Higher Ground: A Great Place for Coffee in Union City, Tennessee

Just a short distance from the University of Tennessee campus at Martin, the Higher Ground Coffee Company in Union City is a quaint little coffee house on Reelfoot Avenue. Thought not particularly large, Higher Ground is a very comfortable establishment; near the center of the shop are a large leather couch and a pair of comfortable chairs, gathered around a cozy fireplace and a large flat-screen television; the rest of the shop offers a mix of seating options, including bar-style seating near the counter and the front window, and a number of tables and chairs. Local art adorns the walls, including photos of the various musicians that have played at Higher Ground. The shop offers live music twice a month, and a collection of board games are kept near the fireplace for customers to entertain themselves with.Higher Ground also offers free Wifi, and plenty of plugs are spread around the shop, making it ideal to sit for a few hours and do some work on your laptop.

Higher Ground serves great-tasting, quality coffee, but notably lacks a variety of flavors. Their standard cup of coffee seems to come in only one flavor. This isn't a huge problem, but I miss the offering of flavors such as hazelnut or french vanilla offered at other coffee shops. Higher Ground's prices are a tad higher than comparable coffee shops; that said, the price difference is only a few cents, and refills can be purchased for .75 cents. Regular customers can benefit from the shop's electronic punch card. These cards, bearing the Higher Ground logo, are the next step up from the common cardboard punch-out card you see at most coffee shops.

Appearing similar to a credit card, the electronic punch card tracks a customer's purchases: once ten purchases have been made, the cost of those purchases are calculated, and the average of the total cost is given back to the customer as a discount on their eleventh purchase: essentially, the standard buy-10-get-one-free coffee deal that most coffee shops offer, but not limited to just coffee purchases. The electronic punch cards can also be used as gift cards with a reloadable balance. The durable plastic nature of the card makes them easier to keep up with the usually annoying cardboard punch-cards.

Higher Ground offers a variety of pastries (the bear claws are a particular favorite of this author) and salads, but no sandwiches or heavier meal items: they do, however, offer a daily soup. Also on the menu is the standard assortment of hot espresso drinks, smoothies, blended drinks (with titles like Hound Dog Sensation and Just Like Reeses), and hot teas. Again, while the prices are slightly more expensive than most comparable coffee shops, the attention to quality given by the staff ensures that you get what you pay for.

Parking is easily acquired, as Higher Ground has a large parking lot. The shop also boasts a drive-through window for those customers on the go, an option I haven't seen at most coffee shops. The shop opens at 6 a.m., and stays open until 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursday. Friday and Saturday nights, Higher Ground stays open to 10 p.m., and is closed all day Sunday.