Love is Greater Than …Life through a lens of love and hope

The Facts:
Location: The Flying Joe (formally The Flying Bean) is located in Levis Commons, Perrysburg, east of the main drag next to Bartz Vivianno’s
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 6:30am – 9pm, Friday: 6:30am – 10pm, Saturday: 8am – 10pm, Sunday: 9am – 6pm
Initial Price: $1.85 20oz drip
Refill Cost: $1.00
WiFi: Free
Fair Trade Options: Bagged beans available
Organic Options: Bagged beans available

Twitter-sized Review:
Comfortable and professional atmosphere. Good coffee. Free WiFi. Relatively expensive. Not too easy to find. Nice simple menu. Score: 7/10

Completely Opinionated Review:
Admittedly this was not my first visit to The Flying Joe. Additionally, the location of this coffee shop is almost a disqualification in and of itself. Levis Commons in Perrysburg is a bit of a drive for me, but I am willing to count this for my own personal reasons because of all the time I have spent at the Levis Commons Starbucks.

Right off the bat the location of this coffee shop is a bit of an inconvenience. It’s not the easiest place to find in Levis Commons, as it is tucked away a bit off the side and main drag. Not an insurmountable issue, to be sure, but one that I can definitely see coming up when trying to explain to potential and existing clients where we are meeting.

Upon entering The Flying Joe, I was immediately greeted by a friendly barista, and was pleased to see a relatively simple and easy to follow menu. Quickly I located and ordered a $1.85 house coffee the same way I have every where else “20oz house coffee, whatever you’re brewing, for here.” Again I was given a paper cup (does anyone use mugs anymore???).

The seating area at The Flying Joe isn’t as large as some other places, but it’s big enough to be pretty comfortable. I was happy to see such a large amount of people already there when I arrived, which is always a decent indicator of quality. I found a table with a power supply within reach, and took a seat. Opening my laptop I was pleased to be immediately greeted with working (and speedy) free WiFi. I found the atmosphere to be pleasing and inviting. The overall volume level is pretty low, and I would feel very comfortable holding multiple meetings here.

Not to be left out, the coffee was very good. However, I am slightly displeased at the very high cost of $1.00 per refill. Don’t get me wrong, I understand these places have to make money, that just seems like quite a lot.

Final Grade:
7/10 – A great atmosphere, great coffee, free WiFi… this place is near perfect. I just have a hard time imagining myself sitting in there for a long period of time, having to pay $1.00 per refill. That, and the semi-difficult to describe location are the only two knocks I have against the place.