Dark Matter Coffee - Chicago (more photos)
Had been wanting to visit Dark Matter Coffee and their Star Lounge Coffee Bar (photos) for some time as this place has a serious cult-like following in Chicago. Turns out that there are a number of good reasons why people are crazy about they are doing. Here are a few of them.
The creative branding around heavy metal themes at their roastery, cafes, on their coffee bags, and merchandise gives them with a alternative vibe.
They take social responsibility seriously as they Aline themselves with organizations like Fair Trade Alliance and Rainforest Alliance or UTZ,
Their bean menu is comprised of a balance between higher quality single origins and creative blends.
Before visiting their “Mothership” location (roaster and espresso bar) I was a bit afraid that their coffee would be roasted too dark, as a name like “Dark Matter” might suggest. However their roast level seem to be centered around the medium to medium-light levels, with only rare dark roasts. This allows the nuanced flavor of the bean to shine in their single origins and more complex flavor profiles in their blends.
What was most surprising to me is that part of their roasting operation is on two smaller and on larger Sivetz air coffee roasting machine. Dark Matter Coffee is perhaps the most skilled at using the fluid-bed air roasting technique that I have encountered to date. They also roast on a vintage Spanish made Roure Tectosa with a modified drum with perforation allow them to excel in lighter roasting.
Dark Matter’s creative branding, social responsibility, and air roasting set it apart from other Chicago area coffee companies and give it a unique twist that is worth going out of the way for.
Over all my first visit to Dark Matter Coffee and the Star Lounge was pleasant experience. My only disappointment was that while they do offer single origin espresso, they have not advanced in offering brewbar methods. I would love to try some of their lighter roasted single origins poured on a Hario v60 or Chemex on location. Never the less, I do look forward to trying more of their coffee and visiting some of their other coffeehouse locations in the near future.