Red Bay Coffee Headquarters & Cafe — Restaurant in Oakland

Amazing coffee and Caribbean pastries (ethical rating: 5 Green Stars) Where to start? The place is gorgeous and spacious, the music is great, and the staff members are all very welcoming. Free street parking with no time limit a block away on 33rd Ave. Call me basic (ya basic!) because when I order coffee it’s normally a straightforward drink – a pour-over, drip, Americano, or maybe a latte or flattie when I’m feeling wild. Due to my scientist / control freak nature, I like to doctor my own drinks (2.4 grams of sugar, 15 mL of milk, please!) but I gave up control and had an iced charcoal latte (in my own cup!). It was, to put it bluntly, totes delicious. It was sweet, but not too sweet for my taste, and the coffee was still the star of the show. I want to try a regular coffee next time so that I can deconvolute (scientific term) the flavors.

Just as exciting were the pastries. There were pastries from Firebrand bakery, which I’m familiar with. But even that pastry (a blackberry Danish) was exceptional because it was warmed just right. Honestly, I think that people who eat pastries without warming them aren’t living life to the fullest. Then there were some Caribbean pastries from the Pleasure Principle (also in Oakland) and I tentatively asked if any were vegetarian. Turns out that all three were vegan! One contains Beyond Beef (actually my favorite meat substitute) and the other two had curried vegetable fillings.

The pastries merit a new paragraph because that’s how good they were. First I had the curried chickpeas and kale – the pastry looked very appealing and reminded me of home. I just read up on The Pleasure Principle and learned that the pastries are influenced by British culture (e.g., the Cornish pasty) while being filled with Afro-Caribbean flavors. The puff pastry is so delicate and flaky that you would never know it was vegan. The turmeric-rich filling is just right – not too spicy but it comes with a side of amazing green sauce that added just the right amount of kick for me. Same deal with the other pastry, made with a Beyond Meat and veggie filling, except that it had a different flavor that was quite memorable (and this pastry was big!). I highly recommend coming for the coffee, pastries and ambiance.

I’m also giving the Red Bay Coffee 5 out of 5 “Green Stars” for social and environmental impact, based on this:

• From Red Bay: “Our farmers use organic practices and don’t use pesticides. For us, sustainability is not just environmental but also socio-economic.” • More detail should be provided on coffee sourcing (besides the statement, above). If you dig around in the FAQs section you can find good info on the East Fourteenth beans but most varieties don’t have any info. • From Red Bay: “Welcoming into leadership those historically marginalized within the specialty coffee industry, especially people of color, the formerly incarcerated, women and people with disabilities.” • Black-owned business with 60% women in management; working on employee-ownership program. • The nearby Red Bay coffee roastery is B-Corp certified. • Great selection of vegan Caribbean pastries from the Pleasure Principle. They are filled with veggies or Beyond Meat (one of the most ethical meat substitutes, in my book). • The sweet pastries are made by Firebrand Bakery from mostly organic ingredients. I rated Firebrand 5 Green Stars in a previous review. • I used my own coffee mug but the in-house iced coffee cups are compostable. Same deal for utensils, if you need them – from World Centric. Minimal brown paper bags for pastry delivery. • Rather than going down the usual coffee pod route (boo!), Red Bay worked with Cometeer – an interesting approach that uses freeze-dried coffee tablets in recyclable aluminum pods. • The oat milk is from Califia (it’s good) and there’s also organic whole milk available.

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I used to be loyal customer for Red Bay Coffee, but my recent experience of purchasing coffee beans from their website totally disappointed, in a way I will never ever purchase any stuff from this brand. TLDR - their shipping is extreme delayed and no communication from customer service.

Timeline: Sep 10: order 3 bags of coffee Sep 17: I only received 2 bags of coffee, report to their customer service email on the same day. Sep 26: Got response from them after I sent over reminder TWICE. First time when they replied, they even didn't read my email, simply saying that my order is delivered. I need to re-specify my request again they finally understand what happened. Sep 28: Carrier shows that package is damaged and need to contact sender. Oct 3: As of now, NO RESPONSE from red bay coffee.

I spent so much time in communication and end up I decided to spend 2 mins to dispute from bank and got my $$ back. Is it worthy for all of the communication, just to ask for 20 bucks? Coz I don't want to loss hope to one of my favorite local coffee roasters. But this is beyond my limit, I completely disappointed, and want to share my experience to warn the future customer who wanna purchase coffee beans from...

After drinking their coffee from Whole Foods and seeing their coffee being used at Shake Shack, I thought it was finally time to check out Red Bay Coffee Roasters.

We first went to their Roasting location, but it was closed for lunch. Luckily, the HQ is open during the Roasting location's lunch time and only a 4 minute drive away.

Online, their charcoal latte seems to be their most popular drink. We ended up getting their charcoal latte and a Vietnamese Cold brew. I got to say, the charcoal latte was definitely unique. I expected it to be chalky, but it was pleasant and mellow. I would not suggest it if you're on a date since it will leave your tongue black for a bit. The Vietnamese cold brew was decent, but definitely not like a slow-drip viet coffee.

The location itself is beautiful with many plants, unique gifts, and just an overall great ambiance. The neighborhood itself is littered with "San Francisco sand" (broken glass from cars). Definitely a place I would only visit during the daytime.

Overall, a great experience and...