Steve Zimmerman

The neon sign hangs outside the original Intelligentsia coffee shop on Oct. 29, 2020, in Chicago.

From Chicago to LA, Intelligentsia’s legacy as a pioneer includes a cadre of spinoff roasters nationwide

November 25, 2020 at 3:34 a.m.

It's Tuesday morning at Intelligentsia's coffeebar in Lakeview, and all the parts are moving in harmony with the precision that has built the roaster's progressive reputation. The coffees are carefully...

Jonathan Orta bags coffee for online customers at Big Shoulders.

Online sales helping Chicago roasters, but will specialty coffee survive pandemic?

April 8, 2020 at 3:50 p.m.

For Tim Coonan and other specialty coffee roasters in Chicago, March was supposed to be a springboard month. Spring is when outdoor patios open, wholesale business picks up and beverage...

Bridgeport Coffee uses a Sivetz roaster that relies on indirect heat to roast beans. The results are smooth, well-balanced medium roasts, like the Hardscrabble espresso blend.

Specialty coffee roasters in Chicago pushed boundaries of flavors in 2019, but Bridgeport stood out

January 6, 2020 at 7:18 p.m.

Bridgeport Coffee founder Mike Pilkington knows his roaster is a bit of a relic. The Sivetz he uses doesn't have the programmable roasting profiles or digital bells and whistles of...

Midwestern mecca Ruby Coffee is brewing up something special in Wisconsin

December 23, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Coffee and holiday gatherings — the two go together like stuffed birds and candied yams, right? When fruitcakes hit the dessert plate or cookie tins circulate, coffee is the common...

Don't leave on your holiday road trip without checking out our guide to the best places to stop for coffee in the Midwest.

Holiday road-trippers: Plan coffee breaks with this guide to the best Midwest cafes

December 20, 2019 at 1:29 p.m.

When hitting the road for the holidays, stopping for coffee is often part of the plan. But instead of redeeming points and settling for drive-thrus of national chains, consider it...

Kathy Hardy high fives a customer after serving her at her Taste of the Philippines booth at the Daley Plaza farmers market.

No restaurant? No problem for chefs braving the elements to build businesses based on farmers markets

October 14, 2019 at 5:03 p.m.

For Kathy Vega Hardy and her mobile restaurant business, A Taste of the Philippines, Thursdays are game days and kickoff is when her first alarm goes off at 2:30 a.m....

Erin Heatherman grinds coffee beans behind the counter at Tala Coffee Roasters at 428 Green Bay Road in Highwood. Heatherman has worked as a barista at the cafe since it opened in 2018.

Some of Chicago’s most interesting coffee is roasted in the suburbs. Here’s where to find it.

September 3, 2019 at 7:00 a.m.

The tasting notes at Tala Coffee Roasters read like a dessert menu. Pear. Blackberry. Blood orange. Shortbread? That can't be right, can it? It can — and is. The mission...

A sign near the front door to Philz Coffee at 1640 W. Division St. in Chicago cautions customers of the expected wait before ordering. The San Francisco-based chain only serves made-to-order, pour-over coffee — not drip — which requires 4-5 minutes to brew and often creates lines inside the cafe.

The new Philz Coffee in Chicago doesn’t do espresso drinks but no one seems to mind

July 29, 2019 at 5:48 p.m.

News of a new coffee shop in Wicker Park may not raise an eyebrow for many Chicagoans. After all, there are 11 in a swath between North Avenue and Division...

Donnie Hunt starts the cooling process on a batch of freshly roasted coffee at Stivers Coffee. The company uses a Scandinavian roasting method that relies on lower temperatures and a longer roasting time.

The dean of beans: Stivers Coffee survives with loyal following, ‘old-school’ roasting

July 1, 2019 at 10:08 p.m.

When it comes to coffee, Greg Stivers is a throwback. When he started roasting, the Bears had not yet won a Super Bowl, Walter Payton was still in uniform and...

Partnership yields sales spike, expansion for two Chicago coffee roasters

May 31, 2019 at 9:05 p.m.

Joining forces is nothing new to Joshua Millman and Branden Marty. Since 2017, the two entrepreneurs have teamed up to roast small-batch coffee in a shared warehouse space in West...

All Stories