A ‘coffeehouse’ has taken on a more complex term than just a place that sells coffee. For many different types of people, a coffeehouse is a place where one can go to unwind, use Wi-Fi internet, or read book, while also enjoying a good mocha or some other such specialty coffee drink.

For some, a coffeehouse is a good place to go on a date, with its low-key lighting and gentle jazz music playing on the PA system. Some such coffee shops, like Starbucks, take advantage of the environment felt in these stores by packaging together collections of the music that customarily plays in the shops and selling them as CD’s, or iTunes albums to customers who have taken a liking to the experience. That way, customers can essentially take home the experience of being at a coffee house and enjoy it in the privacy of his or her own home.

A specific music genre has even emerged out of this type of coffee retailer, known as ‘coffeehouse rock’. Various radio stations on XM radio and other such outlets have channels devoted to this type of music, which is generally low-key, easy listening acoustic folk rock such as Donovan Frankenreiter or Jack Johnson-esque artists, with gentle melodies and easy rhythms that complement the ambience of being in a coffeehouse.

This sense of ambience is probably a reason that a lot of coffeehouses stay open much later than people usually drink coffee, if solely for the purpose of being somewhere to relax and socialize with friends in a much less abrasive environment than a bar would provide.