News

China is shaping up to be the next battleground in the big coffee chain wars. In the past week alone, two major developments—backed by some serious investments—have been announced as two brands are making big pushes to challenge Starbucks in the world’s most populated country.

The first brand is homegrown. As Crunchbase reports, Chinese startup Luckin Coffee has raised $200 million in investment capitol, putting their total valuation at a staggering $1 billion. From the article, Luckin is “working to provide an upscale experience at a reasonable price point… using a mass-store model to compete with Starbucks in China.” Starbucks currently has over 3,300 stores in China, its second biggest market outside of the United States.

The next competitor comes from North America—Canada to be specific—with Tim Horton’s announcing plans to open 1,500 stores in China. According to The Guardian, the stores are scheduled to open over the course of the next decade, adding to the Canadian coffee chain’s 4,700 locations.

With a population nearing 1.4 billion, China makes sense as the next big coffee brand frontier. These two brands alone may soon combine to eclipse the number of Starbucks stores in the country. The winner in this heavyweight battle—should there be a winner, and let’s be honest, there’s probably room for all three to thrive—remains to be seen. But for now we know that a lot of money and a LOT of coffee are coming to China.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

The post Starbucks Is About To Have A Lot Of Competition In China appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

There have been more than a few times in my life where I had maaaaaybe just a little too much to drink when I would perhaps be better suited to be wide eyed and bushy tailed, like the night before finals in college, say. And in those times, I’d find myself looking for any magical elixir to cure what ails me; calculus is hard enough as is without seeing double. I would of course chug a lug of as much coffee as I could get my hands on, hoping for the best. But these efforts it seems were in vain as science has concluded that caffeine won’t sober you up.

In theory, coffee as an antidote for alcohol makes sense: alcohol makes you cloudy and unable to focus and coffee gives you focus. They should cancel each other out, right? Not so says The Independent. Based on the research of Professor Tony Moss of London South Bank University, the article notes that while coffee will make you feel more alert, it doesn’t do anything to curb alcohol’s effects on your hand-eye coordination and motor skills.

To test his theory, Professor Moss got five college students equally drunk (calculating the amount of vodka tonics to serve them based on body weight) and gave them each a hand-eye coordination test where they had to “guide a metal hoop around a wire without touching it.” They all failed. Each of the participants were then given a cup of coffee and asked to perform the test again. They all failed again.

The results jibe with a 2009 study where instead of using college students as lab rabs, lab rats were used as lab rats. In that study, drunken lab rats and drunken and then caffeinated lab rates performed equally poorly—and far below the levels of sober rats—at finding their way around a maze.

“Taking coffee is a stimulant that will reverse that feeling of being slightly tired as your blood alcohol is coming down,” Professor Moss stated, but “the only thing that’s going to sober you up in that respect is a bit of time.”

So coffee isn’t going to sober you up. Only time and a healthy amount of water will do that. But coffee is like 98% water, so while you are waiting to get right, you might as well enjoy a nice warm cup of mostly hydration.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via Morbotron.

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Source: Coffee News

Moving your headquarters from one location to another can often galvanize a business and create a stir of excitement. However, moving from a small space to a (much, much) larger space can present new challenges. Portland, Oregon’s Sterling Coffee has built quite the following as a shop known for cozy, intimate locations. Their previous space was shared with a wine bar and could fit just ten people comfortably. But in late 2017, it opened the doors to a new location, which is nearly ten times the size of the last shop.

Naturally, the fear that quality of service would decline was a worry. The former space provided a close consumer connection—would it be possible to retain that chemistry in a larger space? Co-owner Aric Miller and his team quickly quelled these worries, and Sterling appears to be thriving in its new home, right across the street from its former location. Miller says Sterling tried to retain the same sense of intimacy the old shop’s smaller footprint necessitated. “It still feels the same,” Miller says—largely because the customers are still the same.

Aric Miller

Originally from the east coast, Miller jumped into the specialty coffee scene after working in the restaurant industry for some years. He originally wanted to get into coffee roasting, and started working at Coffeehouse Northwest, off NW Burnside Street, with his current business partner and co-owner, Adam McGovern. Fast-forward to 2010 when McGovern and Miller opened Sterling Coffee, an espresso stand in an alley next to Trader Joes on NW 21st Avenue. From the moment they first put on their signature vests and ties, their objective was to provide customers with a great coffee experience and outstanding service to all customers.

Despite the formal attire, Miller “didn’t want to be known as the coffee shop that is like the old-school record shop with the condescending record clerk,” he recounted, “where we come off as know-it-alls.”

The community has fully embraced Sterling’s narrative as they’ve hopscotched around NW 21st Avenue. Sterling has great coffee, but the relationships they’ve built through customer service have seemed to be the key to their success.

The staff of baristas at Sterling are sharp. They quickly remember your drink order after a couple of visits and often present it to you tableside. If their customer service isn’t memorable, their wardrobe just might be—the suits are a  departure from Portland’s casualwear norms and an ode to old school Italian coffee culture.

Miller is focused on every detail. If he himself is not dialing in espresso, he can be seen around the shop conversing with everyone in attendance. “At the end of the day we just want to be a good neighbor. It’s important because I am a neighbor, I live in the area,” says Miller.

Miller attributes Sterling’s high quality to a prized six-kilo Giesen roaster, is located a couple of miles away in their roasting facility. In the shop, baristas pull shots on their Synesso Cyncra two-group espresso machine. They also have three Mazzer Robur E Grinders, and a Mahlkönig EK 43 for bulk grinding. Rounding out their gear is a Wilbur Curtis brewer and water tower.

Aside from square footage, hospitality has also expanded beyond normal business hours Sterling has begun hosting socials on Monday nights that highlight other businesses in the area. These socials range from wine tastings to a slew of pop-up events coming this summer. Sterling is now leveraging every square foot of event space—something that was not possible in their former location. Some might say Sterling has transcended from their initial goal of being a part of the fabric of the community to become the blueprint of what businesses strive toward.

Giovanni Fillari is a social media manager and the publisher of @coffeefeedpdx. Read more Giovanni Fillari for Sprudge. 

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Source: Coffee News

The people have spoken and a resounding majority of the coffee industry, despite a Gear Patrol article to the contrary, do not want you to put turmeric in your espresso. Using the most technologically sound scientific methods (a Twitter poll), we were able to say with 100% certainty that 355 out of 408 people do NOT want turmeric anywhere near their espressos.

Does the coffee industry want people to put turmeric in their espresso?

— Sprudge (@sprudge) July 10, 2018

For some, a mere vote wasn’t sufficient to express exactly how much of a big nope the turmeric espresso combo dombo was, including David Jameson, a two-time UK Coffee in Good Spirits champion.

Most of specialty coffee doesn’t even want you to put sugar in your coffee, let alone turmeric.

— Dave Jameson (@DavidJamesonUK) July 11, 2018

Others were… more succinct.

No. Simply No.

— Joe Bearden (@GrayHairJoe) July 11, 2018

NO

— titty valet (@juicycaturra) July 10, 2018

Others still, doctors even, said yes but we are pretty sure they meant no.

Voted yes because this isn't the craziest thing I've read on coffee twitter today.

— Christopher H Hendon (@chhendon) July 11, 2018

But what about the 13% that said yes? If the comments are any indication, their opinions are a bit more nuanced than a binary yes/no can handle. Turns out, they weren’t so much on the turmeric train as they were proposing that “you do you.”

Why would the coffee industry want to control people. I would never put ketchup on steak but if you want to, hey it's your life. However you may not be invited to the potluck.

— Dominic Taylor (@undergalaxies) July 11, 2018

Personally I don't. However if a customer would like to, I don't see why not.

— Adam (@DoseAndTamp) July 11, 2018

Ever the pontificator (or puntificator as it were), Adam JacksonBey got real existential.

The coffee industry really doesn’t want people to put milk or sugar in their coffee but we do because coffee is personal and that’s what people want.

So the answer is that if it’s personal for enough people we do.

— Memenspro Mori (@ditriech) July 10, 2018

And Sprudge features editor Michael Light, now on indefinite suspension for not at all related reasons, is pro-turmeric, full stop.

i voted yes. i want it https://t.co/Bo04k6BqwV

— Mikey Light (@MichaelPLight) July 11, 2018

So we’ve settled it. Despite this baffling headline, the coffee industry doesn’t want you to put turmeric in your espresso. But what they do want above all is for you to enjoy your coffee in whatever manner it is that suits you best. Turmeric, no turmeric, sugar, cinnamon, butter, whiskey, served in a shoe, hot, cold (though some have some pretty normative claims about cold brew), however. When it comes to coffee, you do you. The coffee industry is here for it.

There’s only one last mystery to clear up. How the hell do you even say turmeric? Luckily, we’ve put together this lovely pronunciation video to help. Case closed.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

The post No, The Coffee Industry Does Not Want You To Put Turmeric In Your Espresso appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Avocado toast has become a bit of a punchline these days, going so far as to be named the reason why Millennials can’t afford to buy houses. But these people have never truly experienced the simple bliss from a perfect piece of sourdough toasted just right with a healthy smattering of ripe avocado and just a pinch good quality salt. It is, in a word (and a bite), perfection. And though a ubiquitous staple of the third wave coffee shop, it is seldom done right.

But Ironsmith Coffee Roasters in La Jolla, California has found a way to ensure their toast is above reproach: opening a cafe inside a bakery. And not just any bakery. They have teamed up with Wayfarer Bread, whose owner Crystal White has spent time honing her craft at the famed Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Pair a hearty hunk of high quality bread with some of Ironsmith’s delicious caffeinated offerings and you’ve got yourself one hell of a breakfast. Or lunch or dinner or whenever it is that you find yourself inside their beyond lovely cafe. It is a feast for the eyes, the taste buds, and if you’ll allow me a moment of grandiosity, the very soul itself.

As told to Sprudge by Alden Hozouri.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

We founded Ironsmith Coffee Roasters in 2014 as a space in the community that offers an unparalleled cup while also supporting local business wherever possible. Leaning heavily on our name, Ironsmith stands for love of the craft and that each cup served is the cumulative sum of our knowledge, efforts, and skill. Our team is comprised of three owners: Matt, Alden, and Kai, as well as a host of incredible team members and baristas.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

The new shop is a joint/collaborative effort with new bakery and local phenomenon Wayfarer Bread. The owner, Crystal White, has a long history in the baking industry, including her most recent tenure at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. Recognizing the demand for better bread options in San Diego, she bought a one-way ticket down and began baking out of a rented kitchen, offering her wares pop-up style each Sunday morning at our Encinitas shop. She was an instant hit and we all knew she was onto something unlike anything San Diego or southern California has ever seen. Fast forward a year, a successful Kickstarter campaign, and several dozen more “pop-ups,” she secured her own brick-and-mortar in Bird Rock, La Jolla and asked us to take residence as the coffee bar/program inside. We couldn’t say yes fast enough. We launched June 3, and the response has been completely overwhelming. From local news stories to Eater publications, we count ourselves fortunate to be welcomed into a community so enthusiastically! We offer a panel of food and pastry options, including breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, croissants, galettes, scones, tartines, and more, alongside a full Ironsmith Coffee espresso bar identical to what you’ll find at our first location.

What’s your approach to coffee?

Ironsmith approaches each day with intent to demystify black boxes on the way from seed to cup. From sourcing to roasting and through to extraction, we’re focused on understanding what impact we can have in not only delivering a better experience, but why these behaviors have the effect they do. From here, we work hard disseminating this knowledge to both customers and other members of our community, always collaborating wherever possible to create something amazing.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

Yes! We’re jazzed to rock on a La Marzocco Linea AV, a Mahlkönig Peak and EK43, and a Mazzer Robur, among other necessities like a Nimbus RO system, and FETCO XTS. All our coffees are direct trade, and we’re looking forward to sharing some Colombians, Ethiopians, and Guatemalans from our most recent trips, on both drip and espresso.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

We officially opened June 3!

Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?

Yes! Huge shout outs to:
-Raul Macias for the all the benches, counters and shelving
-Charles Pennes of White Bark Workwear for the aprons
–Aesthetic Union for the art prints
-Allie Chen for our ceramics
-Tiffany Hohmann for the mural
–Solutions Espresso for helping us get all our equipment!

Thank you!

Thank you too! We’re thrilled about what we’ve built here, and appreciate the opportunity to share it with an even wider audience.

The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.

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Source: Coffee News

Breaking news here exclusively on Sprudge, as Ozone Coffee Roasters International have completed an agreement with Has Bean Coffee to combine ownership of the two companies. Has Bean founder Steve Leighton along with longtime colleagues Dale Harris and Chris Glover-Price will now join Ozone as shareholders in the combined group. The move was finalized on June 29th, 2018.

Ozone Coffee was founded in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1998 and expanded to London, UK in 2012. It currently operates two cafes—one in London, the other in New Zealand—and services a network of wholesale cafe partners in both countries. A third cafe will open later this year, bringing some 4,000 square feet of curated coffee retail to the city of Auckland. Has Bean was founded in Stafford, United Kingdom in 2002, and as a roaster operates exclusively as cafe wholesale and direct to consumer subscription.

In a statement provided to Sprudge, Ozone Coffee Roasters International Managing Director Craig Macfarlane writes, “Like Ozone, Has Bean has worked hard, over many years, to grow a successful business—one that is built on a family culture and honest relationships. And maybe that’s why this new relationship feels so genuine.” Elsewhere in the statement, Macfarlane outlines that Ozone Coffee and Has Bean will continue to operate as independent brands, with Leighton taking on a new Executive Director role at OCRI, while Harris and Glover-Price maintain their current roles at Has Bean. “We’ve both been operating within the specialty coffee industry for years,” writes Macfarlane, “and in that time the two businesses have developed complementary strengths and expertise. Together, we have some very exciting plans in the pipeline and we’re now in the position to make them a reality.”

In a separate statement also provided to Sprudge, Has Bean founder Stephen Leighton addressed the news, writing, “As of 29 June, Has Bean has become part of the family of Ozone Coffee Roasters International (OCRI) based in Both New Plymouth, New Zealand and London, UK.”

Leighton continues, mentioning his humble roots launching Has Bean at the early dawn of third wave coffee (“I remember the first time I was roasting in the back of my garage and the chimney caught fire…”), and outlining the length of courtship between the two brands. “We have been talking for eight months now,” Leighton writes, “and during that time I have got to know the Ozone team. This has given me the reassurance that we are similar companies in the same market but with different skill sets and different strengths, but most importantly we share the same values. This partnership opens new doors, to projects and new opportunities that we’ve been dreaming about for many years.”

Leighton’s new role with a jointly operated Has Bean + Ozone exists outside his ongoing work in the speciality coffee industry. That includes a co-owner role at Drop Coffee in Stockholm, Sweden (reported here in 2015), as well as an investment in Dublin’s 3FE, the growing coffee brand founded by Colin Harmon that now includes multiple cafes and a roastery. “Both of these [3FE + Drop] will not cross over to the OCRI,” Leighton tells Sprudge, “and will remain 100% independent and follow their own path.”

In reporting this story Sprudge spoke at length with James Gurr, Director of Projects + Brand for Ozone Coffee Roasters in the United Kingdom. Mr. Gurr offered clarity for us on a variety of points:

• Has Bean and Ozone will continue to operate as independent brands, post-merger, with both brands maintaining their own current lines of packaging and sourcing.
• As to what exactly this was—a merger, an acquisition, or some melange of the two—Gurr offers some clarity. “The whole of the company was acquired but the deal was structured in a way that Steve Leighton, along with two of his long-standing colleagues, Dale Harris and Chris Glover-Price, now join existing Ozone Coffee shareholders as owners of the combined group. Steve will also join the OCRI Executive Team in a newly created role of Director of Coffee.”
• Has Bean’s global subscription service will continue under the new arrangement, and Leighton will continue producing original content for his subscribers in the form of his groundbreaking In My Mug video blog (now on episode #504!) and in Has Bean’s proprietary Has Blog website.
• There are at the moment no plans for a physical Has Bean cafe location under the new ownership agreement.

“As the UK specialty coffee market is maturing an increasingly competitive business environment is emerging,” Gurr tells Sprudge. “During our discussions over the past eight months we’ve found that Ozone and Has Bean share some exciting long-term goals. This collaboration provides a level of scale that means we can act on these opportunities much sooner than would otherwise have been possible. This move will allow both businesses to get better at what we already do as well as providing the opportunity to diversify and build on what has been created to date.”

Today’s news heats up the coffee mergers and acquisitions beat here in 2018, and puts our focus for future news of this stripe squarely on the United Kingdom’s white-hot specialty coffee market. Are you sitting on coffee merger news in the UK, or anywhere else for that matter? Get in touch.

Visit HasBean’s official website.

Visit Ozone Coffee Roasters’ official UK and NZ websites. 

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

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The post Breaking: Ozone Coffee Roasters Acquires Has Bean Coffee appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Gear Patrol—Hearst Magazines‘ “gathering place for guys who want to make the most of life”—are going hard on coffee coverage here in 2018, authoring authoritative-ish listicles on top roasters, SCA approved coffee brewing gear, coffee subscriptions, instant coffee, and much more. Yesterday’s feature—ostensibly about the SCA giving awards to turmeric latte blends—contains some curious advice as it originally appeared (emphasis added):

This statement ran in an article titled “The Coffee Industry Wants You To Put Turmeric In Your Espresso“, which is quite a headline! The post has since been updated to reflect that the SCA does not, in fact, recommend any such practice (see below for an official statement on the matter). But that headline, which remains unchanged, sent us here at Sprudge down a profound path of ponderous wonderment. Does the coffee industry really want you to put turmeric in your espresso? Has anyone actually tried it? And who, exactly, is the *you* in this question? Is it the royal you, meaning all of us with the ability to drink espresso and peruse websites? Or is it a command for me, specifically?

Who is you? Who am I? Maybe Gear Patrol is on to something. I would never deign to make such a claim on behalf of an entire industry, but what do I know? My abilities as a guy just making the most of life have long been questioned. Nevertheless we want to hear from you, dear Sprudge reader—both specifically from you and from the unwashed masses of the royal you—as we ask our readers to weigh in on this, the pressing coffee issue of our time.

Does the coffee industry really want you to put turmeric in your espresso?

Take our Twitter poll. Sound off in the comments below. We’ll update with our findings in the next 24 hours. In the meantime, below please find an official statement from SCA Communications Director Vicente Partida:

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

The post Does The Coffee Industry Really Want You To Put Turmeric In Your Espresso? appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Specialty coffee and art have always worked hand in hand; artists of every stripe have long gravitated towards coffee work for the flexible hours, the freedom of expression, and, of course, the free access to their favorite caffeinated beverage. As specialty coffee culture has brewed over time with the artists who populate its coffeehouses and roasteries, it’s become deeply marked by the presence of the arts, a relationship which is visible in every detail of the specialty movement, from the expression of perfect microfoam as a fluid rosetta to the obsession with aesthetically flawless roast graphs that showcase a rainbow of flavors on the cupping table and in the espresso machine. The newest tribute to this is the Coffee People zine, coming out of Denver, Colorado. It’s an ode to coffee people who are artists, as well as coffee as an art in itself.

For creator Kat Melheim, Coffee People was inspired by her friends and coworkers in coffee who are also artists. Melheim, who roasts coffee at Logan House Coffee and baristas at Amethyst, went to an art show featuring the work of fellow Denverite Breezy Sanchez of Crema Coffeehouse and had a *click* moment. “She’s one hell of a barista and everyone knows her behind bar, but lots of folks didn’t know she did rad art, design, and graphics. At her art show I had this a-ha moment of ‘everyone should know about this,’” said Melheim. Inspired, she started thinking about all the other baristas, roasters, and productionistas who work in coffee but also have creative projects on the side, and, with the support of a tight-knit group of Denver coffee friends including Elle Jensen, Emily Orendorff, Johanna Hirschboeck, Kristyn Wade, Melissa Vaiden, and the aforementioned Sanchez, she worked to create a platform where everyone could showcase their art. The first two issues are available for purchase online. Rather than releasing new issues on the fiscal quarter, zine releases align with the two solstices and equinoxes that occur each year, which means issue two dropped June 21.

Coffee People Zine creator Kat Melheim.

Content-wise, Coffee People has a lot going on. First off, Melheim donates a portion of each zine sale to charities that benefit coffee people—and, since proceeds from the first issue went to the Coffee Too project, a nonprofit that focuses on fighting harassment and discrimination in the coffee industry, a lot of content in the first issue focuses in that direction. The zine’s inaugural Know Your Rights segment, which will focus on a different workers’ rights topic each issue, breaks down workplace sexual harassment with a digestible infographic, and there’s also a Coffee Too fact sheet, followed by a helpful and hilarious guide to mansplaining.

Peppered throughout are poetry, photography, and graphic art from coffee people, including an exquisite corpse drawing on a hot sleeve and a scratch and sniff with coffee flavor notes (there’s a surprise involved here, but I don’t want to spoil it). The zine also features notable new coffeehouse openings and a locally focused but internationally reaching events calendar, including a section on recurring events—many of which are free.

It includes some Coffee Championship-related content, but doesn’t shy away from substantial critique. It focuses on the inequities in coffee competitions, including interviews and statements from queer competitors on their response to the Specialty Coffee Association’s scheduling of world coffee championships in Dubai, a country where queer identity is heavily criminalized (the event has since been rescheduled). It then delves into an admittedly “informal and unscientific” breakdown of gender demographics at the Coffee Champs Denver preliminary based on local survey results.

In addition to providing a platform for coffee creatives and connecting the community through the events calendar, Melheim wants to advocate for and uplift people who work in coffee, especially baristas, as the specialized and skilled professionals that they are, rather than people who are just working in coffee until they get higher-paying jobs. Melheim was drawn to the zine format to do this work because many artists and coffee people alike enjoy physical materials they can hold and keep. She also wants to maximize accessibility, so she plans to make a lot of content available online as well, including online Know Your Rights pdfs that reinforce the material in the zine.

Issue two benefits Prodigy Coffee, a local shop with an apprenticeship program for youth in the neighborhood. To snag the first two issues, pick up a tee shirt, or submit content (including art, articles, photography, doodles, letters, short stories, comics, and more), visit their official website and follow their progress on instagram @coffeepeoplezine.

RJ Joseph (@RJ_Sproseph) is a Sprudge staff writer, publisher of Queer Cup, and coffee professional based in the Bay Area. Read more RJ Joseph on Sprudge Media Network.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Horton.

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Source: Coffee News

In the latest news in the war on straws, Starbucks announced Monday its plan to eliminate the use of straws in its network of 28,000 cafes worldwide by 2020. The news was reported by NPR, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and a host of other national news publications.

Here’s more from the official Starbucks release:

Read the full release here via Starbucks.

Plastic waste floating in water. Richard Carey / Adobe Stock

Who will be the first third wave coffee company to remove straws from its locations? Or has Starbucks successfully ret-con’d themselves into third wave status, inherently negating this question? For now at least, expect glares at your favorite coffee bar if you say yes to an offered straw, and don’t expect the option for long.

Straws are the new smoking.

The post Starbucks Vows To Suck Less By 2020 appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Rome is a city that runs on an excess of caffeine. Brought up from childhood on drops of dark Robusta roasts, Romans tend to demand coffee that is bitter, scalding hot, and made in a hurry.

It is no wonder that coffee shops offering 100% Arabica and modern brewing methods have been hesitant to take on a stubborn, espresso-centric coffee culture.

The concept of Slow Food was born in Rome, and after a significant wait, specialty coffee is finally being ushered onto the Italian capital’s gastronomic scene. Likening good coffee to quality olive oil or specialty wines, new bars are finding a customer base that understands and craves something other than household brand industrial roasts.  These new bars are offering unique coffees that can be hard to find outside of Italy, while simultaneously introducing Romans and visitors alike to specialty coffees from roasteries around Europe. While the drink-and-go culture of quick coffees and little chit chat still dominates, Rome’s modern cafes are also embracing the idea of ambiance—creating the small havens in the middle of a gorgeous, if chaotic, Italian city.

Pergamino Caffè

Located between St. Peter’s Square and the entrance to the Vatican Museums, Pergamino Caffè sits in one of the most heavily trafficked areas of Rome. Despite the endless stream of potential customers who are simply passing through and unlikely to return, the small shop has embraced a serious approach to specialty coffee. As in many Italian bars, prices vary depending on if the coffee is consumed at the bar or at a table. For this reason, as well as to ensure sufficient room for the gleaming La Marzocco Strada EP, the counter dominates the space.

Below a printed manifesto on the cafe’s use of specialty coffee (and organic milk from a local producer), Ceado and Mahlkönig grinders, multiple V60s, a siphon, and an AeroPress stand at the ready. After a day of pounding ancient cobblestones, the prettiest sight in the modern cafe is the nitro tap. Pergamino is the first bar in Italy to offer nitro coffee, and the resulting crisp and sweet cold brew is the perfect antidote to the Roman sun.

Regardless of the preparation method, Pergamino offers coffee from a rotating selection of Italian roasteries, including Lady Cafè, Gardelli, and Rinaldi. A monthly guest roast from London, Berlin, or Amsterdam is also usually available.

Roscioli Caffè Pasticceria

Roscioli is a name that is familiar in Rome food circles. The gourmet family owns a bakery, a modern pizzeria, a well-respected restaurant, and a wine school that all lie within a few minutes’ walk of each other in the historic center of the city. As a result, specialty coffee was a natural next frontier. The understated entrance of the cafe is easy to miss, but finding a spot along the bar can require patience and/or a well-placed assertive elbow nudge. The two-level counter runs the length of the narrow shop, allowing a ledge for coffee as well as a glassed-in view of Roscioli’s signature pastries. The entrance of the narrow bar is a difficult place to linger, but the shop also has a somewhat hidden and darkened back room with a communal table for 12. This is the best place to take a seat to enjoy specialty Italian coffee prepared via AeroPress or dripper. Roscioli serves coffee from Verona-based roastery Giamaica, but really draws crowds with their selection of traditional Roman sweets and savory panini to pair with espresso throughout the day.

Marjani Coffee Roaster

Marjani is a true one-man coffee show in the businessy EUR district outside of central Rome. Sharing a storefront with a popular sandwich counter, Alessandro Pau singlehandedly manages a glossy Della Corte DC Evo 2, Chemex, v60, and AeroPress. Pau sources artisan roasts from around Italy, but what makes the trip to his coffee counter truly unique for Rome is that Marjani also acts as a local micro-roastery. While most guest roasts are 100% Arabica single-origin coffees from Ethiopia and Central America, one of Marjani’s signature “Roman” roasts is a blend of 70/30 Arabica and Robusta that appeals to local tastes. The deep and acidic espresso blend offers a complexity that is impossible to find in the city’s standard coffee bars. However, Pau also turns out 100% Arabica roasts in small batches depending on the beans he has sourced recently.

Marjani’s tiny shared space is short on seating and atmosphere, so the trip to EUR is best between peak rush hours when you have time to sidle up to the bar to sample and chat about the current coffee selection.  Outdoor seating is also available along the street.

Faro – Luminari del Caffe

Having opened in December 2016, Faro – Luminari del Caffe is a welcome newcomer on the specialty coffee scene here. The laid-back coffee house is a short walk from the city’s main train station, but still falls a bit off the usual tourist map. Faro (which means “lighthouse” in Italian), tries to gently educate customers over every cup. The highly trained baristas encourage every guest to taste the coffee “senza zucchero”—without sugar. Co-founders Dario Fociani, Arturo Felicetta, and Dafne Spadavecchia always find the time to stop by and chat about the available roasts which change regularly. The house blend comes from Italy-based Gardelli, but Faro also offers a kind of tasting menu of single-origin coffees that comes complete with descriptions of the flavor notes. While the La Marzocco Strada EP and Mahlkönig EK43 setup is impressive, Faro really manages to distinguish itself on the Rome scene with ambiance. The spacious cafe is filled with natural light and plenty of seating. Inspired by his time in Melbourne, Fociani worked with his partners to create a sense of balance and an alternative to the slam-and-go Roman espresso culture that still reigns supreme in the city’s standard coffee shops.

Tram Depot

A tiny kiosk on a busy intersection in Rome’s trendy Testaccio district, Tram Depot is one of the more unexpected specialty coffee stops in Rome. With a Wes Anderson palette of outdoor seats, the coffee cart is only open seasonally from April through October. The interior of the vintage tram car has been remodeled to turn out coffee throughout the day, and then transitions to cocktails through the wee hours of the morning. Tram Depot offers a rotating selection of coffee from Parma-based Lady Café, with most locals still opting to drink their coffee in a traditional espresso style. But keep in mind that the little cart also has filter and siphon options. You can read more Sprudge coverage on Tram Depot here.

Natalie Kennedy is a California-born, Italian-based travel writer and the publisher of An American In Rome. Read more Natalie Kennedy on Sprudge.

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Source: Coffee News