50% Off San Francisco Coffee (Va-Hi)
The Scoop: San Francisco Roasting Company is one of many in-town coffee shops that promote the best in freshly-roasted coffees. The only difference is they’ve been doing it since before coffee shops were on every block. Doug Bond and his wife Tanya brought their passion for roasting coffees to Atlanta in the eighties, have outlasted many trendier followers, and continue to maintain a laid-back “vibe” which makes them, in many ways, one-of-a-kind.
Scout Notes: What does it even mean anymore to be “the best coffee shop in town”? Is it buying the freshest, most fairly-traded beans? Hip baristas? More free WiFi? The fanciest latte art?
Everyone has reasons why their favorite java spot is the “best” around. And for 24 years now (before Starbucks even had an idea to open here), Doug Bond (owner of San Francisco Coffee) has been roasting coffee and paving the way for all these “best in town” coffee shops. And he’ll tell you, the success comes mostly from “having the right vibe.”
So what goes into that vibe? Serious coffee-makers who don’t take themselves too seriously. He’s been at it for over two decades, so yes - he knows a thing or twelve about the process from bean to cup. And all of his coffee is roasted in-house. The muffins and scones are made from scratch and so is their own line of syrups and Mexican chocolate sauces. But he’s never been one to promote the so-called coffee-snobbery that sometimes comes with the knowledge of coffee. The people behind the counter are decidedly laid-back but always friendly and eager to help. They play good music. And the neighborhood crowd keeps coming back. There’s really nothing more to it than being “a great place to come, hang out, get great coffee, and enjoy the people that serve it to you.”
While the name “San Francisco” may seem a little misleading, the roasting company is actually from here; the bay area just happens to be where Doug got his coffee start working in a few coffee bars, becoming a roaster’s apprentice, and then becoming a roaster himself. He and Tanya moved back here to open their own coffee house because, well, Atlanta needed one. Their first location was in Vinings - back before a Starbucks was on every block. Ironically, Starbucks decided to open their very first location in Georgia on the SAME block as Doug and Tanya’s shop. A coincidence? Definitely not. And once Caribou came along to saturate the corner of coffee shops, the Bonds had more than enough reason to move to a more uncharted coffee scene in Virginia-Highland. Nowadays, they manage two more San Francisco locations in the area (Candler Park and Poncey-Highland, which will be moving to a new nearby building soon). It seems like they’re onto something in this area.
And whether you’re familiar with the origins of your beans, how to brown them to the perfect shade and "cup" the distinctive flavors... or you simply want a strong cup of the caffeinated stuff in the morning, you can definitely appreciate “the right vibe” and all of the above here at San Francisco.
Scout Notes: What does it even mean anymore to be “the best coffee shop in town”? Is it buying the freshest, most fairly-traded beans? Hip baristas? More free WiFi? The fanciest latte art?
Everyone has reasons why their favorite java spot is the “best” around. And for 24 years now (before Starbucks even had an idea to open here), Doug Bond (owner of San Francisco Coffee) has been roasting coffee and paving the way for all these “best in town” coffee shops. And he’ll tell you, the success comes mostly from “having the right vibe.”
So what goes into that vibe? Serious coffee-makers who don’t take themselves too seriously. He’s been at it for over two decades, so yes - he knows a thing or twelve about the process from bean to cup. And all of his coffee is roasted in-house. The muffins and scones are made from scratch and so is their own line of syrups and Mexican chocolate sauces. But he’s never been one to promote the so-called coffee-snobbery that sometimes comes with the knowledge of coffee. The people behind the counter are decidedly laid-back but always friendly and eager to help. They play good music. And the neighborhood crowd keeps coming back. There’s really nothing more to it than being “a great place to come, hang out, get great coffee, and enjoy the people that serve it to you.”
While the name “San Francisco” may seem a little misleading, the roasting company is actually from here; the bay area just happens to be where Doug got his coffee start working in a few coffee bars, becoming a roaster’s apprentice, and then becoming a roaster himself. He and Tanya moved back here to open their own coffee house because, well, Atlanta needed one. Their first location was in Vinings - back before a Starbucks was on every block. Ironically, Starbucks decided to open their very first location in Georgia on the SAME block as Doug and Tanya’s shop. A coincidence? Definitely not. And once Caribou came along to saturate the corner of coffee shops, the Bonds had more than enough reason to move to a more uncharted coffee scene in Virginia-Highland. Nowadays, they manage two more San Francisco locations in the area (Candler Park and Poncey-Highland, which will be moving to a new nearby building soon). It seems like they’re onto something in this area.
And whether you’re familiar with the origins of your beans, how to brown them to the perfect shade and "cup" the distinctive flavors... or you simply want a strong cup of the caffeinated stuff in the morning, you can definitely appreciate “the right vibe” and all of the above here at San Francisco.
