A Personalized Coffee Experience at Belux Coffee Roasters in Alpharetta, GA
If you are a coffee connoisseur or just want to taste some of the world’s finest coffee, then a visit to Belux Coffee Roasters in Alpharetta, GA is more than worth your while.
Belux Coffee Roasters—a coffee shop and micro-batch roastery—run by Ben and Lucy (a husband and wife team) is small in its physical size. But what it lacks for in physical size, the coffee shop delivers in the variety of fresh-roasted coffees and incredible customer service.
All of the coffees sourced by Belux Coffee Roasters are single-origin, micro-lot coffees from Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia. The coffee shop’s shelves are filled with approximately a dozen varieties of coffees, in addition to coffee brewing equipment to make a great cup of coffee at home. If you’ve ever wanted to try some of the world’s best coffee (such as the Colombia Granja La esperanza Geisha or the Panama Esmeralda Geisha on pour-over), then Belux Coffee Roasters is your one-stop destination in the Atlanta area.
ACS visited Belux Coffee Roasters twice in the second half of 2019 to bring you this blog post.
This post is organized into the following sections:
Please enjoy!
What’s in a Name?
Belux Coffee Roasters is a small coffee shop and micro-batch roaster located in Alpharetta, GA (address: 5430 McGinnis Ferry Road, Suite #101B, Alpharetta GA, 30005). The husband and wife team running the shop/micro roastery decided to name their coffee shop after the first two initials of their first names (Ben and Lucy), with design and logo inspired by their adopted Holland Lop pet rabbit named Bela. The packaging and interior design at Belux Coffee Roasters is gorgeous. One could tell that a lot of preparation was spent in getting these details right before the coffee shop opened to the public (Belux opened to the public in March of 2018).
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Ben Li and Lucy Liu, co-owners of Belux Coffee Roasters, pose with their pet rabbit Bela inside their shop in Alpharetta, GA. Photo used with permission from Belux Coffee Roasters.
A Personalized Experience
Something that stands out at Belux Coffee Roasters is the personalized attention you will receive if you visit the shop. If you are intimidated by the coffee menu (see below), you can ask Ben or Lucy for advice and they will make a recommendation on something you would like. Whether you’re a novice to coffee or have a deep palate, they will work with you for you to have an enjoyable coffee tasting experience. Ben and Lucy have been involved with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) for a few years, and they are regular attendees of SCA events.
Unlike the majority of coffee shops in the Atlanta area, Belux Coffee Roasters has an intimate coffee bar where you are encouraged to interact with Ben or Lucy. On the other hand, if you know you would like to try a Panama Geisha on pour-over—and you want to taste the best specialty coffee—you can do so at Belux Coffee Roasters. For the record, ACS hasn’t found any other coffee shop in the Atlanta area that offers such an incredible selection of the finest specialty coffees in a single setting.
During the last visit to Belux Coffee Roasters, ACS chatted with Ben and Lucy about various happenings in the Atlanta coffee scene. I mentioned how ACS was traveling to Japan for an extended trip and Ben and Lucy chimed in with their memories of traveling abroad, including Japan and their native country of Taiwan. It was a wonderful conversation.
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Lucy of Belux Coffee Roasters. Photo from Belux Coffee Roasters and used with permission.
During an ACS visit in the fourth quarter of 2019, there was one customer who moved to the Atlanta area from New Jersey. He stopped by Belux Coffee Roasters to try a coffee prepared via a siphon method (see an example from Japan here).
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Lucy explains the coffee about to be brewed via the siphon method.
On this particular visit, this customer (who said he’s become a regular at the shop on weekends) asked a few questions about what coffee he should try, and Ben guided him on some suggestions. Incidentally, during this visit, a reporter named C.W. Cameron from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was profiling Belux Coffee Roasters. This visit led to a wonderful piece in the AJC, in case you are interested to learn more about Belux Coffee Roasters. I second this assessment:
Belux Coffee Roasters is not the kind of coffee shop where people gather to meet friends and spend hours chatting over a cup. It’s a place for serious coffee drinkers to find a favorite, and purchase cutting-edge and high-design coffee equipment.
Interior Views
Belux Coffee Roasters is quaint in its interior. The shop is well-lit and the aesthetic is warm and comfortable. As you enter the shop, you will be greeted by Ben or Lucy. Take a seat on one of the stools at the counter and you’ll received a warm welcome and a personalized coffee experience (see further below).
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Interior at Belux Coffee Roasters. The shop contains various coffee equipment for sale as well as about a dozen of different coffees.
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Another view of interior at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Interior view at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Detail from Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Detail from Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Hario pour-over equipment for sale at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Details at Belux Coffee Roasters.
A gorgeous element at Belux Coffee Roasters is the design of the logo and the coffee packaging. Lucy and Ben worked with San Francisco’s Un-Studio to bring these beautiful packages to their coffee shop.
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Details from inside Belux Coffee Roasters. The packaging of coffees and teas featuring Bela the rabbit is beautiful. The design studio involved for package design was San Francisco’s Un-Studio.
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Detail from the shelves at Belux Coffee Roasters. Seen here is the coffee shop’s Costa Rican Tarrazu coffee.
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On display at the coffer bar at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Interior vibes at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Tools of the trade at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Espresso!
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At the counter at Belux Coffee Roasters.
The Menu
The menu at Belux Coffee Roasters features only coffee and tea; there are no food options. But for a specialty coffee shop, and at a small space like Belux, you don’t come for the food. You come to taste coffee that you wouldn’t experience anywhere else in the metro Atlanta area. The experience that you will have at Belux is comparable to such coffee shops as Sey Coffee in Brooklyn, NY; the closest ACS has experienced to Belux Coffee Roasters in terms of high-end coffee offerings is at East One Coffee in New York City.
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The coffee menu (updated from Q4 2019) at Belux Coffee Roasters is presented below:
Coffee Tea Single Origin Coffee $5 / $8 Organic Nicaragua (Pour-Over / Siphon) $5 / $8 $5 / $8 Costa Rica Honey Process (Pour-Over / Siphon) $5 / $8 $5 / $8 Organic Ethiopic Hambela GA (Pour-Over / Siphon) $5 / $8 $5 / $8 Colombia Narino Micro Lot (Pour-Over / Siphon) $5 / $8 Geisha Collection $8 / $10 Colombia Geisha Honey Process (Pour-Over / Siphon) $8 / $10 $12 / $15 Colombia Granja La Esperanza Geisha (Pour-Over / Siphon) $12 / $15 Auction Lot / Grade Coffee $10 / $12 Guatemala Red Pacamara Natural (Pour-Over / Siphon) $10 / $12 $22 / $25 Panama Esmeralda Geisha Special (Pour-Over / Siphon) $22 / $25 Legendary Coffee $12 / $15 Hawaii 100% Kona Extra Fancy (Pour-Over / Siphon) $12 / $15 $12 / $15 Jamaica Blue Mountain Clydesdale G1 (Pour-Over / Siphon) $12 / $15 Espresso $3 / $4.5 Single / Double $3 / $4.5 $8 Deconstructed Latte Tasting Set (Saturdays only) Espresso shot, 7 oz. latte, tonic water, foam milk $8 Cold Brew $5 Cold Brew Coffee $5 Geisha Cascara Tea $5 Geisha Cascara Tea $5
If you are a tea fan, then ACS recommends trying the cascara tea that Belux Coffee Roasters offers. It is made from the mucilage of Geisha coffee beans grown on the Cafe Granja La Esperanza coffee estate in Colombia. The tea is fermented for approximately 36 hours and served chill. It was refreshing and delicious.
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The cascara tea at Belux Coffee Roasters. Recommended!
Recommended on weekends: the latte tasting at Belux Coffee Roasters. As of Q3 2019, Belux Coffee Roasters has an espresso machine (the La Marzocco Linea Mini), so this welcome addition to the shop will appeal to those of you who like cappuccinos and lattes (over drip/pour-overs).
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Latte tasting at Belux Coffee Roasters with their Jumping Lapin espresso blend.
The Coffees at Belux Coffee Roasters
Following is a selection of coffees that you may purchase inside the Belux Coffee Roasters physical store or online.
Panama Geisha Esmeralda Special Natural — 100% Geisha Coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda, Panama. This is the highest grade Geisha, Esmeralda Special Natural Processing offered by the Esmeralda coffee estate. This is a medium roast coffee with taste notes of jasmine, stone fruits, tropical fruits, and bergamot. [purchase online]
Colombia Cerro Azul Geisha Washed — This is Colombia Cafe Granja La Esperanza' s most famous farm Cerro Azul in Cauca Valley. They are one of the most award-winning farms in Colombia and the first farm that introduced Geisha to Colombia. This coffee has notes of grapefruit, caramel, melon, green apple, and citronella. [purchase online]
Colombia Geisha Honey Process — This coffee, from Producer Jose Ignacio Gomez Lopez at the Finca El Paraiso farm, has tasting notes of honey, mango, pineapple, and orange. [purchase online]
Guatemala Red Pacamara Auction Lot, Natural — This is 100% Red Pacamara Auction lot Natural coffee from the Santa Felisa Estate in Guatemala. This is a medium roast coffee with tasting notes of dry-plums, berries, and red wine; there is also “a lingering and persistent aftertaste that combines guava and raisins notes with some spices.” [purchase online]
Jamaica Blue Mountain Clydesdale Grade 1 — This is a Jamaica Blue Mountain Grade 1 coffee from the Clydesdale Estate sub-region of the St. Andrew Parish. This coffee has tasting notes of dark chocolate and black cherry. [purchase online]
Hawaii 100% Kona Coffee Extra Fancy — This nano-lot coffee is from Kona Ohana Coffee farm located at the Kona belt in Mauka Honaunau, Hawaii. This coffee has tasting notes of nuts and milk chocolate. [purchase online]
Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca La Bendicion — this washed Guatemalan coffee is from Producer Carlos Vasquez of the farm Finca La Bendicion. This coffee has tasting notes of lime zest, nougat, and milk chocolate. [purchase online]
Organic Ethiopia Hambela G1 Natural — This organic coffee is from Ethiopia’s Hambela coffee estate. The farm is run by METAD, a third generation family-owned farm which strives to strengthen the local community, provide best-practice training on growing, harvesting and selling coffee. METAD also owns the first and only SCA lab in Africa. This natural process coffee is medium body with notes of strawberry and orange, with a cocoa finish. [purchase online]
Colombia Nariño Excelso Micro Lot — This coffee is from Colombia’s Finca “El Trapiche” which belongs to Marisol Bravo and her family. Marisol is part of the FUDAM association in the municipality of San Pedro Cartago in the state of Nariño in Colombia. “El Trapiche” translates to “sugar mill” or “sugar plantation” in English. This washed coffee has tasting notes of pear, green apple, and chocolate. [purchase online]
Organic Nicaragua Segovia — this fully washed, patio sun-dried coffee is from the Segovia mountain region of Nicaragua. This coffee has tasting notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar, and mild lemon. [purchase online]
Note that the above selection will likely change depending on what Belux Coffee Roasters decides to source. Ben and Lucy are frequently trying new samples of coffees to provide the best selection to customers. As mentioned above, Ben and Lucy also are members of SCA and frequent their events to stay in the loop on current trends in specialty coffee.
Espresso at Belux Coffee Roasters
Something ACS pays attention to whilst visiting coffee shops is what the coffee shop uses for espresso. There’s a lot of thought that goes into deciding what to use for espresso: single origin or blend? From which countries? What kind of process?
At Belux Coffee Roasters, the signature espresso blend is called Jumping Lapin. For those of you that speak French, lapin is French for “rabbit.” This espresso blend at Belux is a dual country blend from Brazil’s Cerrado region and Indonesia’s Sumatra region. The coffee is roasted to a medium to dark, with notes of dark chocolate, pineapple, and grape. If you are a fan of medium-dark or dark espresso, the Jumping Lapin is a spectacular option to try in the store or to purchase from Belux directly. ACS can personally highly recommend this coffee having tried it in store and also bought the beans from which to make espresso at home. The Jumping Lapin is also a very affordable option (the 12 oz. bag retails for $14.95) to try if you want to get a “taste” of Belux Coffee Roasters prior to committing to the more rare (and more expensive) single origin coffees at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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The Jumping Lapin—the espresso blend from Brazil and Indonesia—at Belux Coffee Roasters.
Following are some photos of the Jumping Lapin espresso and cappuccino served at Belux.
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Espresso and cappuccino at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Espresso and cappuccino at Belux Coffee Roasters.
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Cappuccino served at Belux Coffee Roasters. The espresso blend is called Jumping Lapin.
Coffee Events at Belux Coffee Roasters
Belux Coffee Roasters has a dedicated members club, who are invited to come to the coffee shop or some other nearby location (when there is an outsized demand) to try out new coffees. The sign-up for membership is done in store only, so that Lucy or Ben can fully explain the benefits of the membership and expectations involved. The current cost of the Belux member club is $49.50/month.
For majority of people who aren’t (or don’t become) Belux coffee club members, you can still check out the events that Belux hosts and sign up to attend on an ad-hoc basis. For instance, Belux Coffee Roasters is beginning 2020 with a rare Geisha coffees tasting on January 18; on this day, the coffee shop is inviting customers to try out samples by two highly reputable coffee estates: Panama’s Hacienda La Esmeralda and Colombia’s Cafe Granja La Esperanza. The screenshot below shows an example of this event:
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A sample coffee tasting event one can attend at Belux Coffee Roasters.
Belux Coffee Roasters also offers educational classes, such as pour-over techniques using the Hario V60 and Chemex. Check Belux’s website for new events as they are announced. ACS is on the mailing list for Belux Coffee Roasters and will update the events page with some special events hosted at Belux Coffee Roasters this year.
Q&A With the Co-Owners of Belux Coffee Roasters
Following is a Q&A that ACS conducted with Ben and Lucy, the husband and wife team behind Belux Coffee Roasters.
ACS: Can you describe your and Ben's experience in tasting/roasting coffee and how Belux Coffee Roasters came to be founded in 2015? Was opening Belux something you've wanted to do for a long time?
A: Ben has been roasting for 4 years after he received his Roaster certificate from the Specialty Coffee Association. He also received his coffee buyer and instructor certificate in 2017. Between this, we do cuppings with green bean importers when we attend Specialty Coffee Expo and also regularly try out samples from importers/ farms to build our palate. To open a retail roastery with a coffee bar came into mind since we started in 2015/16. It did take us a while to have everything come together but we are glad it did happen and that we keep growing.
ACS: Can you talk about how your love for specialty coffee has taken you around the world? Which cities/countries (and or coffee farms) where you traveled, who you've met along the way, and any competitions/events you want to point out?
A: We have been to Panama for our origin trip and visited Hacienda la Esmeralda and the exact lot where the green beans we purchased are grown. It does make us believe micro climate and elevation plays a big role into flavors of coffee as well as how the farm cultivates and processes the coffee. For specialty coffee shops, we traveled several times to the West Coast to cities like Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. We all found coffee shops that we love there! Also Japan and Taiwan have both great cities to explore local roasters. We recently traveled to Spain and had pour over coffees there too!
ACS: During the ACS visit, we talked about some considerations you have for offering some of the most exclusive/high-end specialty coffee in your shop. Currently it is the Panama Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda. Do you have any plans to offer something else of similar or higher quality in the near future?
A: Yes, we do. Building relationship at the farm level and paying premium for lots with high quality and great flavors is always our goal. We might consider some coffee auctions in the long term that ensure quality beans and uniqueness.
ACS: What's been your customer base like since opening? Is it mostly people local to Alpharetta, or do you have visitors come from various parts of Atlanta or even out-of-state?
A: We actually have all of those customers! There is no border for coffee.
ACS: What are your (Lucy and Ben) personal favorite coffees to consume?
A: Panama Geisha is both Lucy & Ben’s favorite!
ACS: We talked a bit about Belux Coffee Roasters partnering with some local restaurants / shops to supply your roasted coffee. Can you comment on your current partners, and if you have plans for expansion?
A: We partnered with an upscale co-working space Serendipity Labs in Atlanta that has 4 locations. Also we designed the coffee program for Monkey 68 Kitchen and Bar near the Alpharetta downtown area. Having a second location is always on our plan and hopefully we will make some progress in 2020.
ACS: For those curious, will Bela make the occasional visit to the coffee shop?
A: He was here with his friend Dora at the coffee shop for a photo shoot for an AJC article not too long ago. Maybe we will do another photo shooting soon!
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Ben, Lucy, and Bela (with friend Dora) at Belux Coffee Roasters. Photo used with permission from Belux Coffee Roasters.
ACS: What have been some of the biggest challenges in operating Belux Coffee Roasters? What about the biggest rewards/joys?
A: Facing a lot of roasters that discount their beans frequently we rarely offer discount but reward cards for loyal customers. To us, we would rather not sell the beans if they are old. But when customers keep coming back for fresh quality beans, it makes us believe this is the right way to do things.
ACS: Can you comment on the interior design of the shop as well as your packaging for coffee? (Any specific brands/companies that you want to highlight)?
A: We basically picked all the material and colors by ourselves. We wanted the store to be clean, bright and simple with a touch of Scandinavian style. So there are wood shelves, floors and wood counter tops with light color tiles and paint. Un-studio based out of San Francisco, CA designed our coffee packaging for us. We love the west coast coffee vibe and wanted to reflect it on our package.
ACS: Belux Coffee Roasters offers various classes for those looking to learn about brewing techniques. Are these classes offered approximately once a month or on a more ad-hoc basis?
A: We hold coffee events once a month, including rare coffee tastings, pour over class, home espresso machine 101 or siphon coffee class, etc. We rotate events so customers can explore different things with us. We have a coffee club that members can come to those events for free and let us push ourselves to do different things.
Final Say
Belux Coffee Roasters is a micro-lot, small-batch roastery that features some of the highest quality coffee (such as the Panamanian Esmeralda Geisha coffee) that you can taste in store or purchase to consume at home; the shop also has monthly high-end coffee tastings. Ben and Lucy, the owners, are extremely kind and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to coffee and roasting. In sum, Belux Coffee Roasters represents the best of small business and all-around superior experience when it comes to specialty coffee. It’s more than worth your while to put Belux Coffee Roasters in your future coffee exploration in the Atlanta metro area.
If you do visit, please plan accordingly as the coffee shop is small and the coffee shop has limited hours when it’s open to the public (see below).
Belux Coffee Roasters
Location:
Alpharetta, GA ☕ OTP
Address:
5430 McGinnis Ferry Road
Suite #101B
Alpharetta GA, 30005
ph: 770-710-0588
Hours of operation:
Monday-Tuesday: closed
Wednesday-Friday: 10:30AM to 5:30PM
Saturday: 1PM to 5:30PM
Sunday: closed
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