coffee by melissa
I think coffee is a special experience that calls on all the senses and so many hands to bring to life — something I so deeply love sharing with anyone who is curious. I am passionate about creating spaces for people to slow down and enjoy something new.
My history with making coffee
Growing up, my father taught me how to pull shots of espresso on his home machine (for his benefit!). When I moved to San Francisco for school, I got my start with Van and Sunny at fifty/fifty on Geary Boulevard. Starting in 2013, they trained me to serve Ritual coffee with precision and high attention to detail around presentation. They also taught me how to prepare boba, granola fruit bowls and Chinese-style jianbing crepes. I competed in a couple local latte art throwdowns in the city and attended many coffee education classes.
After that, I had an opportunity to work at George and Lennie (in the Four Barrel family) on Golden Gate Avenue, where I was entrusted with managing many pieces of cafe operations (including successfully attaining a beer and wine license for the business!). In 2016, the owner generously connected me to an opportunity in Shanghai to manage the setup and opening of a new cafe called CA1 — inspired by fresh California produce. Using both my Chinese language skills and my coffee expertise, I got to support the new cafe’s start in a major mall of the metropolitan XinTianDi area. During those 3 months on the job, I also got to experience Shanghai’s incredible speciality coffee scene, making many connections and friends. I held coffee education seminars, tastings and community building events with local residents.
These days, I can often be found at gatherings or trips as the person making coffee or tea for everyone — or daydreaming about my future coffee company. In 2025, I hosted an informal coffee and tea tasting at Salmon Creek Farm with 3 kinds of teas and 3 different coffees. In July 2026, I completed The Crown’s Coffee intro roasting class and am gearing up to roast a small batch of coffee from Yunan Province in China. I’m hoping to do more tastings with friends and continue learning about roasting!
This is 3-grouphead La Marzocco I helped to install at the mall in Shanghai!
want delicious coffee at your event or at home?
I am currently seeking business partnerships to expand my coffee project.
Are you: an existing bar or restaurant interested in a one-time coffee pop-up or an ongoing renter? an event producer seeking a barista to serve speciality drip coffee and tea to their patrons? just someone who would be excited to buy a bag of delicious coffee roasted by me?