STATES COFFEE X BREAD, MULTIPLE EAST BAY LOCATIONS
Put this small-yet-expanding East Bay chain at the top of your joe list. Co-owners Keith Gehrke and Brett Benzer opened their first spot in downtown Martinez six years ago. Today, there are four locations, with a fifth — and the largest shop in the small chain — set to open in August in Berkeley in the former Country Cheese Co. at 2101 San Pablo Ave.
In addition to ethically sourced coffees from Guatemala, Ethiopia, Mexico, Tanzania and Panama, all roasted in-house and crafted into dark mochas and gibraltars, States is known for its bread program, which includes flours from Petaluma’s Central Milling Co. baked into crusty loaves of sesame sourdough, seeded Danish rye, Gruyere and rosemary and more.
The Benicia location, which opened in 2018 and is dubbed Farm & Flour, offers the country sourdough sliced, toasted and topped with everything from creamy house-made cashew butter ($5) to avocado with house-made everything seasoning, feta, mint and lemon zest ($9). Starting July 18, that toast program will be offered at the Martinez location, as well as the Oakland location on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, which took over the old Subrosa Coffee in 2020.
THE SIP >> Honey latte ($5.25) with oat milk all the way. States’ iced golden matcha latte is also very popular during the summer. In addition to the toast menu, their sweet baked offerings are worth your attention. Their thick slice of coffee cake ($4) — dark as molasses, with swirls of sweet cold brew and a crest of spelt-flour crumble — is the best we’ve had.
DETAILS >> Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily at 609 Ward St., Martinez, and at 700 First St., Benicia; until 4 p.m. at 419 40th St., Oakland; and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at 4008 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland; www.statescoffee.com.