Far from a beverage size, “grande” at 55 Macomb Place in Mount Clemens would most likely be used to sum upscale or the feeling of taking it all in as you enter environs re-imaging the late 1920s and early ‘30s.
The Art Deco of it all with a high, high tin ceiling that gleams like a giant silver serving tray, tear-dropped sparkling chandeliers and (Waldorf? Gatsby?) scarlett, geometric patterned wallpaper of the jazz era. Add in hardwood floors, marble tops, overstuffed kick-back areas to sit and sip, a giant wood table big enough for meetings or get-togethers. In fact, all said, the Black Cat’s interior design seems to evoke the 1931-built Macomb County Building over on nearby Gratiot Avenue, known nationally as a 12-story study in Art Deco.
Then there’s the Black Cat himself. Right in the middle of the cafe, his image displayed prominently on a mantle on a fireplace and the place’s pièce de résistance – a cat-on-the-city-prowl portrait of one of the most damper felines ever to pose for a painting.
There’s no accident about its stature, says owner John Hanna. The cat is concentric to what, he says, this spot, this town and this community is all about.
“A black cat is one that finds its own way, has its own energy, is without pretension and stands on its own. That’s our town and its people. Black cats are not fancy but they are one hundred percent badass just like Mount Clemens,” he says. “We have made our own way here. I believe this is a great community, with a great help-each-other-spirit that cannot be beat.”
So, the Black Cat has its aesthetic vibe down and it's making for a lot of happy regulars and pleasantly surprised newcomers. But regulars at a coffee place want coffee -- and everything that coffee can be turned into or mixed with drinkwise. No problem. Grande doesn’t just mean big, it can also mean great. The homegrown drinks here are nothing short of amazing.
Top drawer nitro cold brews, each named after wild jungle cats; traditional expressos, all the standards like latte, flavored latte and chai latte giving way (maybe as the sun starts to go down?) to dirty chai, mocha, coconut mocha.
You get it.
And super signature drinks with once productive people turning into Lavender Latte junkies (double espresso, dairy milk, lavender syrup) or trying to cope with a Pumpkin Praline Latte addiction (double espresso, dairy milk, brown sugar, cinnamon syrup, pumpkin, and cinnamon). While still others are wondering how they are going to be kept down on the farm once they’ve tried a Spicy Cougar (double espresso, dairy milk, Ghirardelli dark chocolate, house-made cinnamon-cayenne syrup, cinnamon).
Coffee drinks not your cup of tea? How about tea then? There are black teas, oolong teas, green teas, specialty teas, iced teas, and then some. In describing his drinks Hanna once again makes it sound as unique as a cat wearing city lifestyle treads or as caring as the community the Black Cat is situated in.
“We take great attention to homegrown detail. For one example, we have sent our water out to develop a water filtration system based on the analysis. Our products are hand-crafted,” Hanna says.
Perfect. In its heyday, Art Deco underscored an America that was as genuine and hard-working as it was smart and on the move. Perhaps, though, you are hungry for more than progress and ingenuity? Black Cat Coffee also has some really good eats, with tasty sandwich wraps, fresh pastries and a great Maurice salad!
Finally, we can get grande stretched to mean big-hearted. The very much feel-good and la mia casa è la tua casa (my house is your house) at the Black Cat comes from the excellent, knowledgeable, and helpful staff. Just good everyday people with lots of heart, adds Hanna.
For visitors, it probably seems like it would be a blast to work here, and that’s good, right?
Black Cat Coffee. All in all, one of the best experiences Mount Clemens has to offer writ large.
Christopher Raab is a Rochester-based freelance writer.