On my last day in San Francisco, the Bay Area witnessed a horrific storm, which was refered to by many as “stomageddon”. Streets were flooded, elictricity went and most flights were canceled. Including mine to LA. So what better thing to do on a day like that than visiting the last one of the three big coffee roasters in town. Luckily founder Eileen Hassi Rinaldi was so kind to take some time out of her schedule to show me around Ritual’s roastery but first, I took the BART to their first ever, and recently remodeled, shop on Valencia.
This stunning and bright space offered a refuge from the thundering rain and with its clean design and huge coffee making area it’s a real delight to visit esprecially when it’s sunny. Next to the drip bar at the front, they have two Synessos that are used to make espresso-based specialties. Staff members are super friendly and happy to advise you on the kind of coffee you might like based on your preferences.
Eileen later told me that the reason she opened her first own coffee shop in the part of town after moving down from Seattle was the close proximity to the local artist community. She wanted to offer them a great space where they could come and get their coffee and at the same time, they would bring in a certain flair to one of the city’s finest coffee shops.
Initially the guys at Ritual didn’t roast but soon after establishing that they could only offer the kind of quality they really wanted, Eileen borrowed a roaster from Stumptown and her team began experimenting with different beans and roast profiles. These days they maintain a huge roastery close to Downtown that is well hidden from view. I actually walked past it three times before I finally found the door.
After stepping in from the rain and putting my coat down to dry near the roaster, Eileen showed me around the impressive space and offered me a cup of their recently roasted Colombia El Vegón. Like the guys at Four Barrel and Sightglass, Ritual also has its own green coffee buyers who travel the world in search of coffee perfection and that is something you can certainly taste in every bean.
Today Ritual maintains various locations around town and regularly offers cuppings and other events that allow the public to sample its fabulous coffees. Certainly worth a visit any day!
