Tony M.
Yelp
Let's keep a level head about the reopened Stella. For coffee, they perform individual pourovers, a recently rediscovered method that requires you to wait several minutes and to pay the proprietor a lot of money, relatively speaking, for a cup of coffee. I have no reason to believe that the baristas don't do a good job at pouring over. There is nothing wrong with the pourover method; it has the virtues of allowing the shop to offer several different coffees without waste, and, I think, heightening the flavor profile of the roast.
If there's any flavor in the first place. Stella buys their coffee from Cadillac, which is a Michigan company, great!, but there are several Michigan roasters who are better at it, like Great Lakes, Anthology, Zingerman's, and Mighty Good. Cadillac seems to be Michigan's answer to Starbucks's large wholesale distribution of overroasted beans. One Stella employee told me that their coffee was customized expressly for them by Cadillac, but the lightest roast tasted burnt.
Places like Stella make me nervous because I know how many people want to Detroit and Michigan to succeed, myself included; I also know how people like to patronize small businesses with a quirky, hip vibe, myself included here too. But as important as these qualities are, they do not make the product great or even good. Don't give the company a pass for skimping on raw materials. That said, if you like the taste of Starbucks but you think the coffee should take longer and cost more, try Stella.
On the plus side, Stella does carry Avalon's treats and Russell Street Deli's soups.