Most people have their first taste of Blue Bottle coffee in Tokyo. However, this brand should be recognized as a business from San Francisco. If you are a coffee lover, visiting their original shop in San Francisco is a must. Additionally, San Francisco is home to many third-wave coffee movement brands, and the best way to experience the full range of what the city has to offer is to try each of the unique offerings one at a time. Blue Bottle Of the major coffee brands in San Francisco, Blue Bottle is the original. Founder W. James Freeman gained popularity first by selling coffee out of a cart at the Farmers’ Market at the San Francisco Ferry Building. His mobile business thrived due to word of mouth and he was able to convert a garage in Hayes Valley into a permanent location in 2005. Hayes Valley has developed into a sought-after spot to eat, shop, and stroll, yet the original Blue Bottle remains small. On the way to Yosemite, my friend and I stopped here for almond-milk lattes, and it was the perfect start to the day. The cafe even offers complimentary biscuits for dogs. Blue Bottle is primarily known for its San Francisco locations. However, the main headquarters are in Oakland. The roasting process occurs there, in addition to a cupping room, which hosts public classes that are available online, and a small coffee bar. I got a New Orleans style coffee which is made with dark coffee and chicory. The dark roast's bitterness is balanced by chicory's gentle sweetness, resulting in a flavor combination that is distinct and worth experiencing. Blue Bottle Coffee 315 Linden St, San Francisco, CA 94102 * **Blue Bottle Coffee (Mint Plaza) Their handmade brewing equipment is used to make siphon coffee, a specialty Brewster's believe is more common in Tokyo. They are also known for their morel mushroom poached eggs and European-style sandwiches. Sightglass Coffee Sightglass Coffee, started in 2009, is the youngest of the big four coffee companies in San Francisco, but it had a solid debut. Its coffee was quickly distributed to several key locations throughout the city. When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art reopened in 2016 after a three year closure for construction, Sightglass replaced Blue Bottle as the museum's coffee provider. Sightglass's founders are Jerad and Justin Morrison, two brothers born in Oregon. Like many serious coffee makers, they began by roasting beans, and only opened their café to the public after they had a stable customer base. For the full Sightglass experience, go to their flagship on 7th St. It's a large industrial space with an onsite roasting area, a beautiful coffee bar, and second-story seating that overlooks the entire space. The b. patisserie and Neighbor Bakehouse provide the pastries and bread, which means you've got two more fantastic bakery addresses to visit in the future. Sightglass Coffee 270 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Sightglass Coffee Four Barrel Coffee Jeremy Tooker, owner of Four Barrel Coffee, was a co-founder of Ritual Coffee Roasters before going out on his own in 2008. Valencia Street shop's identity is evident as soon as you come in: vintage CD's at the counter, a whole wall of art by the seating, and black and white videos playing on the walls. It's a cafe with a unique atmosphere.
In the last few years, Four Barrel has also worked with well-known baker Josey Baker to launch The Mill, which will surely be another great stop for future bakery guides.
I got a nitro coffee and it was very high in acidity. One sip was enough to fully wake me up.
Four Barrel Coffee
375 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Four Barrel Coffee
Verve Coffee Roasters
Verve Coffee Roasters is from Santa Cruz (the surfing town about an hour and a half from San Francisco). Its cafes embody that mentality, and the interiors are bright, simple, and fresh-feeling with a mix of wood and metal and lots of plants.
Established in 2007, the brand has more than a dozen locations and has expanded to three in Tokyo and Kamakura, which is useful for anyone traveling to Japan.
The honey lavender draft latte that I chose was lightly scented with lavender. It's hard to beat an icy nitrogen-infused latte at about 45 degrees and a soft wind in San Francisco.
If hunger strikes, you can also get food here. The bread comes from Manresa Bread, which is run by the team of the acclaimed three-Michelin-star restaurant Manresa, so you won't be disappointed.
Verve Coffee Roasters
2101 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114
fifty/fifty
The cafes above are all high-profile names. fifty/fifty, on the other hand, is a small neighborhood coffee shop that lacks any sort of gimmick - and that is exactly what makes it great.
There is little information on it available on the Internet. I found it from a recommendation by a local friend. The place is tastefully decorated, and the coffee is good, the atmosphere is quiet and easygoing, and there is no crowd that comes in just to check the place out and leave. If you're in the area, I recommend stopping by to grab a cup, or to take one to Arsicault Bakery, which is a 10-minute walk away, and have it with one of their amazing croissants. That bakery, too, deserves a chapter of its own.
fifty/fifty
3157 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
Samovar Tea & Chai Bar
After all that coffee, it is time for tea. Samovar Tea Bar is a nice change of pace. Owner Jesse Jacobs once worked a normal nine-to-five, but after a while he could not stand working a job that felt so uninspiring and decided to open a tea house. He was inspired by Eastern tea customs, and wanted to provide a restorative oasis in the middle of the city where people could step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and recharge their creativity and joy.
There is a wide selection of tea from different parts of the world, including Japan, the USA, China, Taiwan, and India. But at the Castro location, the star of the show is chai. Four big copper pots sit on the stovetop, and she serves steaming chai with either dairy or almond milk, and the smell is so good and comforting. I also tried a slice of toast topped with honey and bee pollen.
It isn’t surprising that the health-conscious details fit right in with the culture of San Francisco. Beyond the original Castro location, Jesse has also opened a Samovar tea lounge in Yerba Buena Gardens. That location has a large, airy ambience with double-height floor-to-ceiling windows and sofa seating that overlooks the garden. I have added that to my list for an upcoming visit to San Francisco. Samovar Tea & Chai Bar 411 Valencia St, San Francisco Boba Guys Boba Guys is a bubble tea shop. Why would someone drink bubble tea in the U.S? It’s because the drink became that popular, it was impossible to bypass it out of curiosity. Founders Bin Chen and Andrew Chau used to work in an office until the bubble tea shop that they used to go to closed, and they decided to open one themselves. They sell organic, premium ingredients, which is why their prices are higher than most bubble tea shops. But, in the health-conscious part of San Francisco, the concept resonated, and all of their locations have stayed packed. Aside from the classic milk tea with pearls, Boba Guys has additional drinks like horchata, Thai milk tea, and real taro (not taro extract and a powder). They also have customizable options like almond jelly, grass jelly, and chia seeds. It must be the most delicious, and bubble tea I've had.
Boba Guys
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Among these San Francisco coffee shops and tea houses, which one would be your first choice? Next stop is dessert, bread, and ice cream—let's go.
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