La Colombe to Open Second Chicago Cafe in Bucktown

A coffee roaster known for its unique, Earth-conscious coffee blends will soon be moving into a space near a familiar Blue Line stop.

La Colombe Torrefaction, a Philadelphia-based small-batch artisan coffee roaster, will open this coming September in Bucktown near the Damen Avenue Blue Line, according to Crain's Chicago Business. 

A company representative told Crain's that the Bucktown spot is currently being built out but will have "ample seating and is looking to partner with an acclaimed pastry chef."

Currently, the only existing La Colombe cafe is located in the West Loop, though employees there said Tuesday that several Bucktown and Wicker Park area restaurants serve up their blends. Shops are purposely uncluttered of retail, merchandising and according to the company's website, "all items that distract from the coffee experience and slow quality service."

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"In our cafes, first and foremost, the coffee and the customer are the primary focus," the site says.

The West Loop location recently installed a $15,000 Alpha Dominiche Steampunk 4.0 full-immersion coffee machine, which Crain's says lets baristas provide brew-to-order drinks that replicate time-consuming pour-over drip or French press coffees. They are also adding one to the Bucktown cafe, the story says.

Among La Colombe's missions is to be a proponent of ethical long-term trade with coffee growers as well as a key supporter of certification organizations such as Fair Trade Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and others.

"As one of the early pioneers of Direct Trade, to La Colombe, direct coffee sourcing is more than 'finding great beans,'" its website says. "It means proactively maintaining real relationships with farmers ... and to be present at the wet processing (pulping), wet sorting, drying, milling, dry sorting, and bagging of our beans. For us, it’s all about relationships."

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