Smell the Coffee 

Pretty good route. Going WAY right at the crux seems like the line of least resistance, as my partner did it, and we were both a little confused about the intended line. It seemed a little easy that way, but that's where all the chalk was.

Going slightly right (left hand stays in clipping range) seemed about right for the grade, and if you stayed direct, 'belly to the bolts' it seemed very hard. I wound up to do it that way, checked my head and asked "5.10a?" and then moved a little right. It will go belly-on, but it'll be mid 5.11.

Depends how you do it, can be a little easier or much harder.

When this route was being developed, it was envisioned to climb it slightly left of the 2nd bolt. That was the crux, I thought some kind of 5.11. The real good handhold that you clip the 2nd bolt from did not exist in its current form. There was a loose flake on top of it, so you had to be careful how you pulled on it. When that flake came off, it made a very good hold that allows passage up and right. The farther right you go, the easier that move becomes, probably 5.9. It makes for a good route at a consistent grade.

Tony, when I led the route on the FA the second bolt is at your belly as you reach left to a small crimp layback hold, hence the grade. Going right avoids this move and drops the grade to 5.9.

OK... If this a 5.10a then Napster is definitely not a 10c. The beta photo has the 5th bolt wrong; you do not go around the small roof, you go right over it.

I would put this route at 10b/c going straight up the bolts (crux between bolts 2 and 3) as Bob intended; even with the good side-pull it is a balancy move that is hard to reach if you are shorter than me. If you go right, you are more on the start to The Daily Grind which is well-rated at 10b/c, and another fun route on this part of the wall.

We climbed this by going slightly left at the second bolt, liebacking the seam. Felt pretty hard for 10a... definitely harder than Napster or Mr. Sandman. It's tempting to even call it 10+.

For a nice warm up (if 5.10 is hard you that is): climb the first 4 bolts of The Daily Grind, then at the small overhang before the route gets thin along that little seam - traverse left up and over the overhang and finish on Smell the Coffee. This I thought was a decent 5.9 climb as you avoid the crux moves of both routes. Even with normal draws I didn't feel much rope drag as the two bolt lines are pretty close. You can call it Grind the Coffee or something...The crux was a balance, "do you trust your feet" thing. It's all there you just have to find the little footholds. Felt 10 on the left seam.

I liked this route a lot. A great warm up with big holds and no tough moves. Just fun the whole way and a great way to start out the day.

I found the crux a bit deceiving like everyone else, but found traversing left to the side-pull seam to be a very natural feeling sequence. Also I highly recommend the second pitch Caffeine Buzz linked together with Smell the Coffee as one long pitch.

After having done this via the left seam and straight up past the bolts (more like just right of the bolts but not wayyyyy right) they seem kind of equal. Balancy on the left seam and a high-step/throw to a crimp on the right of the bolts. Felt 5.10 both ways. There is enough rock in Boulder that I didn't need to go literally straight up the bolt line, but yes this would be harder. Definitely not the path of least resistance. Funny though coming from Washington, DC where all the local crags are tiny - there would be three variations to this climb. When you only have a few climbs to choose from you explore every option.