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Sightglass Coffee
270 7th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (SoMa District Flagship)
3014 20th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 (Mission District)
301 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 (Divisadero)
Overview of Sightglass Coffee: A San Francisco Coffee Pioneer
Coffee is a seasonal fruit, and at Sightglass Coffee, it is sourced directly from origin in freshly harvested lots. By practicing small production methods, the team at Sightglass can scrutinize and perfect their processes. Attaining a perfect roast involves intuition—a smell, a sound, a slight change in color. It’s about careful attention to detail that comes through in every cup.
The company takes its name from the "sightglass," the viewing window on their vintage PROBAT coffee roaster, which exposes the complex and delicate process of roasting coffee. Sightglass Coffee believes that knowing the story behind your coffee—where it was grown, how it was processed, and who handled it along the way—is a powerful link from the cup to the wider world.
Ultimately, Sightglass aims to deliver the highest quality achievable in all aspects of their business, from sourcing the most beautiful and wondrous coffees attainable to employing the most mindful and quality-focused practices possible.
Sourcing: The Heart of Sightglass Coffee
Sourcing green coffee is at the heart of Sightglass Coffee. It is meticulous and essential work. Processing methods, varieties, growing altitudes, climate, soil, and farm conditions are a few of the many factors that shape and determine a coffee’s overall quality. Being present at origin allows Sightglass to see these factors firsthand and ultimately helps them determine the best expression of each coffee they work with.
Roasting: Transforming Green Coffee into Liquid Gold
Roasting is the transformation of green coffee from a raw product into something that will be consumed. Sightglass views roasting as one piece of the larger collaboration between farmers, sourcing partners, and finally, baristas and home brewers. Their objective as a coffee roasting company is to recognize the intentions of the people who have contributed to producing their coffees and express these intentions through their work.
History: From Humble Beginnings to San Francisco Icon
Sightglass began as an aspiration to source, produce, and share distinctive, quality-focused coffees. In 2009, they started with a small, rickety service-cart in San Francisco’s SoMa district. Equipped with a few Chemex pots and a leaky vintage 2-group espresso machine, they served coffee to the neighborhood just behind a roll-up garage door housed in a sturdy 1914-built warehouse.
People came to visit, and remarkably, even came back to taste more. Two years and many coffees later, the entirety of this warehouse would become their production roastery, a dynamic and unconventional coffee bar, a community gathering space, and their company headquarters.
Why Choose Sightglass Coffee?
At Sightglass Coffee, there is a dedication to delivering the highest quality in every cup. Their hands-on approach to sourcing and roasting ensures that each coffee's unique qualities are brought to life. Whether enjoying a pour-over at their flagship store or brewing a cup at home, the care and attention put into their craft is evident.
Experience the difference at Sightglass Coffee, where every cup tells a story. Visit today and discover a new favorite coffee.