Newtonville's Taste Coffee House Closed for a Makeover

Wondering why your favorite Newtonville coffee shop is closed up? 

will be closed for the remainder of this month as it undergoes a remodel. According to a note posted on the door of the café, the coffee shop closed Sunday, Jan. 15 and will reopen on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 a.m. under the name George Howell Coffee. 

According to the note (which is also posted on Taste's website), the coffee shop will make some changes to increase efficiency and improve the overall experience at the shop. 

In addition, George Howell Coffee will have a new menu featuring seasonal items and an expanded crepe menu. 

"We will continue to offer products from local vendors and the quality coffee you have come to expect," the note reads. 

The owners of taste, , first moved from San Francisco to the East Coast in the 1970s and opened up The Coffee Connection, modeling their cafes after the popular coffee shops on the West Coast. They then sold that chain to Starbucks in 1994. 

Howell went on to consult for the United Nations as to how to bring the best coffee at the best price from Brazil. This led to his co-founding of Cup of Excellence.

Howell's online coffee wholesale and retail business Terroir eventually formed, and that's where he met former Taste owner Nik Krankl. Howell took over Krankl's Taste Coffee House in October 2010.