Our Story

Being Hispanic guarantees two things; cafecito and delicious food. I was fortunate enough that I had both growing up daily. As a kid and a very young adult, I dabbled with Cuban coffee because it was the norm. It wasn’t until I was around 18 or 19 that I started realizing what coffee means and what it can provide. By the time I was 21, coffee was enjoyed as a morning drink, midday blast of energy, or an afternoon conversation starter.

When I left home and started living by myself, it was then that I was able to fully go down the rabbit hole of coffee. I remember trying to get more out of my Keurig machine but being limited by either the selection of coffee or the brew style. I made a run to the trustworthy Target and got myself a gooseneck kettle and a simple pour-over kit. Unbeknownst to me, this would be the start of something much much bigger. I spent hours online looking at tutorials and videos taking notes on the perfect technique, temperatures, and grinds.

This setup worked for about a day before I realized I had overseen an important step in the process of brewing the perfect cup, FRESH BEANS, and of course the grinder. I spent a couple more days researching and stumbled upon a local roaster. This, I believe is where the search for the perfect cup of coffee started. While having what appeared to be all the right tools of the trade, I could never find the perfect cup. All I was left with was hating any coffee a restaurant or breakfast joint served and only being able to tolerate coffee that was indeed done by hand and with passion.

After two years of nothing but endless notes, sips, caffeine overload, and emptiness, I started thinking what if the perfect cup doesn’t exist and it is just an endless hunt for perfection? While this might be true, I have had a handful of almost perfect coffee ranging from a fruity, floral aromatic pour-over to silky chocolate with earthy undertone espresso. Many people go years and decades without experiencing real coffee, on the other hand, I have this every day. That’s what lead me to Twenty1° Coffee Company. The one thing everyone has in common is the ability to pass down the knowledge they have learned to other. Naming my company after my land, Cuba, which sits on the 21st parallel North is a constant reminder of where I came from, what I have done so far, and what I can give to others. Paying forward my passion for coffee is a dream of mine and while I don’t know everything about coffee, my passion for learning, trailing, and not being afraid to fail led me to create this company. All that’s required from you is that while you sip on your freshly brewed Twenty1° coffee, you think to yourself, what can you pass down to others? 

With love from Chris and those that have helped me along the way.