Editor’s Note: Every week, variety writer Ashley Sanders will profile and review a different local coffee shop. This is the first installment in the series.

A coffee shop is a lot like a first date, you either feel it or you don’t. But patrons of particular shops understand that the feeling lies far deeper than the drinks that so beautifully root back to a single rich coffee bean.

In political terms, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

There are reasons why a barista knows exactly what Dick and Jane are drinking everyday without so much as a mutter regarding their standard order.

So to better understand the inner workings of why one pays homage to Starbucks, Espresso Royale or Cups, among many others, the invasion of Athenian coffee shops is underway.

Two Story Coffeehouse, a budding spot located on Lumpkin Street, has managed to build a loyal clientele since its November debut.

If customers feel “right at home” upon entering, it’s because, well, it’s actually a house. “You can come in and you don’t feel like you’re coming into an establishment,” said BillBush, a barista from Valdosta.

“We’ve designed the place so that when customers come in they’ll stay here. It’s not like you grab your coffee and go.”

The main floor is a hub for friendly gatherings, outdoor patio banter and snug heart-to-hearts at the bar.

Students posted up in the three study rooms upstairs can enjoy their quiet time, however, as the coffeehouse is frequented by those opting out of the traditional library scene.

“I came here last semester almost every single day, and I’d just go upstairs to the quiet area,” said Kevin Tyler, a senior biology major from Marietta. “Now I guess you could say I’m a patron to this place; I used to go to Jittery Joe’s but there was no study area there.”

Let’s not forget about the minor detail of the actual coffee in this java equation.

“We don’t have any mass brewery system where the coffee’s been sitting for hours when you order it and you just stick it under there and pull a lever,” said Bush.

“We do it cup by cup, we have the manual drip pour-over style so it makes it fresh and clean.”

Customers have noted this unique method as a reason to keep returning to the Coffeehouse.

“I like the pour-over deal and I like their French presses,” said Cecilia Shutters, a recent graduate from Cumming, GA.

Other than the favorable ambiance and pseudo library status of Two Story, the shop racks up even more points by staying true to their hometown roots by brewing the coffee right here in Athens, a plus for local junkies.