Johnson County coffee shop, roaster opens. It’s in a nearly century-old building
It would be difficult to accuse a new Johnson County coffee shop of perpetuating the millennial gray aesthetic.
The red brick building, with its geometric parapet wall and barrel plank ceiling, was built in the 1930s. A garage bay door lets in patches of light, which create patterns on the concrete floor. Godfrey Riddle of Civic Saint created the espresso bar out of hand-rammed earth. Red, dark brown and tan sand ripples like the desert mountains.
While the space itself has an old-world feel, the coffee shop’s motto is “drink in the now.” And on Tuesday, dozens of Shawnee residents did.
Current State Coffee Roasting officially opened at 11217 Johnson Drive, neighboring several other downtown Shawnee concepts: Tiki Taco, Flying Cow/Annedore’s, and more.
As parents with strollers full of sleeping toddlers lined up for late morning espresso, owner Josh Greenlee said he’s heard all good feedback so far.
“The neighborhood has come out in droves,” Greenlee said. “Really everybody, young families … enjoy having a place to come to.”
If passersby have smelled something brewing on Johnson Drive or seen puffs of smoke billowing from its chimney, it’s likely roasting time.
Current State both serves its beans in the cafe and wholesales to different shops, including both Billie’s Grocery locations and Seleno (Greenlee’s other concept).
“That program will no doubt continue to expand,” Greenlee said.
While roasters pour beans from burlap bags into the roaster, customers sit at tables and look on. The machine quietly buzzes and whizzes next to baristas who pull espresso shots.
Greenlee said they’ll put up a small wall to separate the roasting and seating areas, but he still wants customers to be able to peek at the process. The cafe seats about 50 patrons and is about 3,500 square feet. Most recently, the old building housed a medical supplies company.
Current State sells bags of roasted coffee by the pound, too. Some of its roasts include Las Cidras (with notes of coca, honey, Rainier cherry) and Alirio Munoz (with apple cider, papaya and lime). They offer single-origin coffee in the form of espresso, cortado and pour overs.
The shop hopes to launch a coffee subscription service soon for take-home bags of coffee.
As for specialty drinks, Current State has the expected offerings, like lattes ($5 for a 12-ounce), cold brew ($5 for a 12-ounce) and brewed coffee ($3.50 for a 12-ounce).
Its Caffe Nico is a latte with orange juice and orange peels reduced into a syrup, then sprinkled with cinnamon.
The honey nougat latte is another favorite, made with white chocolate and local honey. The cafe roasts its own hazelnuts for the hazelnut latte.
For non-coffee drinkers, Current State offers fresh-squeezed limeade ($5.75), Italian soda (flavors include strawberry, peach or bubblegum) and some tea options.
Its pastries are provided by Aurora Bakery and Crows Coffee.
To bring Shawnee its newest coffee concept, Greenlee partnered with David Weber and Nick Robertson, one of the co-founders of Messenger Coffee. Greenlee and Weber worked together at The Filling Station.
The trio is excited to bring burgeoning Shawnee a new local coffee shop. While there are a few spots in the city — Brew Haha is a fairly recent addition — there aren’t as many coffee spots as there are bars and restaurants.
The need for a space like this has been reflected in the community’s excitement leading up to the opening, Greenlee said.
“We’ve had a lot of people breathing on the glass,” he said. “That made us feel good.”
Current State is open daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.