Coffee grandeur at its finest: Felix Roasting Co.
Coffee like you've never seen it. New York, of course, is to blame for the specialty coffee get "fine" in aspects such as service, aesthetics and staging. The opening of second place by Felix Roasting Co. –the first opened in 2018 in NoMad–, in the SoHo neighborhood, is confirmation that a daily routine is capable of breaking out of the norm. "This project represents the union of a eclectic visionary team who have not been afraid to push the limits of each of their fields", explains Matt Moinian, founder of the project.
At its roots, its mission is to unite in harmony the pillars of design , the hospitality and the product , with the purpose of elevating what is for many a worn tradition.
"Coffee contains more flavor components than wine and each cup offers the same complexities as a glass of Bordeaux," continues Moinian. However, we usually marginalize the role of coffee in our day to day. We want to remove that daily chute stigma and turn it into a refined experience by focusing more on the terroir. We want to get rid of the gap between the coffee paradigm and the vision we have for our customers, with products that are practical and accessible but in a way that squander luxury and that encourage you to take one more minute a day to reconsider the routine.
Felix Roasting Co.'s mission is very simple but never minimalist : with a maximum effort in each preparation, involving customers in a careful experience with the best product and trying to remain humble in the process. "We like to think that this mentality is evident in every facet of our brand," explains Moinian of what is a literal 450m² temple dedicated to the greatness of coffee.
Felix Roasting Co. has formed its soul with an eye on the aesthetic movement of cafes at the end of the 19th century in Europe, making coffee an experience but also a immersive display . From handmade mural with 500 individual tiles, to the to-go mugs that go perfectly with the patterned terrazzo flooring and custom made. "Every detail is designed so that the client enters our universe", explains Moinian. "Felix seeks to be a true new york institution , earning a position as one of the best coffee shops and roasters in the world, carrying out responsible practices and without cutting costs that compromise our quality", he tells us. "But what is more important, with each drink we want to share the stories that make our such particular and interesting cafes".
Reagan Petrehn, brand manager and four-time James Beard Award nominee, explains that each of the drinks on the menu expresses and tells a story – without the need for an explanation – through a full sensory exercise . Not only through taste, but also with smell, sight and even touch. "Each drink has a aromatic component in the form of a decorative piece, spray or smoke", she confesses. They also carefully select the glassware to deepen the experience even more. The same that is expressed in coffees and teas that are chosen depending on the season.
"I think we do a great job of creating a holistic experience that everyone can find funny. It's about executing coffee in a way that satisfies the most avid consumers, but also putting that same intention into our non-coffee beverages or our specialty drinks to reach an even wider audience," she tells us.
"There's a stigma surrounding coffee purists when it comes to add different flavors , but we make them in such a unique and delicious way that anyone will appreciate them", says Petrehn of a menu that includes filter coffee, espressos, drinks served straight from the tap –cold brew, nitro cold tea, soda, latte– and alcoholic preparations as their Hickory-Smoked S'mores Latte (with graham cracker infused evaporated milk , espresso, chocolate, marshmallows), the Botanical Shrub with juniper, rose, thyme, serrano peppers and unpasteurized champagne vinegar , also available on tap) or the Espresso Tonic Deconstructed (with Meyer lemon juice, rose water, amaro and hibiscus reduction and served in a Bordeaux glass).
"We make the tonic right here. It is not only delicious but also very complex. It is designed to combine in perfect harmony with coffee", reveals Petrehan of a process that begins with natural quinine to give it bitterness and finds a balance with citric and malic acid. Finally, it is infused with botanicals such as Persian black limes and cardamom. "We love to combine it with espresso, but it also goes wonderfully with a splash of gin," they joke.
The tonic is not the only thing they make at Felix Roasting Co., having a strict rule of producing everything themselves, like the vegetable milks –from almond, cashew, pumpkin seeds or oatmeal–, syrups and sauces . "All this is the perfect complement for the rest of our drinkable ecosystem. Everything works because everything comes from the same team", they explain of ingredients that decorate drinks such as Felix House Made Chai , a blend of spices and Yunnan black tea, Tellicherry peppercorns, ginger, star anise, Saigon cinnamon, cardamom and molasses.
The surprise and delight of discovering the artistic showcase that is being admired throughout the Felix Roasting Co. premises is an added value to an already exciting trip. "On the surface, the cafeteria is a dizzying, coherent collection of styles that flow between different times and continents : the design of the floors is inspired by the modern art of the 1930s; the vaulted ceiling is a tribute to the Renaissance, we have also borrowed ancient themes from the Middle East, such as sacred geometry and astrology...", they detail us. All these references merge with a modern and bright color palette with organic patterns and different materials. "Look carefully at each element and you will realize that everything is connected," they suggest.
Superimposing all these details, colors, materials, subtle mix of styles, use of symmetries and shapes, they have created a universe that seems to come from nowhere and, simultaneously, that we have already seen everywhere.
"Our true mission is to take the customer out of the status quo and introduce it to a place that is completely ours, yet undeniably familiar," they tell us. In our world, art and beauty happen for the mere pleasure of enjoying them . We don't need an excuse, just the opportunity to live that ideal; and we jump at any opportunity to make it possible. Hopefully, that feeling shows in every single item we produce."
