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Trish Rothgeb and Nick Cho are coffee notables from the Northwest and D.C. area respectively, and they've combined forces in recent years as the roasting/brewing partnership behind Wrecking Ball. While their roasting operations are near Redwood City, they have a lone retail café in SF in the Firehouse 8 event space. A former firehouse (there's even a brass fire pole towards the back), it's a vast, airy space that's frequently inhabited by pop-ups that sell jewelry & clothing or weekend waffles. There are occasional display cases to show off some of these wares (giving it a slight museum feel), plus brick masonry at the entrance, stone floors, tall ceilings, and a row of simple café tables lined up at the entrance. Wrecking Ball is something of a permanent fixture here, however, opening in Nov. '12. In a rear corner they sport Kalita Japanese brewers (Nick has long been a fanboy) and scales for measuring coffee grounds precisely. They also sport a two-group Strada and a La Marzocco Vulcano grinder. For their espresso they use their 1UP blend ($2.25 for a doppio) and pull shots with a dark, even, textured crema. There's a strong herbacity to it, but fortunately it tastes more like coffee and less like blueberries and flower petals like many new roasters seem to profile. Solid.
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