Mentor’s Only Specialty Coffee Shop Connects Its Neighbors One Cup at a Time

Calico Jack Coffee Roastery's coffee cupping classes create a fortified network around the love of crafting, sipping and roasting coffee.

by Julia Lombardo | Jun. 2, 2026 | 5:00 AM

Photographed by Kevin Kopanski

A good cup of coffee is a catalyst for a great conversation. Calico Jack Coffee Roastery’s coffee cupping class leans into that conduit as a small group sits around a table clustered by coffee grounds and worksheets with adjectives like “fruity,” “nutty,” “carbony” and “musty.” The contemplative silence is broken by intense sipping off spoons and roars of laughter.

“Your goal is to slurp as hard and loud as you can to coat the entirety of the tongue in the coffee,” co-owner Austin Barbian says.

Photographed by Kevin Kopanski

Fellow co-owner Chris Barbian then asks everyone at the table to share their findings. Comparisons to wine, chocolate and pepper bounce around the discussion. A hyperspecific description of an old leather jacket receives a surprising amount of concurrence.

“With the notes, you can get as crazy as you want,” Austin says. “We’ve gotten a few that’ve said they taste hay or a specific perfume.”

This monthly gathering of fewer than 10 people is an intimate experience that adds education, ritual and intention to every step of the coffee roasting process — further fostering a community for a love of the craft. Attendees are blindly provided Calico Jack coffee grounds with distinct flavor notes and asked to document smell, taste, mouthfeel and other sensations as they go through the process of unpacking, grinding and drinking the different brews.

Since opening Calico Jack in 2024, Austin, Chris and Charisse Barbian have discovered that their cafe is many Mentor residents’ first experience at an independent coffee shop. So the longtime coffee roasters rely on creative fuel to revive their art in a suburb disconnected by big-name, drive-thru lattes.

Patrons at Calico Jack Coffee's coffee cupping class

Photographed by Kevin Kopanski

“People look at coffee like they need it to get through the day, and that’s about it,” Austin says. “We’re trying to teach people there’s more than that, but it’s been a learning curve to figure out how to go about doing that without being pompous. We thought it would be fun to gamify it, almost.”

The curious clientele at coffee cupping classes spans from novices to experienced roasters, many returning month-to-month. The small capacity leaves more space for answering questions, forming relationships and truly paying attention.

“It’s really cool building that community of coffee lovers,” Austin says. “When you boil it down, it’s kind of a big, nerdy family.”

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Julia Lombardo

Julia Lombardo is the editor of Cleveland Magazine’s home and style section and contributes to coverage of arts, culture and dining. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2023 with an English degree. As both a journalist and poet, she is inspired by stories with creative flair. When she puts down the pen, she enjoys going to concerts, ranking coffee shops and walking aimlessly through wooded trails.