Metric Coffee

Dive into the world of manual coffee brewing in this hands-on class led by our expert brewers. Together, we’ll pick one coffee from our lineup and explore how it transforms when brewed four different ways using the V60. Experience how subtle changes—like grind size, water quality, and brew ratio—can make a big difference in flavor, giving you insights to apply to any brewing method!

This interactive class is perfect for beginner home brewers looking to elevate their coffee skills.

To reserve your spot- head over to our link in bio.

Now Hiring: Part Time Graphic Designer

We’re looking for a Graphic Designer who’s got a keen eye for detail, a knack for bringing ideas to life, and knows how to both give and take creative feedback. In this role, you’ll team up with our marketing, communications, and content folks to shape projects, lead concept development, and create visuals that bring our brand to life for our customers.

If you’re the type of individual who can set the vision, inspire the team, and keep us connected to new trends, markets, and audiences—we’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about this position, head over to our link in bio.

Bloom and Doom Recap!

This past Saturday, we hosted our first-ever Halloween Throwdown with our wonderful friends and co-host welcoming a crowd of 150 guests who watched 26 top-notch competitors battle it out for a $750 cash prize.

The event was an absolute blast, featuring a mix of pizza, pastries, beer, candy, and Hip Hop. Doom and Bloom was a huge success, and we thank everyone who came out and embraced the Halloween spirit!

Congratulations to our winners: 1st place Valeria Ferrera, 2nd place Ghennaro Ricca, and 3rd place Chantell Benjamin and to everyone who participated in this event. 

Finally, this event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our sponsors, and .usa as well as our co-sponsors and , who all contributed to making this event memorable.

We are thrilled to present two exceptional coffees that are sure to delight your taste buds. Our team has meticulously curated these lots to bring you an unforgettable coffee experience that highlights the best Centro American coffees have to offer.

Sourcing Notes:

Costa Rica El Bambu

El Bambú is the newest Costa Rican coffee. This balanced washed lot expresses itself with sweet cream mouth feel, candy like stone fruit notes of apricot jam, and meyer lemon acidity.

Named after the yellow bamboo growing between the coffee trees throughout the farm, El Bambú sits in the lush tropical mountains of Costa Rica’s famous coffee lands. Grown and milled by the three Alvarado Sisters, this washed lot demonstrates their prowess as coffee producers. The sweetness we love in Costa This mixes with gentle dried fruit and sweet citrus notes of the varietal to create a coffee that lingers on one’s lips like candy, making one want another sip and another cup.

Guatemala La Barranca

La Barranca returns to our menu for the sixth year. One of our favorite coffees each fall, this washed Guatemalan opens up to fruity and deep jaggery sweetness, red grape, with a bitter sweet pomello zest acidity.
The growing conditions of the Vides family farm high in the valleys of Huehuetenango allow La Barranca optimal nutrients for bold sugars and a pleasant body. The variety notes of the bourbon and typica in this coffee contribute ripe red fruit and pleasant mild acidity. The processing they do on their own mill ensures these qualities are expressive and celare in the cup.

Both are available now at our Fulton Cafe and web shop.

Fall may be creeping in, but we’re not quite in full “sweater weather” mode just yet. That being said, we’re excited to roll out our latest Signature Drinks, crafted by the talented team at our Fulton Street shop!

✨ First up is 𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞 a banana base blended with sweetened condensed milk (heads up, this one’s not vegan), your choice of milk, and a shot of espresso.

🍂 Next is 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 , our twist on the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte. We’ve added cardamom, molasses, nutmeg, and Vietnamese cinnamon for a cozy, spiced blend with your choice of milk and espresso.

🍊 Last but not least is 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐳𝐳: a refreshing mix of tamarind, orange, and brown sugar syrup, topped with sparkling water. It’s a tart, semi-sweet, and fizzy delight that still feels like summer.

All three are available now. Come by and try them today!

Metric Avondale Update

Hey friends!

As summer winds down, we wanted to give you a quick update on the progress at our new spot at 3110 N Kedzie. We know the big question on everyone’s mind is, “When’s the grand opening?” Well, the honest answer is still, “We’re not sure!” We originally aimed to be up and running this summer, but things didn’t quite go as planned. That said, we’re making serious headway, and we think you’re going to love what we’re putting together.

So, where are we now? About 90% of the build-out is complete—our roastery, kitchen, brewery, and dining areas are mostly ready. Now, we’re focusing on the front café area and grab-and-go section, putting the finishing touches on the espresso bar, and setting up the retail shelves. Just to clarify, our space will feature a small “grab-and-go” café with a pickup window to our kitchen—both as a nod to our first shop on Fulton Street and as a more efficient way for you to grab your coffee or food on the go.

So, when can you expect to swing by? We’re still working on that. Our goal has always been to open as soon as possible, but with nearly 10,000 square feet to perfect—and all the delays, inspections, and material sourcing that come with it—things have taken a bit longer than we’d hoped. But hey, as they say, “Good things come to those who wait,” and we’re so close, we can almost taste the coffee.

Stay tuned for me in the coming weeks. In the meantime, scroll right to enjoy these photographic updates.

Metric

Join us on a journey with our exclusive World Tour 2024 design, celebrating our amazing producing partners. Our brand new Blue Spruce colorway in a COMFORT COLORS Heavyweight Ring Spun Tee—crafted for ultimate softness with a vintage, worn-in feel.

New Coffee: Ethiopia Riripa Washed ⁠
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Riripa is a fruit-forward, complex coffee from Ethiopia’s famed Sidamo region. The unique soil and varieties around Riripa washing station give this coffee its refreshing stone fruit, black tea, and warm sugar notes. ⁠
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Grown by farmers around the washing station, this lot highlights the complexity created by each smallholder contributing their farms’ landrace varietals to the washing station. The garden farming – intercropping – model practiced by these producers is a traditional model in Ethiopia. It lends both to stability for the farmer and increased biodiversity for the region. ⁠
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Cherries are picked by hand when ripe and deep red, then delivered to the washing station. There they are sorted once again to ensure only the ripest beans make it in the lot. The coffee is then fermented, washed, and dried on raised drying beds for a week. The resulting coffee is sweet, structured, and crisp in its presentation. ⁠
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Sidamo coffees have long been a favorite at Metric. Riripa shares some of our favorite qualities of this area and is a great example of the skill of the area’s farmers. In the cup we taste Bing cherry, peach tea, and date sugar. ⁠
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Available now in our our Roasters Choice Subscription, Retail Cafe and to all of our Wholesale Clients.

For natural coffee lovers, Marcala Natural is a fruit packed, bold coffee from Honduras mountains. Its expert natural processing gives this coffee its intense melon candy, ripe berry, and tangy citrus notes.

The Catuai and Parainema varieties found in this lot are harvested at peak ripeness by small holders high in the hills of south west Honduras. The coffee is fermented before being dried as whole fruit on raised beds for three weeks. During this time, it is carefully turned throughout the day to ensure clean flavor expression in the final cup. Being naturally processed – dried in the full coffee cherry – gives the coffee its intense fruit notes. Once dry, the seed is removed and sent to Metric for roasting.

Marcala Natural’s expressive flavors satisfy and delight, showing off the layers found in this region’s best natural processed coffees. In the cup we taste rich dried pineapple notes, big strawberry sweetness, and deep marmalade acidity.

Ethiopia Tesfaye Bekele.
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This washed coffee from Ethiopia’s famed Guji region shows both Tesfaye Bekele’s commitment to quality coffee and the delightful cup notes that make Guji coffees so sought after. Sweet melon notes swirl with ripe summer stone fruit, making us want cup after cup. ⁠
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Tesfaye’s coffee grows high among the valleys and ridges of the Odo Shakisso area in Guji. The area’s high elevation, fertile volcanic soil, and Tesfaye’s organic amendments to the land nurture these sweet, bold cherries as they grow. Growing up in a coffee producing family and returning to coffee himself in the 1990s, he thoughtfully manages his farm with knowledge developed over three decades in coffee. After harvest, the coffee is fermented in cherry, has the fruit washed clean from the seed, and then is dried on raised beds for 9-15 days. This process leads to a complex coffee with a clean expression and crisp juicy finish. ⁠
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Guji coffees have long been a favorite at Metric, and Tesfaye’s offering is no exception. The quality of this coffee celebrates the beauty of Ethiopian coffee. In the cup we taste ripe muskmelon, sweet nectarine, and palm sugar.

Hey friends!

Just a heads up that our cafe will be closed tomorrow, July 4th, so our team can enjoy the holiday. We’ll be back on the saddle and brewing your favorites with our regular hours on July 5th.

Have a fantastic 4th of July!

Inspired by the bountiful ripe fruit and warm evenings of summer, Parasol reflects the sweetness and freshness of the season. This seasonal release is composed of half washed Colombian and half washed Ethiopian coffee.

Coming from Nariño region, the Colombian component adds depth, balance, and bright sweetness. These qualities swirl with the Ethiopian Guji lot’s juicy fruit and refreshing mouthfeel, giving this seasonal release giving this hints of some of our favorite things about summer – a ripe stonefruit from the farmers market, a berry cobbler at an evening potluck, or lemonade from the neighborhood lemonade stand.

In the cup, we taste ripe berries, sweet lemonade like acidity, and desert like caramel sugars. Delightful both hot or iced, Parasol invites us to sip in the vibrant days of summer.

Happy first day of summer, friends! We’ve got something special and refreshing just for you. Our awesome team at the Fulton Street Cafe has been busy perfecting their summer drink recipes. Check out these three fun and crushable drinks they’ve come up with!

Fulton St. Shandy 
-Cold brew, orange juice, cherry syrup, angostura bitters, topped with grapefruit topo

Summer Luv
-Cold brewed rosella tea, vanilla, milk of choice, shaken and poured on ice 

Espresso Cream Soda 
-Iced espresso, vanilla, milk of choice, topped with Topo Chico.

Available daily at our Fulton Street cafe.

Colombia Maria Elsi Chavez

Maria Elsi Chavez’s farms, Finca El Placer y El Arrayan, are located in the beautiful Andes mountains of Colombia’s Nariño department. The high altitudes and tropical sunshine by day, along with warm river-valley nights, create the perfect environment for her coffee plants to flourish, resulting in rich, sweet fruit notes.

Buesaco’s unique conditions, with its volcanic soil and average temperature of 65 F, make it ideal for producing smooth, easy drinking coffees with round acidity and sweet notes.

Maria Elsi personally planted each of the 4,000 trees on her plots, bringing dedication and quiet confidence to her work. Her high-quality caturra microlots reflect her meticulous care. During harvest, she oversees the cherry collection and begins the post-harvest process by de-pulping and fermenting the coffee for 12-14 hours. Understanding Buesaco’s unique climate, she dries the coffee in two stages to achieve perfection.

The result is a cup that’s sweet and fruity, balanced with refreshing citrus acidity. Enjoy the magic with notes of ripe damson plum, warm butterscotch, and a hint of makrut lime juice.

To order a bag, check out our link in bio.

Alma Pineda Process Exploration Pack

Producer: Alma Pineda
Farm: La Sierra
Variety: Paraneima
Region: Santa Barbara
Process: Washed, Honey, Natural and Anearobic Washed
Altitude: 1,500 meters

As green coffee buyers and roasters, our curiosity knows no bounds. What better way to embrace our inquisitive nature than by pushing the boundaries of coffee experimentation? Introducing the Alma Pineda Process Exploration Bundle.

This specially curated Exploration Pack features four bags of meticulously prepared coffees: Metric-Washed, Honey, Natural, and Anaerobic Washed. Each variant offers a unique flavor profile, showcasing the dedication and excellence of the award-winning couple, Alma and Evin, in crafting exceptional coffees.

Discover the nuances of each coffee and embark on a journey of sensory exploration.

To order one of your Exploration Packs, head over to the link in our bio.

Roaster’s Choice Exclusive: Honduras Jose Alberto Orellana Washed Pacas

Available today, exclusively for our Roaster’s Choice Subscribers, is a special treat: a Washed Pacas from Honduran producer Jose Alberto Orellana.

Jose’s farm, Piedras Amarillas is located in El Cedral within the Santa Barbara mountains, is surrounded by primary rainforest and rich biodiversity. The shores of Lake Yojoa border this region, where cool mists keep temperatures low and protect the plants from harsh heat. This slow growth results in coffee that’s sweet, complex, and bursting with flavor.

This exceptional coffee is incredibly clean and bright, with high complexity in the cup. You’ll experience vibrant concord grape -like sweetness, orange zest character, and a delightful piloncillo sweetness.

Don’t miss out on this Subscriber Exclusive coffee from Jose Alberto! Follow the link in our profile and sign up for our Roaster’s Choice subscription to enjoy 20% off your first order with code: metricsub

Link in bio.