Coffee Simple: Bow Truss Keeps the Focus on the Brew

Boasting a company small enough to “roast on demand, ” Bow Truss Coffee Roasters call themselves a “collective of veteran coffee professionals.” The crew at Bow Truss seeks to simplify the coffee experience. They roast in-house, allowing customers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how a raw bean turns into a pour-over masterpiece that quells even the most discerning of coffee drinkers.

With the venerable Intelligentsia on the same stretch of bustling Broadway, it’s easy to wonder (perhaps prematurely) how well Bow Truss will fare. I asked retail manager Talya Strader what sets the fledgling company apart from competitors. “We bring together world-class roasters and coffee professionals to make specialty coffee more approachable. The space is primarily a roasting facility that will supply local restaurants and coffee shops. The coffee bar located in the front is largely present in order to showcase the coffees we are roasting, as well as support the neighborhood and the rest of Chicago with coffee-forward educational events.”

The space echoes this sentiment, with limited seating that deters the usual crowd of wi-fi hoarders on Macbook Pros. In this way, Bow Truss keeps the focus on what matters most: the potent brews. Strader explains, “We bring in a variety of samples, while keeping an open mind about coffee processing. We then roast the coffee, evaluate them through traditional cupping practices, and choose the beans with the highest scores.”

Quality is the priority at Bow Truss, where they roast the beans in-house and boast a brand small enough to “roast on demand.” The effect on the product, Strader says, boils down to the basics: “we aim to procure fresh coffee.” (Jenny Yoon)

Bow Truss Coffee Roasters, 2934 North Broadway, (773)857-1361