why the wifi doesn't allow you to visit some sites or if they had a fire wall. Plus the cortado was mediocre again.

Fourth time I went, I stop in after my run. I had high hope for this visit because it showed life with people and someone playing live music but I was sadly mistaken. This laid way to busy workers who seem like they didn't want to be there and quality of my drink was just mehhh agian.

Fifth and most likely my last time going there was a Saturday morning, me and my partner of cool places planned a stop here after our morning run because it was very convenient to our run plan that day. We thought hey this I will be a great stop for water and a coffee drink. My cortado has never been the same as the first time so I've realize that this is their norm now but my partner drank taste like it was burnt and they gave her the ugly looks when she made her order. She ordered 3 shots of Expresso with a splash of almond milk iced, they were like you want what? I say it's my last time but I really do hope they stay open for a long time to come and get better. If I see them open still 5 months from now I'll give it another try because I really did try to support local places and will give it another "Expresso shot" later.

I say they need to train their staff on more than just the basic, customer service and delivery goes a long way when it comes to places like this.

Make it clear that you order here and pick up here, or clear that it will be brought out to you etc.

Help key in on drink making and every drink on the menu deserves to be made like it's a special or something.

Parking - 2 stars (it's more of a if you're downtown walk to spot)

Coffee - 4 stars

Skilled staff - 2 stars

Service - 2 stars

Consistencies - 2 stars

Atmosphere - 3 stars

Friendly - 2...

From the moment I stepped into Ubora Coffee, I was transported to a bygone era of North Augusta's historic charm. The coffee shop's entrance offered a view of old-timey red brick buildings, across the street there is a closed leather company from days past, which perfectly complemented the vintage vibe of Ubora. The interior of this coffee shop was impressively spacious, reflecting their dual role as both a café and a coffee roaster. My favorite coffee shops roasts their own coffee beans in-house, and this detail always adds a unique touch to the ambiance, some what of an industrious vibe. I indulged in an iced mocha latte that was perfect. Accompanying my beverage was a bagel sandwich with sausage, egg, and cheese. I was super hungry I had been camping for two days so this sandwich at the time seemed like the best thing I had ever eaten. What truly made my visit memorable was the service. The person who took my order was incredibly helpful, they didn't mind how long it took me to order I tend to ask lots of menu questions ie what your favorite and stuff like that. Ubora Coffee is not just a coffee shop; it's an experience. It's a place where the past and present converge to create a warm, inviting atmosphere, complemented by delicious coffee and food. If you're passing through here stop in here for a bit. Ubora is a must-visit for any...