If you’re looking to spice up your morning coffee at home, try your local coffee roaster.
More and more cafés in New Jersey are roasting their own beans for you to experience in-store or to take home for your morning brew.
When Frankie McDonald opened Boonton Coffee Co. ten years ago, there was an overwhelmingly positive response from the community. Boonton Coffee offers small-batch coffee roasted at its facility just up the street from the café.
“We get a lot of coffee enthusiasts,” says McDonald.
Their selection features a variety of freshly roasted beans from Colombia, Indonesia, Peru and more. You can also experience Boonton coffee at Maggie’s Farm Espresso in Jersey City and Green Point Juicery in Verona.
At Paper Plane Coffee Co. in Montclair, coffee is a long-standing family tradition with roots in the Colombian Mountains. Paper Plane sells 12-ounce bags of whole beans that you can grind at home.
Mesob, an Ethiopian restaurant in Montclair, offers freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee that you can also enjoy at home. Everything is done by hand, from harvesting in Ethiopia to bean selection to roasting.
“We see coffee as a living expression of culture and craft,” says Mesob cofounder Berekti Mengistu.
In Princeton, Rojo’s Roastery promises high-quality coffee by working with independent farmers. Rojo’s coffee beans are hand selected and tested in a lab for optimal roasting. Customers can even purchase coffee equipment there and learn about the best ways to brew at home.
Rook Coffee is a Jersey favorite that offers a wide range of blends for every type of coffee drinker. Serving up coffee at 11 locations across New Jersey, Rook features an extensive menu with seasonal options and offers cold-brew concentrate in an array of flavors for those who prefer their coffee over ice.
