There’s a moment on West Center Road in Omaha when you push open the door and something changes, and regular patrons of A Hill of Beans Coffee Roasters seem to agree. The first thing that strikes is the smell. Before you’ve even looked around, the room is filled with warm, slightly smoky freshly roasted beans. It’s the kind of scent you try to cling to, according to one reviewer. Another claimed that she could have inhaled it for hours on end. It’s not a small detail. It’s the entire initial impression.
For more than 20 years, A Hill of Beans has been roasting coffee in Omaha. During that time, it has developed a genuinely devoted local following, something that chains seldom manage. It is reflected in the numbers. With almost 300 reviews, the roaster has a Google rating of 4.8 out of 5. It is rated 4.9 on Yelp. Ninety-six percent of Facebook reviewers suggest it. You don’t get those numbers by accident or by having a fashionable Instagram style.
Good coffee alone doesn’t seem to be the only thing that keeps people coming back. Reviewers frequently mention the employees by name rather than in the generic “great customer service” manner that appears in boilerplate reviews. Dave, Tom, Martha, and his broad smile. A year later, a customer still recognized the employee by name after bringing her son in for a last-minute Christmas present. After a failed attempt at making espresso at home, someone else drove over and asked for assistance with grind size. The team spent time troubleshooting her even after they realized the grind wasn’t the real issue. Things like that are noticed.
When one walks into A Hill of Beans, the selection is more extensive than most people anticipate. Flavored options, such as caramel cashew, vanilla buttercream, highland grog, and blueberry cobbler in the summer, are served alongside a variety of single-origin beans.
Reviews of Dave’s Blend appear spontaneously, much like recommendations from friends. Strong but approachable, the Serengeti Blend has a darker flavor without the harsh smokiness that some people find objectionable in French roast. Regulars have a tendency to form opinions quickly and hold them for years.
The atmosphere—or rather, the lack of performance in it—is also worth mentioning. The language used by the store itself is telling: “no affectations, no judgment about cream, sugar, or even flavored creamer.” That is a purposeful position. Ordering the wrong thing in the wrong way can earn you a look in specialty coffee culture, which can occasionally veer toward exclusion. It appears that A Hill of Beans deliberately chose to go in the opposite direction. We welcome customers who use flavored creamers. It is explained without condescension to those who are unaware of the distinction between a varietal and a blend. That is not as common as it ought to be.
Reviewers do make some useful observations about the operating hours. The West Center Road store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. That window may be limited for individuals with regular work schedules. Long after they have left Omaha, customers in Tennessee and Alabama have remained loyal to the store because it offers online ordering and shipping for both whole and ground beans. However, extending the hours might make it possible to reach a larger local audience. It’s unclear if that will be a part of any future plans.
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that businesses like this one, which are small, owner-operated, roast in-house, and employ people who genuinely understand the product, are under different kinds of pressure now than they were ten years ago. The market for coffee has more choices, more delivery options, and more competition from high-end supermarket chains that sell single-origin beans.
Despite this, A Hill of Beans continues to receive five-star reviews from patrons who have been there since 2001. Novelty is not the source of such longevity. It stems from consistently delivering the fundamentals: freshly brewed coffee, fair prices, and employees who treat patrons with gratitude for their attendance.
There is a good case to be made for anyone in Omaha who has only ever purchased beans from a grocery store: at least once, the trip to West Center Road is worthwhile. Before making a decision, take some time to smell the area. You won’t be hurried by the staff.
