Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan - The smell overwhelms you when you walk into the 402nd Brigade Support Battalion's tactical operations center, or TOC.

Just ask Command Sergeant Major Frank Grippe.  He knows.

During a recent visit to meet with the soldiers serving in with 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Grippe got a whiff.

He couldn't walk away.

"He walked into the tactical operations center, took a breath and asked he for a cup of coffee," said Spc. Eric Eubank.

With the strong and rich smell of fresh coffee emanating from the battalion's intelligence section in the TOC, it is impossible for coffee drinkers to resist and for non-drinkers not to want to try a cup of joe.

"We call this place No Foreign Café," said SSgt. Nathan Abkemeier as he sipped a cup of Seattle's Best.

"The name is a spin off on some of the intelligence briefings we give," he explained.

The idea for the café came about when Abkemeier and Eubank decided they wanted to give their fellow soldiers the opportunity to get away from the stresses of their missions.

"I guess you could say that what we've done here in providing the coffee is to provide a piece of home and a way of relaxing," said Eubank.

The enterprise began soon after the two deployed to Kandahar Air Field with one blend of coffee, the hot summer weather and a bottle of water.

A coffee drinker since he was 13, Abkemeier got the idea to take some glass bottles, fill them with water and let the 115 degree summer heat do the rest.

"When the water was hot, I would then take it and pour it over some coffee grounds," he explained.  He also used the technique to make tea.

A non-coffee drinker until he deployed, Eubank soon caught on to the idea of making and enjoying a good cup of coffee.

"We began with one bag of coffee, and it has grown into this," he said as he pointed to a shelf full of various blends.

Currently, the two soldiers have 36 different blends to choose from, and the coffee they use comes from around the world.  Soldiers' family members send them the coffee to add to the collection.

"Anyone who donates coffee can drink from the pot," said Abkemeier.

The two soldiers also use a French press that Abkemeier received from his girlfriend.

"It really brings out the taste of the coffee," said Abkemeier.

And who is the biggest drinker of coffee in the battalion?

"The XO, Major (David) Hills, without a doubt," they both said with big smiles.

When it comes to their favorite blends, Eubank favors the New York Classic: Soho Blend; on the other hand, Abkemeier leans heavily toward the Bali Blue Moon Coffee blend.

But when it comes to those soldiers who happen by and smell the coffee, hands down the favorite is Dunkin Donuts' French Vanilla.

"The smell - the one you are enjoying right now - draws people in, and it makes them feel a bit better as they go about their day," said Eubank.