Avid Coffee Roasters

Coffee is about more than caffeine. Expertly roasted beans and a properly pulled espresso served in a comfortable setting add up to a singular experience, one that’s hard to get right. Sonoma County’s Avid Coffee Roasters has honed these elements to transform a routine outing—grabbing a cup of coffee—into a moment of pleasure and repose. The coffee is as bright and fresh as the surrounding aesthetics, a stop for coffee may be your new moment of zen.

"Expertly roasted beans and a properly pulled espresso served in a comfortable setting add up to a singular experience,"

In some ways, Avid’s growing number of North Bay cafés are the opposite of the Slow Club. Instead of dark and sultry, the cafes are bright and invigorating. Large windows flood the cafes with natural light, elevating the minimalist decor. While each of the three locations—One in Petaluma, one in Santa Rosa and one in Sebastopol—are different, they share an industrial yet warm ambiance that invites a caffeinated conversation or focused time alone.

What’s changed since Windsor’s Rob Daly purchased the beloved coffee roaster and trio of cafes? Not much—and that’s a good thing. Daly’s philosophy seems to be if it’s not broken don’t fix it. Avid is one of Sonoma County’s premier destinations for locally roasted coffee sourced from sustainable farms. It’s been awarded Best In Sonoma County three years in a row.

"Avid is one of Sonoma County’s premier destinations for locally roasted coffee sourced from sustainable farms."

The company’s Furlong roast is as chocolatey and smooth as it ever was while a portion of sales from the Resilient roast go toward local nonprofits serving the community. Beyond the cappuccinos, pour-overs and turmeric lattes, there’s a great menu of pastries and savory sandwiches and snacks. Try the smoked wild salmon toast or sugar-dusted churro muffins.

There have been a few changes since Daly took over. Instead of roasting at the original facility in Petaluma, Avid’s beans are now coaxed to deliciousness at a Windsor warehouse. The heart of the roaster is the cast iron pan, a material that performs much differently than the stainless steel and aluminum of more modern roasters. It holds heat longer and takes an expert hand to coax the flavor out of the beans, but the lighter, more nuanced flavor produced by the roaster is beyond comparison.

"Beyond the cappuccinos, pour-overs and turmeric lattes, there’s a great menu"

The staff have added a few new items such as the Gravenstein— steamed oat milk, house-made cinnamon syrup and apple juice for kids or with a shot of espresso for big kids. For the avid coffee drinker (sorry, had to do it), Avid also offers a coffee subscription with fresh beans roasted every Monday delivered to your door.