New craft coffee café opens in one of the smallest shops in Columbus
Sure, we can claim that we “love coffee,” but Tony Hodgson, the owner of Two Tigers, lives and breathes it.
So much so that he quit his day job, started serving coffee on a mobile espresso bar, and now, has opened his own coffee shop in a tiny, quaint space in the heart of Clintonville. “After 2020, I couldn’t take being behind a desk all day,” Tony explained. “I’ve been daydreaming about quitting my job to make coffee. And I finally did.”
You might have seen his mobile coffee pop-up around town at vintage flea markets or even at your best friend’s wedding in the past couple of years. And while that popular mobile cart isn’t going anywhere, you can now grab a carefully, and very thoughtfully, made latte or pour over at Two Tiger’s new permanent coffee shop, located at 3341 N. High St.
“Running an espresso bar out of a cart taught me how to run a shop out of such a small space,” joked Tony. The new Two Tigers Coffee shop is seriously only about 6 ft wide, and it’s extremely cozy. Tony himself completed all the buildouts, physical structures, and even built the countertops and shelving himself. He said that he thinks there’s only one other smaller coffee shop in the city, called Stonebrick Cafe on Bethel Rd.
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The entire concept is inspired by the Italian coffee culture, where people grab a shot of espresso and drink it right there in the cafe, as a little pick-me-up. “You come, you get your espresso, drink it, and go on your way,” laughed Tony. With the space being so compact, it’s definitely not the type of coffee shop to work from. There are some outdoor sidewalk seats though – but be advised that there’s no WiFi!
Other than this being one of the smallest coffee shops in Columbus, Two Tigers Coffee is unique in other aspects. First, they don’t upcharge for oat milk, and Tony says about half of his customers prefer the plant-based milk. Also, Two Tigers uses unique roasters from around our city and the rest of world – you won’t find a caramel Frappucino here – but rather, a single origin, watermelon processed pour over.
“When you’re dealing with specialty coffee at this level, it’s usually hand-picked, not by a machine – and it’s really carefully processed, dried and stored so there’s no mold, then really carefully roasted,” Tony explained.
Continuing, he remarked, “For me, it breaks my heart when all those parts happen and it’s prepared really carelessly. My personal role – after everyone has taken the care to get the coffee – is to prepare it well and do it justice.”
Visit Two Tigers today until Saturday, from 7am-3pm. They’ll be closed the week after, and then will resume after Labor Day, W-Sat 7am-3pm.
Follow along on their Instagram!
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