Highwire Coffee Roasters

Reviews 9

JK

JKay GreenStarsProject

Highwire is a pleasant, spacious café with good light and seating, free WiFi and plenty of people on laptops. The music is fairly loud inside (but it’s an interesting eclectic mix) and the staff lean more towards the friendly side than hipster-aloof. The little yard out back is great – it’s a sun trap in the afternoon (there’s some shade available) and a very pleasant place for melting the chocolate in your cookie a little : ) I had a Guatemala pour-over ($3.50) served in a nice ceramic mug, which was very good but not so amazingly good that I was tempted to buy a bag ($17.50 for 12 oz). They also do a cold brew nitro-coffee which I didn’t spot until afterwards. But I did have a Salty Date cookie ($3) made by Bump City from organic Medjool dates, pecans, almonds, & chocolate chips and sprinkled with large very thin flakes of sea salt. It was very, very good! I think they are stretching the price a little with $3 for a pretty small cookie (they are $2.25 from Bump City) but after eating it, I have to admit, I would pay $3 for another! Easily the best vegan cookie I’ve ever had (and it’s gluten-free too). OK, to be truthful, I haven’t had that many vegan cookies, but I’d also rate it as one of the best cookies I’ve ever had, period. Props to Bump City for excellence in vegan baking – I want to try more of their stuff now (they also make a vegan Smores cookie). For social and environmental impact I’m giving them 4/5 green stars. On their blog they say that they raised coffee prices to ensure a good wage for bay area workers and I found an article (from CUESA) that mentions that they pay around twice the Fair Trade price to farmers (and they often source their single-origin coffees from smaller family farms). They also changed the packaging in 2016, but strangely didn’t opt for compostable bags as others (Counter Culture, Ritual) have done. Or maybe it is compostable but it’s just not stated anywhere. Overall, I feel that Highwire make a lot of effort towards sustainability and social responsibility, but they don’t do a very good job at communicating this to customers. Their standard milk is not organic (but it’s from Clover) and they make a lot of effort to conserve energy and reduce waste (for people who need take-out disposables, the lids and straws are compostable). Judging from their choice of pastry suppliers (Bump City, Muffin Revolution, etc.) they favor local bakers who are conscientious about their ingredients (Bump City uses mostly organic ingredients). Even their ceramics come from Heath (who also supplies Blue Bottle and Chez Panisse) – a great voice for putting local creativity, worker welfare and responsibility over profit. I feel grateful to Highwire for introducing me to a great new bakery, a very cool ceramics company, a few new songs, and some very decent coffee!

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MI

Michelle Cahill

I dont drink coffee so I cant comment on that. Their fresh squeezed orange juice is excellent if a bit overpriced but I didnt mind because I was planning on spending a few hours there and thus the $3 felt like a fair price to pay for 2 hours. What I loved was the amount of seating--so much! Although it does get full so dont be shy about sitting next a stranger. The decor inside is appealing and streamlined and the patio is adorable. Not only that but this is definitely more of a get business done cafe than a social hour cafe which I appreciate. Just being around other productive people in a beautiful environment helps jump start my productivity. I will be coming back here. (Note: bring cash if you dont plan on ordering much more than a cup of coffee, they dont take cards if the total is under a certain amount.)

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VE

Vera DeVera

Food: OMG. The best effin biscuits ever -- get them with the herb butter. You will want more. The house salad with chopped hard boiled egg (custom) is delicious as well. When I first had it, the greens tasted as if they had just come out of the ground. Thats how fresh their ingredients are. A++ Decor: Rotating artwork, outdoor patio, vaulted ceilings, hipstery Service: They seem to have high turnover for the cashiers and so they are often slow and miss details. I tried to give them more than one chance but when they forgot to include a lunch item I had ordered to go and which I had waited 15 min for, I was pretty furious after I got back to my desk and made that discovery. I called to complain and the manager was apologetic but didnt offer anything for my bad experience.

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FA

Farts Domino

I drink espresso and the stuff served here was top notch. Espresso seems to be finicky stuff, but the quality here ranged from good to sublime. Notice the past tense. Unfortunately, since local 123 was purchased by Highwire they have brought in Highwire beans (prior to that they used four barrel and locals own product). The Highwire beans are a much darker roast, which yield a rather common, one-dimensional espresso. I used to go out of may way to go to local 123. The kind of espresso they have now is only okay. I miss the complexity, acidity, fruitiness, strong coffee flavor, and lack of dominating burnt bitter taste of the old shots. Time to find a new place. Sad. Why cant they keep a lighter roast along with the Highwire beans?

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DY

Dylan Clark

Great espresso drinks. Great simple breakfasts: poached eggs & toast or yogurt and granola. For lunch: Acme bread sandwiches, beer, and a limited selection of good pastries. A nice place to sit and meet with another, or by yourself. Note: The kitchen closes at 3, and this is an order at the counter sort of place. To address some of the other reviews: while I think that the service is generally nice, I have seen a bit of tude towards other customers who were taking a long time to order, unfamiliar with espresso drinks, talking on their cell phone, &c., nothing too unpleasant though.

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BR

Brenda brim

I found the staff to be nice. The coffee I ordered was not so good. I also ordered two meat quiches. They handed them to me cold? They forgot about the quiches. I had to ask about it. Ya just because you pay a lot for your service. Doesnt mean its good. This place is over rated for sure. I threw away my coffee. It tasted so bad. Couldnt even have my breakfast quiche until later that day. I dont eat it cold.

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JE

Jessica Eskew

Good coffee and a good selection of teas. This was the first time I had heard of a green chai tea latte (the Kashmiri one), and it was pretty good - much more mild. Typical expensive bay area prices - $3.50 for an 8 oz tea latte. Street parking was decently available Saturday morning. Line out the door but it goes fast. Really nice outdoor patio in the back, and food options are available.

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JO

Jon Jackson

Best cafe I have ever visited. The coffees are so good you wont want to sully them with milk or sugar. The smartest baristas measure, weigh, grind, and drip brew each cup to perfection (with a stainless steel filter so theres no paper filter waste). The cafe itself is beautiful and clean. And theres bicycle parking in the back patio! Id live there if I could

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A

A Private User

Great atmosphere, but poor value. My "to go" mug was only filled halfway (and it is just a 16 oz mug, not a Big Gulp). Four dollars for 8 oz of tea is unacceptable even if that tea is local and organic and all of those other great things we appreciate so much. 123, please improve your value!

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