A New Downtown Phoenix Coffee Shop Is House-Roasting Coffee Beans

“Right there,” Damian Serafine pointed. “That’s it. That’s my roaster.”

The roaster is tucked under century-old windows and behind a wooden table. Yes, it’s inside his new coffee shop, and it’s the coffee shop’s heart. It roasts seven pounds of coffee beans at a time. This is unusual for a metro Phoenix coffee shop. Many cafes can lay a claim to locally roasted coffee, but how many are brewing coffee beans that have been roasted just feet away?

The coffee shop, Serafina, is Serafine’s latest creation. Serafine is a certified barista and Master Roaster who’s had a coffee presence in the Valley since 1994. He has another Serafina in the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law, but doesn't roast beans there. His local coffee resume includes the first Coffee Cart, One Coffee Co., the San Carlos Hotel, and Phoenix Convention Center.

Serafine's newest coffee shop, opened early this month, is just 900 square feet. He roasts the coffee by hand in the front of Serafina. He also serves tea and pastries.

The vibe of the shop is subdued and honest. The shop feels like it has been there for years. Serafina is a simple place, a place to get away from the downtown bustle and get really fresh coffee.

“This will be my biggest [location]. This is 900 square feet and I think it’s perfect. I never was interested in having a coffee-shop-slash where you serve a lot of food.”

Serafine is keeping it personal when it comes to roasting, “Right now, I’ve a bag of Uganda Ibanda from a personal friend, who went back to his hometown in Uganda and started a co-op and brought me back these beans, and they are fantastic.”

Serafine is currently only roasting single-origin beans.

The flavor profile of the Uganda Ibanda espresso is smooth and nutty with other strong flavors extracted by the roasting process. The smell of a roast accents the shop.

His menu is still expanding, but currently includes drip coffee, mochas, americanos, cafe con miel (coffee with honey), and other combinations. For those who aren’t into coffee, Serafina has a bomb selection of teas and fresh pastries from Laura Koch at Picket Fence Pastries. These are great, but to truly savor Serafina you have to embrace the freshly roasted coffee bean.

Serafina Coffee Roasters. 45 West Jefferson Street; 480-259-1718.
Daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.