PERC

House roasts sold by producer and process

PERC roasts under its own name rather than running a multi-roaster bar, and the retail lineup shows how it thinks: by origin, by producer where the name is known, and by process. Recent bags have included Ecuador Juan Pena in natural, advanced washed and tag team versions, Colombia Franky Hoyos in tag team, advanced washed and advanced natural, a decaf from Rwanda Nyamasheke, Colombia Andres Cardona Purple Honey, Kenya Mara Estate and the Outpost blend. Seeing the same producer in three processes is the point: it turns the shelf into a comparison rather than a wall of bags. At the bar that translates into nitro cold brew, a macchiato built on a house espresso blend and a Chemex of Costa Rica La Mirella Red Honey, so espresso, cold coffee and manual brewing all sit in the vocabulary.

A rehabbed warehouse that still smells of roasting

The Savannah room grew out of production as much as out of service. The exterior is unassuming and the interior is a rehabbed warehouse with reclaimed wooden countertops and reclaimed wood on the walls, and for years the same space held roasting, packaging, administration and the public shop at once. That is why a visit feels tied to a working coffee company rather than to a finished counter. The story runs from a founder roasting and delivering coffee by bicycle, through a tiny early space in the former cooler of a dairy building, to the opening of a proper roastery cafe in 2010. Beans were already going out to farmers markets and to shops around the country while the Savannah presence was still being built, and the remodelled site is now treated locally as an institution.

Nitro first, then slow down for the Chemex

Start with the nitro cold brew, which pours creamy and sweet and gives the quickest read on the roasting. For a small espresso drink, take the macchiato made with a PERC house blend. For a slower cup, the Chemex is the clearest manual option, and the Costa Rica La Mirella Red Honey shows what the method is for, clean and rich with honeyed sweetness. For beans to take away, work the shelf rather than grabbing a bag: the Ecuador Juan Pena and Colombia Franky Hoyos coffees appear in several process versions, which makes them the most useful way to taste what processing actually changes. The Rwandan decaf, the Andres Cardona purple honey and Kenya Mara Estate broaden it beyond what is being poured at the bar.