Every Monday I pick three coffees, roast them through Wednesday, and write about why I picked them. Then I open the door on Thursday at 7am and we drink them together for four days. Then I do it again.
Notes are short. The coffees are not. Order any of them as a 12oz pourover ($7) or in milk ($5.50).
I had this at a coffee bar in Melbourne in February and I have been waiting eight months for it to land in Oakland and get to me. It is here. I have nine kilos.
Drink it black. The blueberry note is not a metaphor — it is actually that. I had to make sure no one was putting blueberries in the green coffee somewhere.
Tastes like: blueberry, jasmine, syrup. Brewing: 1:16, 95°C, three pours, four minutes.
I buy this from the same family every year. The price keeps going up and I keep paying it because it's the best version of itself I can find. Sweet, balanced, no surprises, and it makes a perfect cortado.
If you don't know what you want, get this in milk.
Tastes like: brown sugar, almond, milk chocolate. In milk: tastes like coffee in milk, very well.
This needed two more days to rest after I roasted it. I tasted it Tuesday and was not impressed. I tasted it Thursday morning and was. This is normal. Coffee is alive for a few weeks after the roast.
If you ordered a bag last weekend and it tasted weird, give it three more days and try again. I promise.
Tastes like: blackcurrant, tomato vine, lemon. If you don't like: Kenyans, this is a real Kenyan.
A note from the back of the shop —
May 20, 2026
I roasted in my garage in St. Johns for two years before I had a storefront. The garage had a 1kg Mill City and a propane tank I refilled at the U-Haul every other Sunday. My neighbor complained about the smell once, then started buying a bag every week.
The shop opened in April 2023. It's twelve seats and a counter. I do the roasting on Mondays and Wednesdays in the back. If you come in on those days, you'll hear it. It is louder than you'd expect.
I source through three importers I trust and I've visited the farms for about half of what I serve. The other half is on the list. I'll get there.
If you have questions about the coffee, ask. I will talk about it for as long as you want me to. Don't feel bad about taking up time. That's why I'm here.
— Andrew
andrew@slowroast.coffee
Twelve seats, one counter, a small patio for when it's not raining. Roastery in the back. No wifi password — it's by request.