Theo, who runs our coffee program, rotates the beans on our espresso machine every six to eight weeks. Here are the five small California roasters we keep coming back to.
Highwire Coffee Roasters · Oakland
Our most-used espresso right now. The "House" blend is dark enough to cut through milk in a flat white but clean enough to drink as a straight shot. Highwire has been roasting for fifteen years from a small space in the Temescal neighborhood.
Sightglass Coffee · San Francisco
Beautifully sourced single-origin beans, especially their Ethiopian and Burundian lots. We brew Sightglass on the pour-over bar most weekends.
Mr. Espresso · Oakland
The local classic. They roast over oak fire — a method nobody else really does anymore — and the result is a deeply caramelized espresso that holds up under any milk. We serve their decaf year-round.
Verve Coffee Roasters · Santa Cruz
Verve does extraordinary work with East African beans. We serve their Streetlevel blend on batch brew when we want a brighter, fruit-forward cup.
Linea Caffe · San Francisco
A small Mission-district roaster founded by Andrew Barnett. Their classic espresso is one of the best balanced shots we've ever pulled.
We try to feature one of these on the bar at all times. If you have a favorite small California roaster we should be sourcing from, please tell us — we love hearing about new ones.
Written by Leilani Josef. Last reviewed by our team on 2025-07-30. Have feedback or a question? Email us — we read everything.
Keep reading
Why we ferment our sourdough for thirty-six hours
How long fermentation changes flavor, digestibility and shelf life — and why we think the wait is worth it.
Anatomy of a three-day croissant
A walk through how we laminate, rest, shape and bake every croissant in our case.
We started milling our own flour. Here is what changed.
Why we invested in a stone mill and what fresh flour does to bread, pastry and our suppliers.