Cool Beanz

As a coffee aficionados, my friend and I decided to check out a newly-opened coffee shop at 1325 30th St. in Rock Island . . . Cool Beanz (website in the works). Started by a recent Augustana College graduate, it was a coffee shop reminiscent of those I used to frequent in my own college town of Bloomington, Indiana. In that way, I felt immediately at home and at ease.

The menu: Extensive. I finally settled on "The Original Dirty Peanut" ($4.22) . . . with a name like that, how could I got wrong? This particular smoothie was sans espresso, which is generally a deal-breaker for me, but it did have a couple of my other favorite flavors--peanut butter and chocolate. And a mysterious ingredient called "smoothie cream." When I asked the cashier what "smoothie cream" was, she identified it as a white powder. "You know, smoothie cream." Nope. Don't know. Sounded very sci-fi to me, but I gave it a shot. We sat down and waited patiently for our drinks.

The decor: The walls were painted a warm yellow, covered sparingly with what I can only imagine were South American artwork and photos. We sat on a large, brown, leather sofa, the kind that lets you sink down into for some private girl-talk. Halfway through our chat, however, the owner asked us to get up so she could reposition the furniture, a move I've not experienced in a coffee house before. Why not wait until we were gone? I'll admit I was a bit miffed by her request.

A recent Dispatch article gives a bit of background on the owner and the cafe's history, and I'll admit I'm more forgiving of the couch-move after reading it. Once we learn more about people, we forgive them some of their imperfections, I suppose.

It was a good 15 minutes before our drinks arrived, which was a bit surprising to say the least. Still, I had some good conversation to keep me occupied. While eventually sipping on our smoothies, we stared at what looked like a fireplace inside a fish tank and an old grandfather clock.

I do appreciate the small business owner, and I would love to return, despite the slow service. Lord knows I'm not on top of my game at every given moment!