Peixoto Coffee Roasters

You know that feeling when two of your favorite local spots suddenly move in together and you cannot decide who to visit first? That is the exact situation at the ground floor corner of the Biomedical Campus building on 5th Street. Peixoto brought the espresso. Mark Chacon brought the ovens. Nobody asked me to pick a side and I would not have been able to.

Walking in from the E Garfield Street side you get hit with a wall of glass before anything else. Floor to ceiling windows soak the whole room in flat Phoenix light. The Sanremo Opera espresso machine sits on top of a terracotta tiled counter with a creme colored quartz top and it is not just there for looks. The Opera runs pressure profiling on every shot. This means the barista can shape how hard the water pushes through the grounds at different points in the extraction instead of just one flat pressure the whole way. It is the kind of machine you see in competition setups more than corner cafes. It is also the mahcine you need when you specialize in lighter roast coffees. The other counter on the other side is for pastry. The seating in between is shared so at peak hours the tables fill up fast with ASU staff, biomed students and coffee people all packed in together. Grab a spot early if you plan to sit and work.

On my last visit I ordered the iced toasted coconut latte and it might be the best seasonal drink I have had from Peixoto. First time I had it was at the Gilbert location. It is all I can think about now when I think Peixoto. It has that perfect level of sweetness and it sits nicely against the espresso instead of covering it up.

The espresso base changes with availability. Most of the time it is the Familia, a light roast natural process. Sometimes they run the Honey instead, which is (as the name suggests) honey processed. Both come from the Peixoto family farm in Brazil. The Familia leans more toward hazelnut and berries, while the Honey leans toward white grape and date.

From the Chacon side, get the cream cheese danish. I worked through several different pastries on this visit and nothing else came close. It runs $9 a piece, which is steep, but that seems to be the going rate for pastry done right these days. Consider it the entry fee for the good stuff.

Parking is decent for a downtown spot. There is metered street parking with a fair amount of shade on some sides and a lot by the front of the building if the street is full. If you park in their lot, they will validate your ticket and the first hour is free.

Downtown Phoenix finally has a coffee shop with a farm address. Go get a pour over. Stay for the desserts. You will understand.