Poet's Coffee — Restaurant in Cookeville

Won't be back. I came in with my family for the first time excited to try a local place we haven't been to yet. My husband and I are both coffee/espresso snobs from being baristas for years and were eager to taste! However the whole experience in general was a disappointment. This isn't a very warm or inviting atmosphere at all. For starters, the ONLY menu is one on a laminated sheet that you don't see until you're already at the counter. That's not great for someone else who doesn't know coffee as well as we may. We needed a minute to look and already being at the register made it awkward. We usually go for something simple that should be done right, that way we can really taste the core of how a place handles their coffee. I asked if I could get a Vietnamese hot instead of iced and they weren't sure at first, then they proceeded with "sure I'll just heat up some sweetened condensed milk to put in it". If you've ever had a Vietnamese that's one of the only things that should be in it is sweetened condensed milk. So I made sure and said "well it will be just that and espresso right?" And was told " no it's just drip coffee on ice with some milk and sweetened condensed milk". That's not a Vietnamese. And usually anyone ordering it would rather it be hot and not iced, but if it is served it's either done with espresso or cold brew. A STRONG coffee. If you aren't sure, don't include it in your menu. I got a hot latte because that's pretty hard to mess up. It wasn't bad! My family however got iced. My husband got an iced vanilla latte that he didn't want to finish because it tasted old/like very watered down stale espresso coffee beans and almost burnt (sans any taste of vanilla whatsoever). My mother in law got an iced white choc. Hazelnut and she didn't want to finish hers because it was SO SWEET. She gets this as her safety drink and it's never THAT level of sweet. Hers also tasted old/stale on the coffee side. Our intuition tells us that they only pull fresh espresso if someone orders a specific hot drink, and anything else just gets a generic filler of whatever drip they started at open. There's also not really anywhere to formally wait for your coffee persay. You can stand at the pick up counter, but no matter where you choose to stand you feel like you're in someone's way. Lastly it's way too overpriced for quality/experience. It was 3 large latte's and and it was nearly $20. I'm not sure why you're charging that much for bad coffee, but that's a rip off. The only reason why I think they stay busy is probably because of the younger/college demographic and anyone just looking to be at somewhere that seems "on trend". Just don't go here if you want real coffee/espresso. The exceptional bean, soul craft, and vertical coffee are all so...

I don't like writing bad reviews - especially for small businesses. However, I'm also tired of paying good money for inferior services and products. I hope the owners take the time to instill in their employees the necessity of making a customer, at the very least, feel welcome in their establishment, whether they're having a bad day or not.

The young woman my wife and I encountered at the counter couldn't have been any more unwelcoming had she actually thrown our drinks at us. When asked about the difference in the size of drinks, she got a very annoyed look on her face and then without using any words just pointed at two cups on the top of the display on the counter. Admittedly, they were right in front of our face, but this was our first time in the shop and frankly, there's a lot to look at. Then as we're deciding what we wanted - we really weren't taking all that long - she loudly tapped whatever metal object she was holding in her hand on the counter, again, with a very annoyed look on her face. I had to bite back the urge to ask her if our being there to do business was getting in the way of her not wanting to work. Honestly, we should've walked out at that point anyhow.

We ordered two hot chocolates, paid, and waited. We then got our drinks from another barista who handed the drinks to us - no eye contact, an overly flat muttering of "have a good day" that could just as easily have been interpreted as "go ** yourself". As we're walking out, we discover our hot chocolates were really lukewarm chocolates. I could almost taste their disdain mingled in with the milk and chocolate.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that food service is a challenging business to be in. People are a pain in the ass, especially when it comes to their caffeinated beverages. My wife and I are extremely cognizant of the difficulties of the job and go out of our way (perhaps to a fault) to not add to the difficulty and are typically very generous when it comes to tipping (even for mediocre service).

I also understand that people have bad days - and when you have to deal with people on those bad days (of which I have decades of experience), it's not always possible to carry a sunny, positive, and happy demeanor. But at a minimum, don't be an outright ass to the people who only come through the door to keep the business that you work for flourishing. We won't be returning to this coffee shop - and I'm quite sure that the young woman we dealt with could care less. Perhaps the owners could...

I stumbled into this fine establishmemt on a crisp October morning. Prior to, I had awoken disoriented and wondered what in the Good Lord's name I was doing in Cuckville, Tennessee. Having been fond of the bong rips since my adolescent years, I made haste to find a pipe to alleviate my confusion. Once homeostasis was achieved, I promptly decided that fuel was needed for the day that lied ahead. I told Alexa, my assistant, to find food and drink. I said "Alexa, find me food and bevvy for the day that lies ahead." She may be robotic in her mannerisms, but she's a damn good assistant.

I finally arrived at poets after moseying thru this quaint town. I walked in and remembered how confused I get when I'm high as giraffes nostril and try to order at a place I've never been before. Surely enough, I walked to the counter to order and froze. Luckily, I did NOT diarrhea this time from ebarrassment. I HAVE been diagnosed with agoraphobia, and it is a real thing.

The sweet girl behind the counter realized quickly that I was from Alabama because I started crying and uttering "please, no more father Saban." She knew that if Coach Saban caught one of his followers crying in public AND in Tennessee, he would surely face lashings.

To remedy my tears, she quickly served me a Morning Magic Cheese on an everything bagel and an iced coffee. It was so Scott damn delicious and @scottybangz would highly recommend to anyone who is in the qt pie of a town.

Roll Tide...