Top Coffee in the S.F. Bay Area
"Black Oak is centrally located in the heart of Healdsburg, providing caffeine for any occasion. ...conveniently located across the street from a park if you want to take a stroll with a warm drink in hand."
Winner: 2nd Place Overall Coffee Roasting
"72 Roasters entered the competition
18 made it to Portland
Our head roaster Steve Cuevas took the 2nd Place trophy
'I was excited. I knew I was gonna do good, it’s just like, how good am I going to do. I wasn’t surprised.'"
Your Perfect Weekend Getaway in Sonoma Wine Country
"Start your day with coffee and breakfast at Black Oak Coffee in Healdsburg’s main square. Yes, the coffee is fresh, the staff friendly, and the food flavorful, but this colorful café is also community minded.
The team donates 10 percent of the sales from its house espresso to charity and regularly participates in local projects and fundraisers, such as supporting volunteers at the annual Russian River Watershed Cleanup."
"In a town filled with coffee shops, it’s hard to pick just one, but we keep coming back to Black Oak Coffee Roasters."
Their single-origin pourover coffee is prepared flawlessly to bring out subtle flavors, and they also have inventive lattes infused with lavender, spiced brown sugar, and wildflower honey with bee pollen. And if you’re hungry, there's a menu of tartines, breakfast burritos, chia puddings, and more. The pastries are great too, especially the jalapeño cheddar scone.
You Can Absolutely Visit Wine Country Without Drinking Wine – Here’s How
"Black Oak... has quickly emerged as Healdburg’s top spot for coffee, baked goods, and a quick meal.
The food menu, too, is dependably delicious with tartines smothered with cashew butter and fig jam, and s'mores rice krispy treats."
‘We’re bringing Healdsburg back to Healdsburg’
"Jon Frech, owner of Black Oak Coffee Roasters, was also well aware of the historical significance of the location, and even before securing the lease, he reached out to the Monarch Project to commission the mural and transform the side alley into a beautiful space to hang out."
Coffee Roaster of the Month – Black Oak
"You might have never heard of the small Northern California town of Ukiah (or be able to pronounce it) but this sleepy town of just over 15,000 is crushing it when it comes specialty coffee."
Plan the best day ever in Healdsburg
"Black Oak Coffee Roasters is now serving top-notch beverages like lattes with dulce de leche or a spice-studded brown sugar creation alongside sandwiches and a host of baked goods. If you happen to be there on a Tuesday or Saturday, consider eating your breakfast as you stroll through the local farmers’ market."
Not That It’s a Competition, but Black Oak’s Steve Cuevas is Winning
"Over the past three years, wherever there has been a coffee competition to be found, it’s entirely possible that Steve Cuevas was there, often on the podium.
'My main goal was to bring attention to Black Oak Coffee and to our town of Ukiah'"
Winner: Golden Bean North America 2017 AND 2018
Black Oak Coffee Roasters have won the largest roasting competition in the United States two years running.
Best Online Coffee Subscription Services
"Yes, the award winning roasting team at Black Oak has a monthly subscription where they curate interesting coffees from around the globe and roast them in house, and ship straight to you. If you like mixing it up and trying new things, this is an excellent choice."
These Are Some of the Best Coffee Roasters in the US, According to Experts
"One of NorCal’s finest coffee roasters describes coffee as “practically a religious experience.” They’ve also got a wealth of blended, single-origin and even canned coffee to pick from."
Winner: America's Best Espresso 2017
Our well loved and awarded Ethiopian Single-Origin Chelelektu Natural won the prestigious "America's Best Espresso" Competition in Portland, OR.
Specialty Coffee Talk with Steve Cuevas
Listen to the Specialty Coffee Talk episodes joined by Black Oak Roaster Steve Cuevas.
Black Oak has invited folks to experience the joy of a coffee shop that values quality and comfort in equal measure.
"...Black Oak has done an impressive job setting itself apart from competitors. Recent awards include being named the Overall Champion Roaster at the 2017 Golden Bean North America roasting competition and winning the 2017 America’s Best Espresso Competition in Portland. “It was cool to go up there and compete among some of the best roasters in the United States,” Keith says. “Being able to put our little town on the map up there, it felt good.”"
6 Roasters, 6 Questions: What’s the Greatest Coffee You’ve Roasted?
"Steve Cuevas: I just went to Brazil… The farm I went to visit was Minamihara, a fourth-generational Brazilian Japanese family. His family bought a farm; he took out some of the coffee plants and put up avocado trees because there was more money in it, and so those trees created shade for the plants."
Do You Know Steve Cuevas?
Read an interview with Black Oak Roaster Steve Cuevas
"Since opening in 2012, Black Oak has earned local accolades for its small-town take on the hip, big-city coffee shop. In 2017 its renown spread internationally, thanks to the winning performances of head roaster Steve Cuevas in big-league contests including America’s Best Espresso, Golden Bean Coffee Roasters Competition and World Tasters Cup Championships."
Hambela Alaka: 93 Points
This coffee tied for the second-highest rating in a tasting of 71 organic-certified coffees from Africa for Coffee Review’s November 2017 tasting report.
Good Food Awards Finalist 2018
Black Oak Coffee is honored to be a finalist for the prestigious Good Food Awards for our Ethiopian Single-Origin Hambela Alaka
Black Oak Coffee’s Seedling Blend Raises Money For North Bay Fire Victims
“With so many lives in our community turned upside-down because of these fires, we wanted to help in any way we could,” said Keith Feigin, owner of Black Oak. “The recovery process is going to take a long time and cost a lot. We’re grateful to play some small role in helping it along by donating all proceeds to the rebuilding efforts. We’re also grateful for our partners at Olam for helping us make it happen.”
Duomo: 91 points
A quiet, accessible darker-roasted coffee, sweet and caramelly with a brisk, zesty edge.
10 Minutes With Cup Tasters Champion Steve Cuevas
"Black Oak’s Ethiopian coffee was so good, my first impression was that this place must be slinging flavored coffee, and I was a little bummed at first. Then Michael told me that no, in fact it was just the origin character and processing methods of the coffee. At that point it opened some doors of discovery for me and I thought, “I need to work for this place.”
Ukiah’s Black Oak Coffee wins Golden Bean roasting award
“That’s the heart of any good business,” said Frech. “We can’t reach one level and begin coasting. We have to keep improving.”
Keys To The Shop Podcast talks to Steve Cuevas
"Steve Cuevas of Black Oak Coffee Roasters is the 2017 U.S. Cup Tasters Champion and he is here to here to talk to us about learning to taste, tips for developing your palate, and talking to customers about coffee with confidence, and empathy. "
Best Mendocino Hikes: "fuel up at Ukiah’s Black Oak Coffee"
"On this particular morning, we’d fueled up at Ukiah’s Black Oak Coffee Roasters before hitting the road. We’d admired the giant coffee roaster in the high-ceilinged, industrial-chic space. We’d sipped our bee pollen-rimmed Lovers Lane Latte ($4) — bee pollen, people! — and savored a flaky bacon-cheddar quiche ($4.75) and buttery jam biscuit ($2.75). We’d mulled the joys of hipster fare and civilized comforts."
"Best Single Origin Coffee: 9.3 out of 10"
"I can’t remember the last time I had a coffee that was so consistently delicious from brew-to-brew, across all kinds of different parameters.
Seeing that my reviews are often published months after brewing my final cups of coffee from a particular bag, I’d encourage you to grab this coffee before it’s gone for the season."
"Ukiah coffee company wins top awards in prestigious national roasting competition"
"Black Oak Coffee Roasters recently won two Gold Medals for its single origin coffees at the 2016 Compak Golden Bean North America. Gedeb Lot 002, an Ethiopian coffee, won gold in the single origin pour over category. Banko, another Ethiopian coffee, took the gold in the single origin espresso category."
"Roaster Story: Black Oak Coffee Roasters"
"Black Oak's tiptoes the balance bean between offering fresh-crop coffees with sense of origin and creating a comforting third space of sorts for locals in an impressive manner."
"Savor the New Coastal Charm of Mendocino County"
"When friends visit from New York, we stock up on snacks at Ukiah Natural Foods, grab a Lover’s Lane Latte at Black Oak Coffee, then head to Montgomery Woods for a hike under the redwoods. There is no more perfect end to a day than with a soak at Orr Hot Springs just up the road. Orr sells day passes, but guests can also book lodging there."
"Coffee’s Journey On The California North Coast"
"With the opening of Keith Feigin and Jon Frech’s Black Oak Coffee Roasters in Ukiah, there is now a coffee destination, for both travelers and locals alike."
"Business of the Year"
"Black Oak Coffee has all the trappings of a so-called Third Wave coffee bar now common in big cities like San Francisco and Portland, including single-serve drip coffee, latte art, and single-origin coffees"
Black Oak Coffee: No Ordinary Joe
"Closer to home, the roaster at Black Oak is clearly visible, as soon as customers walk in from the parking lot. It is a 1957 gas-powered Probat, a convection oven with a thick iron gauge and intricate piping."
The Lover's Lane Latte
"We knew early in the process that if we were to be successful in this beautiful and pristine, but relatively small and isolated, place we needed a menu with a kind of generosity that made our customers feel welcome."
For Fans of Dessert, Jazz: Kabatha AB Kenya
"They want their coffee to be so good you would drive across the county for a cup... I can tell you one thing, if this Kabatha AB, Kenya is on the brew bar, fire up the car and get there… now. "
Columbia Villa Martinez : Delicious From Beginning to End
"Instead of throwing itself at your palate all at once, it slowly peels away layer after layer, teasing and revealing only what it chooses to reveal in any given sip. It is curvy and full-figured and voluptuous, absolutely brimming with beautiful flavors: soft florals, mellow winey acidity, sacchariferous confections…
Really, truly – an incredible coffee."
