Blue Bottle Coffee Opens in the Design District and Aventura Mall

Oakland, California-based Blue Bottle Coffee is opening two shops in Miami-Dade.

Wednesday, October 25, Blue Bottle will debut in the Design District (3800 NE First Ave.). A location on the first floor of the Aventura Mall's new east side wing is slated to open later this year or in early 2018.

"Miami is a mirage-inducing, exuberant kind of place," founder James Freeman tells New Times. "It makes me think of the guilty pleasures of reading Carl Hiaasen novels and drinking robusta-heavy, sugary espressos served in tiny Styrofoam cups. I love how international the city has become, and I'm looking forward to making coffee for locals and visitors alike."

Blue Bottle Coffee's history can be traced to Central Europe, where a little spot called the Blue Bottle opened in Vienna in the early 1700s. Nearly 320 years later, Freeman, a freelance musician with an affinity for coffee, decided to pay homage by opening a roaster. Now, about 15 years later, Blue Bottle Coffee has locations in California; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Tokyo.
Coffee in the Miami stores will be supplied by Blue Bottle's Bushwick, New York roaster. Brews such as espresso, cold brew, and New Orleans-style iced coffee will be shipped within 48 hours of their beans' roasting.

"We make every coffee to order," Freeman says. "That is, we grind and pour each coffee individually."

Besides serving java, the Miami shops will offer a curated menu of sweet and savory treats, including smeared toasts and Belgian waffles. The cafés will also provide free coffee education classes taught by company baristas.

Both locations will feature sleek, minimalist, wood-accented spaces such as a coffee bar, a seating area, a condiment station, and a quiet spot called the "romantic corner."

Though Blue Bottle might seem like a great place to get some work done, don't expect complimentary internet. The company maintains a "no Wi-Fi" policy to foster real-life interaction instead.

A portion of the Miami stores' initial proceeds will benefit the community. Sales at the Design District shop will go toward Lotus House. A beneficiary for the Aventura café has not yet been determined.

Blue Bottle Coffee. 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 24, Blue Bottle Coffee in the Design District will host a community day, when guests can enjoy complimentary cups of coffee. Grand opening Wednesday, October 25, at 3800 NE First Ave., Miami, and late 2017/early 2018 at Aventura Mall, 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura; bluebottlecoffee.com.