Shortwave Coffee — Restaurant in Columbia Township

I came across this quaint coffee shop while wandering in the downtown area. I was immediately intrigued by it so I decided to give it a go. When I stepped inside I felt a sense of renewal, all those years of therapy wasted when I simply could have come into this shop to have all my problems resolved due to its cozy and relaxing atmosphere. When I stepped up to order my coffee I was confronted by a coffee guru who knew everything I never would about coffe. I tested the waters and asked but one question that could ultimately decide my fate, I leaned in and whispered with bated breath "what is your favorite coffee" I was immediately bombarded with a series of words that I had little to no comprehsion of, but it all related to one thing, coffee. I dared even further by asking about the options that would come along with ordering an iced coffee, however once again I was assaulted by meaningless phrases that my coffee virgin brain has not yet encountered. My thoughts were sluggish I was not myself anymore, I once again was in need of that therapy. My simple love for coffee had been construed into such an uncomfortable experience. The stakes were high and my heart beating fast, my friend urged me with an encouraging twill and in the heat of the moment I repeated back those same words the coffee guru had spoken only moments before. Immediately I knew I had spoken out of turn, the fear of what I ordered overwhelmed me and I fell into a state of unconsciousness. When I awoke a plastic cup filled with an unfamiliar substance was forced into my palm. I scurried away in fear of judgement my friend trailed after me in horror of the aftermath. I took a sip of my "coffee" and nearly keeled over in the street. Luckly I had my friend with me to break my fall. The only way I could stomach this substance would be with inordinate ammounts of cream and sugar. We headed to Subway in a panic and utilized all of their sugar packets alas to our dismay even with 15 sugar packets added to the concotion its flavor was enough to haunt me. Now at night when I dream all I can see is that coffee, its laugh echoing in my thoughts leaving me a dishevelled mess when I awake. I am forever changed by that encounter at had at...

Overall, this is an ok little coffee shop. The atmosphere is cool, calm and inviting, and most of the coffee/espresso I've had here has been good. I don't make it into this store a lot, but in my experience I would say the quality of service is hit and miss here (at least at the Alley A location) - most baristas I've encountered have just been blah and definitely don't go out of their way to be friendly. Also, if you're in a hurry this is not the place to stop - I've never had anyone ahead of me in line and there's still always a long wait to male my drink.

Today I was excited to get/try their cardamom latte since the local shop I normally get this from only has this syrup seasonally. The sign at Shortwave says syrups are homemade, so I was expecting it to be a cardamom flavored syrup. When I got my drink I literally had chunks in my latte. I asked the barista about it and was told "it's the cardamom, we ground it up real fine." This was not finely ground and there were a lot of pieces. I just left it at that and left the store, but I didn't enjoy having a bunch of cardamom chunks in my coffee.

I'll probably still go back, but it won't be my first choice and I won't order the...

As a barista myself I was excited to try this place. The pictures looked great, and the reviews were awesome so I thought I would give it a try. The ambiance was nice, but that’s about the only thing that was. I got a drip coffee which tasted like burnt Starbucks coffee. Then I tried to simply get a vanilla mocha. The cashier seemed super coffee illiterate. He seemed unsure of what I was asking for even though it is a super common drink that was written on their menu. When I did receive my drink it was was a half-full cup of liquid that tasted like burnt hot chocolate. Needless to say I wouldn’t recommend. Generally I am pretty gracious with people, but this experience was just odd to...