Coffee Roasteries and Cafes
For those of you who know me pretty well know that I’m a sucker for local coffee roasteries and their cafes. If I know you from business, chances are we’ve met at one of these places – and if we haven’t met at one of these places, suggesting them is one sure fire way to get a meeting with me. It’s a completely different experience to taste coffee/espresso from freshly roasted beans. Combine that with with coffee making experts and you’ve got an amazing location. Nothing like that first sip of a latte with rosetta latte art on top. Not only that, but many of these are recent entrepreneur success stories – small roasters starting out among a sea of big players with deep pockets. Here are some of my favorites.
Four Barrel is currently my favorite shop in San Francisco. It’s located at 15th and Valencia in the Mission. From the open air space to the frequently changing art displays and the roaster in the back you get just a fantastic sensory and coffee almost-overload. For me it pushes those boundaries of overloading, but stops at the right point. Aside from actually seeing where the coffee is grown, the complete life cycle of the coffee can be seen here – from green bean to pulled espresso shot. Their beans tend to be a little more subtle in flavor, but that doesn’t mean lacking. It’s a mellow, yet full flavor experience – whether at home or in the store. twitter
Blue Bottle was my first master roastery experience in San Francisco. A bit older than Four Barrel, Blue Bottle coffee can be found across many bay area restaurants and cafes. But the best place to be served are at their own cafes or kiosks. Personally, I like their cafe at Mint Plaza in SOMA – it’s big and airy and is great for people watching. Overall, I find their beans to be a little darker and heavier on the flavor. Still a fantastic and close second to Four Barrel. At the Mint Plaza location be sure to try the siphon pot sometime – it’s an amazing way to make coffee both to watch and to taste. I’ve never had a coffee that actually changes flavor profile as it sits – kinda like wine. But coffee. One last thing I like about their location – with the siphon machine and their cold brew set-up it’s like hanging in a fancy mad scientist’s lab. twitter
I just found out about Sight Glass Coffee a week or two ago. It was started by a couple brothers – Justin and Jared – and is still prepping their indoor and roastery spaces. While they’re not serving their own beans just yet, the latte that I did have was outstanding. Based on that latte and getting to talk to the brothers and hear their passion I’m excited to see what happens with them! I’m not placing a SF ranking on them just yet – I need to try them again once they start roasting their own beans. But that won’t stop me from getting a latte or two in the meantime! twitter
Gimme! Coffee is where it all began for me. I actually never drank coffee before I lived about a block and a half from Gimme!’s roastery and cafe on State Street in Ithaca, NY. I’d wake up in the morning sometimes and smell what reminded me of burnt eggo waffles – like when the toaster would start to burn the edges. Not overly appetizing, but I finally discovered the source of the smell – the roasting of Gimme’s beans down the street. That brought me in one day, and not knowing what to order I got a latte. When I picked up the cup it was lukewarm to hot – not what I was expecting based on the few scalding cups I had had in the past from places like Starbucks. And the taste – rich coffee with caramel undertones and the sweetness of properly steamed milk. That latte remains my favorite. Gimme! is top notch and it’s my first stop whenever I head back to Ithaca. twitter
A favorite when I make it to Seattle is Stumptown Roasters – they’re based in Portland but have some outposts in Seattle. I’ve only had a couple lattes and coffees at their place, but it’s fantastic coffee and they make me feel like if I’d ever live in Seattle I’d feel at home because of how good their coffee is in comparison to all the others on this list! twitter