Rockaway Roasters

Great tasting Stumptown roast. Fine espresso!

First time was awesome service awesome food is awesome the coffee awesome my experiences with Rockaway Roasters AWESOME. YOU GUY'S ROCK.... Come on down and experience this great coffee expresso green grass all of it.... ....

For what it's worth, all espresso shots at this cafe are between 18-20g of coffee; this is somewhere between a standard double shot at 14g and a triple shot at 21g.

In my opinion, the previous reviewer is trying too hard to sound like an opinionated coffee snob. In reality: this shop is great, the baristas are kind, and nothing else around here compares.

Seven second version:
- Good aesthetic and music
- Unknowledgeable baristas
- Weak and under drawn espresso
- Frustrating and exploitive pricing scales
- Clearly not Earth conscious

Long version: Almost gave this spot one star, but as the above review states, it does have a great aesthetic.

As far as I can tell, however, that's all this place has going for it. Visited a few times and have been let down in some form on each occasion. I'll describe my latest attempt at a second chance for this place below.

I'm a huge fan of the Americano. The smallest size a place offers so as not to simply have a HUGE glass of water with a relatively very small amount of espresso. However I refuse to order that small Americano without confirming with the barista that it comes with two shots not one (Because if it doesn't, why pay two sometimes three dollars for a single shot and some water, especially when a single shot on the menu is .75-.95, after that your just paying for water.

Before ordering my Small Americano, I asked my usual question. The response: "Our standard shot is a double." Fair enough - except the coffee bar is wide open and the view to espresso machine unhindered. The shot that was pulled was short single... No where near a double - unmistakable I suppose is what I'm saying.

Adding to the issue is the fact that I've never been at a place where the baristas so consistently pull poor shots (I'll give them credit, they seem to simply not know the details of how to pull espresso shots - and that falls on the leadership and their training practices). Today's draw was painfully slow... Barely dripping through. I almost think the barista cut the shot short (possibly less than a single shot instead of double) simply because it was taking SO long.

Now for the worst part: Rockaway Roasters refuses to make a drink directly into a mug that a patron brings in with them. I'm not a diehard environmentalist but I care about the Earth and try to do what I can to treat it well. I often carry a travel coffee mug with me (one that has 12oz stamped on the bottom of it!), and when I brought it into Rockaway Roasters I was told they would still make the drink in a paper/plastic cup of the size I was ordering, and than pour it into my mug! When I asked, "Isn't the point to not waste the cup?" I was answered, "We don't know what size your mug is, you could order a small and give me mug this big (gestures a mug the size of a big gulp)." I'll let you infer the kind of thinking (or lack there of) that such a mindset exposes in the ownership and employees.

Oh I almost forgot! Hot Amaricano: $2.45, Iced Americano: $2.85... .40 cents for a few ice cubes!?!?

Rockaway Roasters: I tried, and tried again. Until I feel like you care more about people and coffee than a bottom line (PS: those wasted cups are costing you more than a few ounces of extra coffee going into a 20oz travel mug), I think I'll find another place in the area to get my caffeine on.

Awesome place , very nice aesthetics and best of all some good coffee.