San Francisco’s Sightglass Coffee Shows Off Every Angle of the Roasting Business

The Bay Area is considered to be at the epicenter of coffee roasting in the United States, and <a href="http://sightglasscoffee.com/">Sightglass Coffee</a> is the latest microroastery to make the map. The SoMa-based cafe and manufacturing facility holds its own alongside <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Wave_Coffee">Third Wave Coffee</a> purveyors like <a href="http://fourbarrelcoffee.com/">Four Barrel Coffee</a>, <a href="http://ritualroasters.com/">Ritual Roasters</a> and <a href="http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/">Blue Bottle</a>. We had a chance to check out Sightglass Coffee's beautiful roastery by <a href="http://www.boorbridges.com/">Boor Bridges Architecture</a> and beautiful decor like these terrariums by <a href="http://www.crookednest.com/">Crooked Nest</a> this past weekend as part of the <a href="http://www.archandcity.org/">Architecture and the City</a> festival - read on for a firsthand look!

Three-story windows invite curious passersby to peek into the shop.

Jerad and Jason Morrison, the owners of Sightglass Coffee, practice <a href="http://inhabitat.com/demystifying-eco-labels/">Direct Trade</a>. They buy straight from growers in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and elsewhere. In addition to providing a fair price for small farmers and encouraging them to develop sustainable, ecologically responsible practices, building these close relationships affords greater control over the quality and consistency of the final product.

The coffee bar and retail space is pulled apart from the production area. Its central location and oval shape give coffee drinkers the chance to see everything from the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6th-graders-invent-smart-milk-pitcher-that-detects-spoilage/">milk supply</a> and steamers to the filters and espresso grounds.

A view of the 7,500-square-foot converted sign manufacturing shop from the mezzanine level.

Regardless of the lack of WiFi, San Francisco's coffee drinkers can always be spotted tinkering away on their laptops. The custom light fixture in the foreground is one of several on site designed by Steve Valdez.

Valdez is also responsible for the guard rails, antique sliding door, the 38 reclaimed steel joist hanger light fixture, and various other pieces of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tal-avitzur-recycles-vintage-metal-machinery-into-cool-robots/" target="_blank">sustainable metal work</a>.

At the beginning of this building's transformation it was completely gutted - just the skeleton remained. The industrial feel of exposed concrete is warmed up by locally sourced (and <a href="http://urban-now.com/2011/04/12/shou-sugi-ban-burnt-sugi-boards/" target="_blank">subsequently charred</a>) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbellularia" target="_blank">Bay Laurel</a>.

Baristas hone their skills using top of the line Strada and Slayer <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-your-appliances-coffee-makers/" target="_blank">espresso machines</a>, glass Chemex pots and Hario V60 pour-over drippers.

These tiny roasters in the Sightglass lab are capable of roasting a half pound of beans at one time.

The half-century old cast-iron Probat roaster is on and operated four days a week. In the near future, Sightglass will roast every day of the week to keep up with growing demand. Jerad fired up the roaster for us and explained the benefits of cast-iron and the importance of keeping a roaster clean, namely it retains heat very well and clearing particulates encourages proper air flow, consistency and peak flavor while eliminating the danger of a fire at startup.

Seen from above, the roaster is buffered by burlap sacks of raw coffee beans. It is further delineated by a concrete countertop that is stocked for packing one pound bags of Sightglass coffee and fulfilling wholesale orders. Record players and terrariums from <a href="http://www.crookednest.com/">Crooked Nest</a> further decorate the production space.

Sightglass' cafe and roastery came together after two years of planning, permitting, sourcing, and building. Attention to detail is an understatement. The zinc finish on the central bar was rubbed with cupric sulfite and took hundreds of attempts to get right. The whole build was about creative collaboration: working with each other's skill sets and materials that were readily available and then dialing in each component.

Attaining a perfect roast is Sightglass' first priority. Jerad and Jason will continue to focus on roasting small batches in a mindful way. This year, they will make their first trip to Kenya and begin to develop relationships with farmers in Africa.