Out on a School Night

Noble Tree, found on 2444 N. Clark, gives you a historic feel as you walk into the building—you would swear you are walking into your grandmother's attic. The beat woodwork is complimented by rustic knick knacks floating along the wall, and from the ceiling with mismatched paints, all the while still having elements of the current time, as covers of the Reader and concert posters placard the wall behind the espresso machine.

After you take in the setting of the first floor of this three floor coffee lovers' dream-come-true, you notice the typical sounds of someone's indie rock Pandora station playing Joy Division while the barista checks his Facebook. Although this may sound like a cookie cutter coffee shop, Noble Tree offers a unique charm.

The first thing I love about this independently owned business is the fact that the coffee is good. I find myself in more than one coffee shop per week, so the first sip is considered to be one of the holiest moments of a day to me. As the second the taste of the coffee hits the sides of my tongue, I begin to access the quality of their beans, the acidity, and the overall boldness of the beans. I can tell who makes coffee for coffee lovers and who makes coffee having a floating thought bubble over their head with a question mark. Noble Tree falls into the first category, because when you receive your espresso based drink, it comes back with a leaf design in the milk froth.

The second thing I love about Noble Tree is its construction, since there are three floors that make up the coffee shop. The first floor is usually pretty loud, as the music has the most volume here; the room is filled with random couples and families talking, along with the dialogue of the baristas, which all can be heard in the background.

The second floor is an in-between floor with much more seating, but the volume begins to fade away between the two sections of the floor; this floor also has the only restroom, which sits next to a Ms. Pacman game (old school). The final floor is quiet and has many customers with GMAT and LSAT prep books sprawled across their tables and fingers rustling through their hair in a stressed out fashion.

The last thing I like about this place is the case of pies, cookies, and other miscellaneous sweets; along with your coffee, you can get a cookie that is baked somewhere that is also independently owned. All of these desserts have passed my taste test up to this point.

The only thing I dislike is the one-hour of Internet with purchase. This is fun on the basis you can get nothing done in an hour, because, if you're talking online, the conversation just cuts out.

Outside of this little annoyance, Noble Tree has been a favorite of mine for a bit of time, and I believe it will also become your favorite.