Barista, Barista

For nearly 2 years now, Andrew and I have been developing a taste profile for what we consider
a high quality coffee experience. We've visited every coffee purveyor in the area and some as far away as Florida, Kansas, and Chicago and have found that espresso-based drinks are about as varied as the barista that makes them.

Baristas are a fun bunch of folk. Some do the clean-cut look. Others have tattoos and piercings. I saw one guy that had hair about three feet long and a girl with a crew cut. But for whatever style they sport, I've found that baristas are passionate, driven, trendy, hardworking people who happen to absolutely love what they do.

I can't wait to hire our barista at Jamani Java just to see what God has in store for us.
What fun!

Coffee Shop in the Making

Jamani Java started nearly two years ago in the minds of Chuck Anthony and Andrew O'Neall. Chuck is a United Methodist pastor. Andrew, a United Methodist parishioner. Both had ideas about how Christianity ought to be, and neither liked what it had turned into. It was that common unrest that fostered early conversations that often started out with the words, "I was thinking..."

Jamani is a Swahili word that means "friends." Considering the Ivory Coastal dialect from which it comes, it has the feeling of one begging, "Would you please be my friend?" That is precisely the flavor that Jamani Java is attempting to create and sustain with its design, process and culture. We want nothing more than to make thousands of new friends.

Why? Because that's really how the church is supposed to look; like a bunch of friends, having a good time, everyone involved, everyone equal, everyone feeling good about who they are, where they are, and where they are going in life.

Bloomington Caffeine

Jamani Java is Bloomington, Illinois' only Soulcially Conscious Coffee Shop.
Check out our construction progress at 3703 Ireland Grove Road in Bloomington, IL.
Announcing our Grand Opening soon!
New Brand. New Store. New Experience.