Neil K.
Yelp
We have been to Hyperion now on two occasions. Knowing that it had recently opened, we thought we ought to check it out. And we were glad we did.
We have visited several coffee shops in the southeastern Detroit area - including Ann Arbor. Those shops include Anthology, Red Hook, Comet, Mighty Good, RoosRoast, Cultivate, Elevado, and Red Dot. I will boldly declare: Hyperion is the best of the best.
I usually judge a coffeehouse based on three components: coffee (menu, preparation, taste, presentation), culture (what is the shop like), and customer service (friendly or unfriendly).
Coffee - My wife had a decaf cappuccino (decaf due to pregnancy) and I had an espresso. The espresso was served with a single animal cracker and a sparking water. There were two choices of espresso: their standard Titan, or the natural processed Ethiopian. I chose the Ethiopian espresso, which I found to be perfectly bitter and fruity and topped with beautiful crema. The latte art on my wife's cappuccino was a gorgeous swan. We could tell that the coffee was fresh and certainly roasted and prepared properly.
Culture - Well, you have to see for yourself. Hyperion is the epitome of simplicity/minimalism. This spot is in an historic brick building in Depot Town. The coffee roaster and their green bean supply are in sight, with the beans set on a pallet in the seating section. There are various coffee-related publications placed throughout the shop and a small retail area where Hario, Aeropress, and Chemex products are stocked. There were a couple coffee syphons, too. Also, Hyperion has beans and apparel for sale. Lots of coffee literature lying around. There's also an Etch-a-Sketch. Branding is excellent.
Customer Service - Kind folks all around. We were greeted by a friendly fellow who took our order. The gentleman who was roasting also greeted us. He said that we could have a seat, that they would bring our drinks to us, and we could square up before we left.
Try Hyperion. You will not regret it.