Q Specialty Coffee

Coffee Nerds and Matcha Stans Will Love This Pac Heights Cafe | Eater SF

"On the cusp of Laurel Heights and Pacific Heights, this newcomer leans hard into coffee nerdiness and aesthetics: on-site green beans and two brand-new Bellwether roasters you can see and smell before buying by the pound; beakers and tubes to preview aromas; and third-wave-clean design with burlap sacks and simple paper bags on the walls that recall the Barn in Berlin. Owner Cyrus Shen, who earned coffee grading certifications from Bay Area legend Willem Boot, lays out a menu that doubles as an education—pourovers from a Poursteady PS1 arrive with cards listing elevation, varietals, and processing, pouring out fruity, winey single-origin cups; an opening washed Honduras La Avi (bourbon, catui, lempia) hits caramel and apple cobbler notes and carries a 92 cup score, per the menu. Younger drinkers get playful options: a chai latte topped with an espresso cloud and chai granola; five specialty matchas from a triple matcha cloud to a sparkling lime matcha cloud with a Topo Chico-esque backbone; and nitro cold brews paired with fruit like guava and jasmine tea. To eat, there are four flavors of Lady M Cake Boutique’s mille crepes, including Dubai chocolate and pistachio. Reviving a space that sat empty for a decade, it opens Saturday, October 18 with hours 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and the espresso lime cloud is a not-too-sweet treat—Shen even says it has the potential to become one of the city’s top coffee destinations." - Paolo Bicchieri