Coffee lovers unite! And bring your tea craving, yoga practicing, and massage yearning friends with you. Blue Sky Yoga – Therapeutic Massage, Coffee and Tea has opened at the corner of Hertel and Parker Avenue.
Combined, the husband and wife team have over 30 years experience in the coffee-tea industry, and once owned Buffalo Bean and Leaf on Hertel, which although successful for a short period of time closed due to extraneous reasons. Three years ago the couple opened Blue Sky Yoga and Massage at the corner, and when the neighboring café closed they jumped at the opportunity to expand upon an industry that they were already expertly versed in. Not only are the two businesses attached, they even operate as one entity. That means that you can get a message, a cup of tea and a biscotti, and pay for it all at the counter. “We also knocked down a wall and made the café twice the size,” Mike told me. “It gives us room to carry over 35 different coffee beans that we retail. Or you can choose any one of those coffees and we will throw it in a French press for you. We offer samples of our coffee so that you can taste a few different brews. And pretty soon we will be a flagship for beans, carrying over 75 rotating selections. We provide whole bean coffee, loose leaf tea, espresso drinks, home-made baked goods and light fare to our community. We are both vegetarian and have vegan options as far as the food goes.”
By now we are all aware of the hype that surrounds micro beers. Well, for diehard coffee lovers, there’s nothing like diving into a nice hot cup of exceptional coffee. “On Saturdays we brew Jamaican Blue Mountain and 100% Hawaiian,” Mike continued. “It doesn’t get any better than that for people who enjoy coffee. It’s arguably the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had. We brew first thing in the morning. The rest of our coffee is roasted on Tuesday and delivered to the café by Thursday, so you know it’s super fresh.”
Tea lovers, don’t think that we’ve forgotten about you. The same way that Mike and Stephanie regard coffee, they get just as giddy about tea. “We have blends with all sorts of medicinal qualities,” said Stephanie. “There’s specialty tea for stress, migraines and insomnia. There are also teas with mineral antioxidant kicks. You can sip these before or after a yoga class or a massage therapy session. Or just stop on in and enjoy it while sitting down and relaxing.”
Blue Sky serves up its coffee and tea in compostable cups. The café is still a work in progress, but is coming along nicely. The high tin ceilings and the large glass display windows make the space openly inviting. You can follow the progress of Blue Sky on Facebook, or just stop in and talk to the resident experts on any manner of talking points… the sky appears to be the limit for most… not for Mike and Stephanie.
Blue Sky Yoga Therapeutic Massage Coffee & Tea | 1862 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14216 | (716) 768-1785