Inside the primary brick-and-mortar Neighbors Espresso store in Rockville, Maryland. All photos courtesy of Neighbors Espresso.

Companies in Rockville, Maryland’s Woodley Gardens buying heart gained a brand new neighbor this month with the opening of Neighbors Espresso‘s first cafe.

The store occupies a 1,200-square-foot area beforehand occupied by an area financial institution alongside an Italian ice store, a bakery and different native meals and beverage institutions. 

Company are welcomed by a heat palette of lotions and yellows and loads of potted vegetation. Earthy crimson tile fronts the pure wooden bar, which incorporates a 2-group Slayer Steam LP espresso machine. 

A black-framed glass pastry case with domestically made items additionally matches a Yama chilly brew system towering alongside it, a fleet of black Mahlkönig grinders and twin black Marco SP9 pourover modules. Utilizing UFO drippers with the SP9s, the store at present showcases a Colombia-grown natural-process Wush Wush selection as a sizzling pourover espresso and a washed Pink Bourbon as a flash brew.

“Each are fruit-forward and provide an entry into lighter roasts for the neighborhood who could not have essentially tasted these notes in espresso earlier than,” Spencer Trach, co-founder and head roaster for Neighbors Espresso, advised Day by day Espresso Information. “For automated pourovers, the Marco SP9s have been an enormous hit and are truthfully a dream as a barista.”

Based by married enterprise companions Spencer and Lulu Trach in January 2023 as an at-home roasting enterprise with on-line gross sales, Neighbors Espresso expanded into in-person gross sales that September with beans and seasonal drinks on the Kentlands Farmers Market in Gaithersburg.

“We have been out within the snow, rain, hail and excessive warmth. It’s truthfully one of the best time,” stated Trach. “We plan to get again to the farmers market as quickly as we set up our operations right here within the retailer. We are able to’t wait to get again.”

Trach roasts choose Neighbors coffees in small batches on a pair of Aillio Bullet roasters inside the brand new cafe.

“I spend lengthy nights roasting, however as soon as in a rhythm, I can get about 20 roasts in a single night time,” stated Trach. “I’ve loved my time with the Bullets, as they’ve confirmed to be tremendous consumer pleasant. Most significantly, they appear to essentially get one of the best out of lighter roasts, which we’re significantly keen on.”

To fulfill the brand new uptick in demand for chilly brew, espresso and crowd-pleasing drip coffees, Neighbors at present additionally turns to Vancouver, Washington-based Kafiex Espresso for some core roasts. Kafiex can be coaching and advising the Trachs forward of a capability improve.

Pending allow approvals, a 15-kilo-capacity Geisen roaster shall be put in on the entrance of the store by 12 months’s finish, opening the door to expanded wholesale and whole-bean retail efforts.

Further modifications will make the most of the preexisting financial institution options. The previous vault shall be reworked right into a podcast studio, and the drive-through banking window shall be reworked right into a walk-up window for to-go orders. The previous drive-through area will accommodate extra patio seating and out of doors occasions.

“This neighborhood could be very particular to me. [It’s] a neighborhood I grew up in and cherish deeply,” stated Trach. “So it was vital to me to verify we have been delivering a product, service and area that finest served our neighborhood.”

Neighbors Espresso is situated at 1101 Nelson Road in Rockville, Maryland.

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