Artís Coffee
| Address: | 1717 Fourth St B, Berkeley, CA 94710, USA |
| Phone: | +1 510-898-1104 |
| Site: | artiscoffee.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
JK
JKay GreenStarsProject
My first impression of Artis was that it’s spacious, light-filled, and welcoming. It has a great laid back atmosphere and friendly staff. There’s nicely spaced out indoor and outdoor seating. The music is mellow but good and not too loud. It’s on the edge of the fourth street area but it doesn’t feel overrun by rich folk and it’s not overly hipster either. There was a good mix of people and the staff seemed to make everyone feel welcome. Overall I’m giving Artis 4/5 “normal” stars for quality/price/experience but only 2/5 “green” stars for their social and environmental impact. First, the coffee and overall experience… I had a flat white ($3.50), which was small, only around 5 or 6 oz, and not as velvety as other flat whites, but it was good overall. The coffee was strong and well balanced. I also had a savory scone (cheese and corn) which I think was $3. The scone was good and their other pastries look tasty too – but it is a small selection. Good sandwiches (like Blue Bottle) or any kind of savory food menu would be welcome. A downside for me was that the WiFi networks only worked very briefly for me – it was pretty frustrating. It was around $20 per lb for most of their coffees and you can have them roasted to order in their big “popcorn poppers”. Watching them being roasted on site is fun but I wasn’t temped to buy any. Their coffees have no formal certifications (Organic or Fair Trade, etc.) and when I asked the staff about it they were super vague (“we try to buy ethically sourced coffee”). Their website makes a very broad claim (“We offer the finest coffees from around the world, sustainably and ethically sourced.”) but the coffees listed coffees on their site gives no info to support this. Come on folks, your entire operation is built around coffee – you need to back up any claims you make. I’d be more inclined to buy some green coffee from Sweet Maria’s in Oakland (for $7) and roast it at home in an old popcorn air popper (which is a lot of fun to learn!). Sweet Maria’s provides a lot more information on each variety of coffee so you know what you’re getting. Artis uses nice cups and plates but it’s a little strange that they don’t have metal spoons – I feel wasteful using a spoon just to stir my coffee a few times and then trashing it. But at least all of their utensils are compostable and they have separate bins for recycling and composting. Their bathroom… Why do I care about their bathroom? It’s a good way to get a feeling for their ethos. Ok, continue. Thank you, your honor! So, their bathroom doesn’t have a low-flow toilet or hand-activated taps; a fairly new place fitted out during the worst drought on record should have these. Their toilet paper and toilet seat covers aren’t recycled or FSC certified. At least there’s a hand dryer. They also have a lot of lights on that are not needed – the wide windows and skylight supply most of the light. This might all seem like nitpicking, but I feel that they are putting a lot of emphasis on style over substance. If they are going to charge $20 for a pound of coffee then it should have a positive social and environmental impact. Artis: I can see on your blog that you supported the International Womens Coffee Alliance in Burundi back in 2013 and that you had a fundraiser for distracted driving awareness in April, but you need to be more forthcoming with information on your coffee, and also more consistent in your approach to sustainability in the store if you want to earn more green stars :)
MI
Michelle Hall
Such a stellar coffee experience! We walked in and we were greeted by the coffee roaster at the "bar." (see photo uploaded) We were instructed to pick out our fresh beans (in barrels) where we would then have them freshly roasted right then and there. While we waited, we tried their vanilla latte and it was excellent! You can not beat fresh vanilla syrup made by the team that works there. This coffeehouse has atmosphere is bright, open and airy with a definitive industrial/warehouse feel to the place. Theres plenty of seating to be found and lots of coffee equipment/gadgets to be purchased at this neat, new-ish coffeehouse on the 4th Street drag.
ST
Stephen Goodwin
Espresso at its finest with all the other wiz-bang options available as well ( ie cold drip on tap, pour-overs, french press, etc). In house custom made to order roasting of a wide variety of beans from all over the world, while you watch! A nice little patio out front. Also, they do sales of espresso machines, cold drip systems etc. The best coffee Ive found in Berkeley!
FL
Flavia Ungureanu
Review from 6.1.2015 Outstanding coffee every time! I usually get cappuccino or cortado (2 parts espresso 2 parts steamed milk). I also tried some Guatemala beans and they have all sorts of yummy cookies/pastries, like "The Cookie Department" Espresso Cookie which contains the caffeine equivalent of 1 shot of espresso.
DA
Dan Romeo
Nice place to grab a coffee and a bite. Muffin I had was perfect and the drink was just right. Real roomy inside and FAST (100d/25u) and FREE WiFi. Perfect place to get some work done without bumping elbows and sharing a open/slow Internet connection. Staff was real friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth trying out!
JO
Jose Riera
Fresh house-ground coffee with no bite. Limited food selection. Hip location with trendy decor. Janitor was power-washing the floors during my visit (couldnt this be done before opening hours?), which made the noise unbearable and a pleasant experience less enjoyable.
YA
Yasir Hameed
If you like waiting for half an hour for overpriced but mediocre coffee this is the place for you. Their menu is inconsistent and staff excels at lack of self awareness. Theyll close one of two cash registers on front of you when youre waiting in a line to order.
BE
Ben Raphael
Where else can you choose your coffee and have it roasted in front of you? Awesome concept for the home brewer who isnt ready or interested in roasting their own. Plus the location is great and the staff is friendly - why would anyone go to Petes again?
BI
Bianca Salaverry
Amazing coffee, great ambiance, friendly staff. I just wish theyd offer more seating! I love coming to Artis to study on weekday mornings, but they should have twice as many tables! Space doesnt seem to be an issue...I hope theyll improve this soon.
KA
Kaz TheFox
Their espresso is perfect, they give you sparkling water with espresso shots and the baristas are very nice! Its probably my favorite local place to get coffee. Make sure to tip these people a bunch because they deserve it for being so good.
HA
Hanh Pham
Walk through here and you can see the coffee freshly roasting. The place is quite open to sit around, but the seating could be more comfortable inside. The coffee is good and the teas are nice. For teas, I like the jasmine or the London fog.
ER
Eric Cendejas
Doesnt really taste all that different from any other coffee. Placebo effect. Pros: Absolutely gorgeous interior. Fresh coffee beans. Good prices on regular coffee. Everything else is overpriced. Cons: Slightly pretentious.
ER
Eric Kim
Great coffee and nice vibe. I suggest their flat whites and cortados. Ever single time I come here there isnt any good seating to work(they could definitely add another table), so I suggest coming here to get coffee to go.
BO
Bo Lassalle
Word to the wise if you are a cheater dont bring your date here they will drop the dime on you and tell your old lady about your business! And they take pics of the customers and their guests! Its a fact !
