Coava Coffee’s recent bar in San Diego at the Westin. All photos courtesy of Coava Coffee.
“We’re still getting to know our customers since we just opened our doors, but so far people have welcomed us with open arms in the coffee community and beyond,” Coava COO Jonathan Felix-Lund told Daily Coffee News. “We’re excited to be part of the San Diego coffee community, which has a lot of momentum and energy.”
In a 2,155-square-foot space at the front of The Westin San Diego in downtown San Diego, Coava’s Mazzer Robur E grinders grind shot products extracted on a modified La Marzocco Linea EE 3-group mill connected to a Modbar steam station. Mazzer Kony grinders grind for Chemex pour-overs prepared using custom Coava Cone metal filters, the latest production version of which will soon be available to consumers. There’s no batch brewing at the SoCal shop, while frigid brew is made in-house on a larger scale than at the company’s Portland stores, using 30-gallon stainless steel brewing units.
“We’ve revamped our tea program and our frigid brew program with San Diego in mind,” Felix-Lund said of the San Diego store’s broader frigid brew selection, including nitro options and the more common single-origin brews. The SD store also offers carbonated teas and a lightweight food program that’s unique to the company.
“San Diego is basically the same platform we present to the Portland audience, where we’re constantly pushing for quality and highlighting the tough work of coffee producers,” Felix-Lund said, adding that the company also plans to add a beer and wine list to the SD spot. “San Diego is a great place, and we love the common ground around craft beverages — especially beer — that it shares with Portland.”
Felix-Lund said that while the future is still unwritten, there are no current plans to open a roastery in San Diego. Roasted coffees for the venture are shipped from Portland, where the company’s next step, according to Felix-Lund, is to open a “long-delayed but highly anticipated” Coava location in Southwest Portland in October.
Felix-Lund said: “It’s going to be amazing.”
Coava Coffee is now open 400 W Broadway Downtown San Diego.
Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the deputy editor of Daily Coffee News at Roast Magazine. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
