Roast Coffee Co. — Throwback Thursday Review from 2019

Roast Coffee Co.
Medford, NJ

On a beautiful September day in 2019 while visiting family in Medford, NJ, we were excited to swing by Roast Coffee Company to get our espresso on. Once inside, it looked like a pretty cool coffee joint, so we were fine with waiting in a small line to get a coffee. The atmosphere was cozy and hip. The munchkin got his standard beverage – hot chocolate, which was happily consumed by the little guy. My hubby ordered a run-of-the mill latte. It was pretty good, although it did have a little bit of an edge to it — sort of a grassy quality, as he likes to say. I decide to give in to my sweet tooth and order a cafe mocha. Unfortunately, my mocha was super bitter and sour. The quality of the shots overwhelmed even the sweetness of the mocha flavor. Overall, we felt like the espresso shots were not quite properly extracted. To be fair, I must give the disclaimer that we both tend to prefer smooth espresso that is lacking in edginess, as well as a preference to drink it in latte form with the creamy addition of milk and a touch of sweetness.

Roast did get kind of busy, so be prepared to wait a few minutes to get your coffee. On a nice day, you might want to just hang out outside as it’s a somewhat small place inside. I think they might benefit from having a dedicated barista and then someone separate doing the register, as it seems like both folks were doing double duty at cashiering and making drinks. I know it can be tough when you are a small operation since business can pick up on a moment’s notice. Staffing can be difficult to plan

FWIW, my husband’s take is that they need to re-architect the layout of their shop so that the kitchen isn’t fully viewable from the front register. That would go a long way in making the experience a little better — or at least the ambience. Location wise, this is located in a poorly maintained strip mall that seems like it wouldn’t contain a cute neighborhood coffee shop, but don’t be fooled. Be sure you follow the signs to find find it. Overall, I recommend Roast Coffee Company if you are in Medford and need a caffeine infusion but you don’t want to end up at Dunkin Donuts. 

Update: As of July 2021, Roast has announced plans to move to a larger location. This is great news, in the humble opinion of this diva. Their concept has a lot of potential, and having more space would help solve some of the issues we experienced on our visit.

Roast Coffee Co.
200 Tuckerton Road, Suite 25
Medford, New Jersey 08055
roastcc.com