Karma Cream is cranking up the caffeine this Fall.
As part of a gradual expansion, the coffee shop at 1025 W. University Ave. installed a dual-head espresso machine, allowing workers to brew two cups of coffee simultaneously instead of the usual one cup.
Owner Kyle Fick said this new installment will allow Karma Cream to produce coffee at the same rate that a normal café would, describing it as an investment in coffee-making power.
"This will help us especially during week nights when people are studying," he said. "We’re open late, and that’s when we get a lot of coffee business."
While the new machine will expand the coffee aspect of the shop, coffee wasn’t always the focus of the 7-year-old cafe. Fick said the shop, known for its fair-trade foods and vegan options, initially focused more on baked goods and ice cream.
"When we first started, coffee was more of an afterthought," he said. "But the students proved us wrong, and sales have been steadily increasing."
Alani Ilori, the assistant marketing and advertising director at Marston Science Library, said Karma Cream is one of her preferred places to hang out and study.
Though she only recently started drinking coffee every day after developing a taste for it, Ilori said she enjoys the shop’s coffee.
"I like that they use leftover coffee to make ice cubes," she said. "That way when the ice melts, it’s still coffee."
She said the atmosphere of the place is also part of the experience.
"It’s quiet, it’s not too big and there’s plenty of outlets," she said. "I really like the art and bar stools, too."
Nick Bowden, 20, operates the new espresso machine at Karma Cream on Aug. 25, 2015. “It was time to get a replacement, and this one is so much better,” Bowden said.
