Cup Of Java Earns Tampa Top 10 Ranking On List Of Best Coffee Roasters

TAMPA BAY, FL — Tampa Bay residents seeking a good cup of joe don't have to look very hard.

As America celebrates National Coffee Day Friday, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2023's Best Coffee Cities in America and rated Tampa as the sixth-best city in America to get a great cup of coffee.

According to WalletHub, Americans consume 491 million cups of coffee every day, and a big share of those cups of coffee are sipped in Tampa.

To determine the best local coffee scenes in America, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 12 key indicators of a strong coffee culture. The data set ranges from coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita to the average price per pack of coffee.

The Coffee Scene in Tampa (1=Best, 50=Avg.):

• Overall rank for Tampa: 6th
• 50th – Average price of a cappuccino
• 16th – Average price per pack of coffee
• 34th – Average spending on coffee per household
• 54th – Percent of adults who reported drinking ready-to-drink coffee in the past six months
• 5th – Coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita
• 44th – Coffee and tea manufacturers per capita

While Starbucks, which debuted in Seattle in 1971, claims credit for the current gourmet coffee craze, Tampa residents were enjoying home-roasted coffee 50 years before the first Starbucks opened.

Tampa's Italian, Spanish and Cuban immigrants who arrived in the late 1800s brought with them their love of cappacino, cafe con leche and espresso from their homelands. As a result, Tampa is home to one of the nation's oldest coffee roasters, Naviera Coffee Mills.

Spanish immigrant Carlos Menendez founded Naviera Coffee Mills in 1921, naming it for the shipping line that brought him to America.

Menendez worked in one of Ybor City's cigar factories by day and roasted coffee at night. He'd deliver his fresh-roasted blends door to door by bicycle each morning before heading to his day job.

Menendez worked alongside Spanish, Italian and Cuban cigar rollers who relished their coffee breaks. Already familiar with the dark, rich roasts used to make espresso in his homeland and Italy, Menendez's Cuban co-workers introduced him to cafe Cubano (Cuban coffee), made with the first and strongest shots of espresso sweetened with whipped natural brown sugar.

Menendez eventually gave up his day job and became a full-time roaster, opening Naviera Coffee Mills at the now-landmark building at 2012 E. 7th Ave. in Ybor City.

The building was also home to El Molino Gourmet Coffee Shop, a favorite gathering spot for Ybor City immigrants to debate the issues of the day over a cup of cafe Cubano or cafe con leche.

In 2017, Naviera Coffee Mills outgrew its headquarters in historic Ybor City and relocated to a 24,000-square-foot facility at 5401 E. Henry Ave. in East Tampa. Now, four generations after Menendez sold his first roasted blend in America, the company is still family-owned and -operated, distributing espresso, Cuban and gourmet coffee to grocery stores around the country, including Florida-based Publix.

Soon after, other Tampa Bay family roasters began offering their unique blends in to coffee lovers around the country including:

CCM Coffee at 4419 Hesperides St., Tampa, a third-generation roaster that offers a superior array of distinctive blends prepared from the finest coffee beans in the world. The business was founded in 1936 by Anastasio Fernandez (an immigrant from Asturias, Spain) in the small garage of his family home. Fernandez retired in 1955 and turned the business over to his son-in-law Eusebio Faedo. Today the business is operated by Faedo and his sons Julian and Michael.

Brisk Coffee Roasters at 402 N 22nd St., Ybor City, is operated by second-generation coffee roaster Denise Reddick who parents, Richard and Mary Jean Perez, founded the company 60 years ago in a national landmark in Ybor City. Brisk Coffee Roasters was founded in 1968 with a 100-pound batch roaster, a small warehouse, one delivery truck and a passion for fine coffees. They began selling out of their own coffee shop, 22nd Street Coffee, and quickly expanded from there. Today, Brisk has grown to become one of the largest independent roasters in the Southeastern United States and serves customers worldwide.

In more recent years, a new generation of roasters has arisen and placed their stamp on Tampa's coffee scene importing beans from the Hawaiian islands (Kona), Mexico, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Bolivia, Jamaica, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Thailand, Cuba, Bolivia and other countries. Historians say Yemen was the first country to introduce coffee in the 15th century, and by the 16th century, it had spread to Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey, finally reaching Europe in the 17th century.

There are 29 types of coffee beans used used to make 120 distinct types of coffee but the two beans that dominate the market are Arabica beans and Robusta beans.

Each small-batch roaster in Tampa roasts and mixes beans to develop his or her unique homegrown roasts that make their freshly brewed java stand out.

Among the Tampa roasters earning high marks are King State Coffee, 520 E. Floribraska Ave., Tampa, and Union by Commune & Co., located in the Heights Public Market, 1910 N. Ola Ave., Tampa. Both earned spots on Food & Wine magazine's 10 best coffee purveyors in America.

Brothers-in-law Tim McTague and Nate Young spent most of their adult lives working as touring musicians, playing with various bands around the country, before opening King State Coffee in a converted 1950s gas station. They bought a commercial roaster and started selling King State Coffee online in 2014.

Union by Commune & Co. owner Joel Davis began his business pedaling a trike through Ybor City, selling his pressure-brewed iced coffee from a crate attached to the handlebars. He opened his brick-and-mortar coffee shop on Feb. 1, 2018.

In 2022, Tampa Magazine named South Tampa favorite, Buddy Brew Coffee, 2020 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, the best coffee in Tampa Bay. Named for the their Labrador retriever, David and Susan Ward now have nine Buddy Brew locations.

Tampa Magazine's runner-up for 2022 is Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters. Originally launching at 1901 E 7th Ave. in Ybor City, founder Roberto Torres has expanded to seven locations.

In addition, Torres has partnered with Water Street developer and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik on a new coffee concept called Endeavr Coffee, located in Vinik's Embarc Collective, a space for startup tech companies at 802 E. Whiting St., Tampa.

Also making Tampa Magazine's list is Kahwa Coffee. Founded in St. Petersburg in 2006 by Sarah and Raphael Perrier, Kahwa has 15 locations throughout Tampa Bay.

We asked Tampa Patch readers to name their favorite Tampa coffee shops, cafes and roasters. Here are their top choices:

• The Blind Tiger, 1901 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City, and seven other locations in Tampa.
• Buddy Brew Coffee, 2020 W. Kennedy Blvd., and nine other locations.
• Caffeine Roasters Tampa, 212 E. Cass St., and 2420 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
• Spaddy's Coffee Co., 5206 N. Florida Ave., and 6102 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa
• King State, 520 E. Floribraska Ave., Tampa
• King Corona Coffee & Cigars, 1523 E. 7th Ave., Tampa
• The Lab Coffee, 1703 W. State St., Tampa
• Felicitous, 11706 N. 51st St., Tampa
• Dough, 2602 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa
• Mojo Books & Records,2540 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa
• Le Segunda Bakery Ybor, 2512 N. 15th St., Tampa
• Union by Commune + Co., 1910 Ola Ave., Tampa
• Kahwa Coffee, which has 10 locations including 3928 Henderson Blvd. Tampa,
• Ginger Beard Coffee,1208 E. Kennedy Blvd #112, Tampa
• Cafe Hey,540 N. Franklin St., Tampa
• Zaza Coffee, inside 7venth Sun Brewing, 6809 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa
• Zeal Coffee Roasters, 1703 W. State St., Tampa
• Bay Coffee & Tea Company, Tampa International Airport, 4100 George J. Bean Parkway, Tampa; 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa; 101 1st St. S.E., St. Petersburg
• Brisk Coffee Roasters, 402 N. 22nd St., Tampa
• DI Coffee Bar, 214 E. Davis Blvd., Tampa
• Victory Coffees, 101 N. 12th St., Tampa
• Jet City Espresso, 318 S. Edison Ave., Tampa
• 22nd Street Coffee, 208 N. 22nd St., Tampa
• The Attic Cafe, 500 E. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 400, Tampa
• Corona's Coffee Shop, 9307 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa
• Taba Brew, 1601 E. 7th Ave., Tampa
• Caffe Fresco, 101 E. Kennedy Blvd. # 360, Tampa
• Nordstrom Ebar Artisan Coffee, 2223 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa
• Bula Kavananda Kava Bar & Coffee House, 5803 N. Florida Ave., Tampa
• Coffee Speaks N Tea Talks, 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa
• Moxie's Cafe & Caterer, 514 N. Tampa St., Tampa
• Ja-vahz Cafe, 4330 W. El Prado Blvd., Tampa
• Illy Cafe, Tampa International Airport, 4100 George J. Bean Outbound Parkway, Tampa
• Milkin' It Cafe, 1000 Channelside Drive, Tampa
• Shortwave Coffee, 615 Channelside Drive, Suite 106, Tampa
• The Haus Coffee Shop, 12199 Indian Rocks Road, Largo
• Foundation Coffee Co., 10020 Carr Road, Riverview, and 1907 N 19th Road, Ybor City.
• Bay Coffee and Tea Company, 12402 USF Myrtle Drive, Tampa
• Guanabo Coffee Shop, 3300 W Columbus Drive, Tampa
• The Portico Cafe, 1001 N Florida Ave., Tampa
• Espresso Yourself Coffee Shop, 5130 S Dale Mabry Highway, #106, Tampa
• The Bean Bar Co., 17018 Palm Pointe Drive, Tampa
• WFM Coffee Bar, 1548 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa
• Leads Coffeehouse, 2701 N Himes Ave., Tampa
• Qargo Coffee, 2223 N Westshore Blvd., Unit # FC209, Tampa
• Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company, 3655 Midtown Drive, Tampa
• Bay Center Cafe, 5426 Bay Center Drive, Suite 125, Tampa
• HotWax Coffee Shop, Kava Bar & Tap House, 1522 E 7th Ave., Tampa
• Café Quiquiriqui at Hotel Haya, 1402 E 7th Ave., Tampa
• Elevation Coffee Heights, 1607 N Franklin St., Tampa
• Lady and the Mug, 510 W Grand Central Ave., Tampa
• Grassroots Kava House, 1925 E 6th Ave., Tampa, and 5248 N Florida Ave., Tampa
• AstroBrew, 1001 N Mac Dill Ave., Suite D, Tampa
• Bula Kavananda Kava Bar & Coffee House, 5803 N Florida Ave., Tampa, and Madeira Beach
• Cafe Con Leche Ybor City, Tampa International Airport, Airside C, Tampa
• SteamHeat Cafe at The Straz Center, 1010 N Macinnes Place, Tampa.