New Crystal Lake wine, coffee shop opens downtown

When Dawn Kincaid needed a name for her new coffee and wine shop, she looked to the Bible for inspiration.

Kincaid, of Lake in the Hills, opened Aroma Coffee & Wine, this month in downtown Crystal Lake, 77 E. Woodstock St.

The name was inspired by a verse in the Old Testament book of Numbers.

“And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord,” the Hebrew text reads.

“I prayed about what the name was going to be, and what it means to me,” said Kincaid, an evangelical Christian. “It talks about a sweet aroma unto the Lord. That’s what the name is inspired by.”

The café – which specializes in high-quality coffees, wine and teas, along with small plates and cocktails – was filled with a coffee aroma Wednesday evening.

“My desire was to build an environment that was cozy and inviting to help build relationships in our community,” Kincaid said as she sat at the bar in her industrial-designed shop. “That’s my passion. My heart is more about the experience that people have when they’re here. I enjoy coffee and wine, but they’re really vehicles to bring people in for a great experience.”

Kincaid said the establishment offers three single-origin pour-over coffees, along with a daily house brew and espresso drinks. The beans are sourced from Portland, Oregon-based Panache Specialty Coffee, a boutique small-batch coffee roaster.

The café’s loose-leaf teas are from Woodstock-based Casting Whimsy.

Aroma also offers 35 red and white wines, along with a selection of craft beers and cocktails.

“We have wines from Argentina, Italy. We kind of cover all wine drinkers,” Kincaid said. “We’re trying to feature a multitude of wines.”

Kincaid said she’s “excited to finally be open.” She always hoped to open such an establishment but was busy raising and home-schooling her four children, she said.

“As I began to think about what the next season would being for me as my youngest was finishing high school and my home-schooling full-time mom job was coming to a close, I was looking for something I would enjoy doing and was gifted in,” she said. “I came up with this.”

Aroma is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.