City of Saints Coffee Roasters - Specialty Coffee Roaster | Unpacking Coffee [Skip to content](#main-content) [ ![Unpacking Coffee Logo](/images/cuppin-logo.svg) Unpacking Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee) [ Coffees ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees) [ Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters) [ Cuppings ](https://unpacking.coffee/cuppings) [ Recipes ](https://unpacking.coffee/recipes) [ Origins ](https://unpacking.coffee/origins) [ Log in ](https://unpacking.coffee/login) [ ](https://unpacking.coffee/login "Log in") [ Register ](https://unpacking.coffee/register) [ ](https://unpacking.coffee/register "Register") [ Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters) City of Saints Coffee Roasters City of Saints Coffee Roasters ============================== City of Saints Coffee Roasters is a Brooklyn-based specialty roaster founded in late 2014 by friends Matt Wade and Joe Palozzi. Headquartered in a cavernous Bushwick roastery on Meserole Street, the company also operates cafés in the East Village and Hoboken and focuses on single-origin coffees. Watch Episode Read Transcript - [ City of Saints Coffee Roasters ](http://cityofsaintscoffee.com/) - [ City of Saints Coffee Roasters on Instagram ](https://instagram.com/cityofsaintscoffee/) - [ City of Saints Coffee Roasters on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/cityofsaintscr) - [ Full interview with Matt Wagner ](https://unpacking.coffee/matt-wagner/) ![City of Saints Coffee Roasters](/storage/roaster-profiles/69/featured.jpg) HELLO Ray: What's up, Bushwick? I'm Ray. Kandace: I'm Kandace. Ray: This is Unpacking Coffee today. Kandace: City of Saints. This is some kick-ass coffee. Can I say kick ass here? Is it okay? Ray: No. You just bumped us up to explicit. Kandace: This is a fantastic coffee. No, that's boring though. It does kick ass. EARLY DAYS Ray: City of Saints is located in New York City. They started by roasting in the ... Kandace: Pulley. They got their start, yes, in the Pulley Collective and we've heard about the Pulley Collective previously with Joe Coffee. They also ... Ray: Oh, sure, Joe of New York. Kandace: Joe. Came out of the Pulley Collective. They're considered one of the big success stories of the Pulley Collective because this is a place where you can go and you can roast coffee. Three years later, they have three locations and a roastery, and they're killing it. They got this really kick-ass roaster. ROASTER Ray: The Loring roaster? Kandace: Yes. Ray: Yes. Kandace: Yes. Ray: That looks really cool. Kandace: Research, Ray. Ray: You just told me before the show. I just remembered what you said. JOE PALOZZI Kandace: It's cool and they've been opening up their space to other people that come in and roast, too. They're being good community members. We spoke to Joe Palozzi from City of Saints. Joe's going to tell us about how they got started. Joe: My name is Joe Palozzi and I'm director of operations City of Saints Coffee Roasters. Kandace: Joe started as a roaster, but he has blossomed into an everything guy and so, I think other people are roasting now. Joe: We started as takeaway coffee shop and then decided to become vertical, integrated coffee roasting facility. COMMUNITY ETHOS Kandace: This coffee roaster in particular is all about community. When I see them talking in interviews, they use the word camaraderie a lot. They use the word community. Cha-ching, cha-ching ... Ray: If you're playing coffee roaster bingo, you already have ... It's interesting that compared to the roasters that we've talked about recently whose packaging was kind of minimal and who felt that the space would sort of speak for itself and the coffee would sort of ... The approach here with City of Saints is almost the opposite. These are literal representations of what's inside the space. If you look inside the City of Saints spaces, this is the graffiti on the wall. You can't mistake those spaces from ... They're indistinguishable from the coffee packaging itself, which is kind of ... THE BUSHWICK COLLECTIVE Kandace: This art is by Dasic Fernandez and a fellow that goes by the name of Mr. Nerds and they came from the Bushwick Collective. The Bushwick Collective is a group that's been painting murals all over the area and so, Bushwick is starting to have this really particular look. Ray: Criminals. Joe I have a little party here in the community, paint some walls, the whole community came out. The artists painting on the walls, it was a great experience. I woke up the next day like I took a pill and I felt happy like I was a kid again. That party was great and it symbolized everything that I wanted. It was everything I had lost, which was family. One thing led to another and I ended up falling in love with street art and graff, and I ran with it. https://youtu.be/7n5pDoKAcgw Kandace: City of Saints got a hold of them and asked them to paint the interior of their space and started using the art, too. That's another way that they're really supporting the community. Ray: The packaging is interesting in that it is just these giant cardboard boxes with cellophane bags with the one-way vent inside. Kandace: No coffee inside. Ray: They didn't have coffee inside. Joe: When we were deciding on what we wanted to do for our box design, we got these two great Bushwick Collective murals on our walls and I said, "Well, why don't we just make the walls the box?" Since they're really in a pretty good dimension aspect ratio, I was like, "We just take these and get them to go." Kandace: I loved how most of the information is on the bottom here and then they take all of this space to show the art. It's fantastic. They're not even covering it up in the end, in the back, on the back end, back end ART & COMMUNITY There's so much to be said about the way that art can support a community and I think that City of Saints is really into that. We brought in Portland's own Matt Wagner. Matt: I’m Matt Wagner. I own Hellion Gallery. I write art books, the Tall Trees of series. I'm one of the producers of the Forest for the Trees Mural Festival here in Portland. Kandace: Matt Wagner puts on a curated citywide show called the Tall Trees of Portland where he brings in mural artists from all over the world and businesses and spaces donate walls and the artists come in and create the murals. Matt: Instead of having these buildings with these blank walls or really crappy graffiti on it, these businesses get to interact with an artist and have something beautiful on the outside of their building. Ray: City of Saints of Bushwick in Brooklyn in New York City in New York in the United States, Planet Earth. Watch the Show https://vimeo.com/189695192 HELLO Ray: What's up, Bushwick? I'm Ray. Kandace: I'm Kandace. Ray: This is Unpacking Coffee today. Kandace: City of Saints. This is some kick-ass coffee. Can I say kick ass here? Is it okay? Ray: No. You just bumped us up to explicit. Kandace: This is a fantastic coffee. No, that's boring though. It does kick ass. EARLY DAYS Ray: City of Saints is located in New York City. They started by roasting in the ... Kandace: Pulley. They got their start, yes, in the Pulley Collective and we've heard about the Pulley Collective previously with Joe Coffee. They also ... Ray: Oh, sure, Joe of New York. Kandace: Joe. Came out of the Pulley Collective. They're considered one of the big success stories of the Pulley Collective because this is a place where you can go and you can roast coffee. Three years later, they have three locations and a roastery, and they're killing it. They got this really kick-ass roaster. ROASTER Ray: The Loring roaster? Kandace: Yes. Ray: Yes. Kandace: Yes. Ray: That looks really cool. Kandace: Research, Ray. Ray: You just told me before the show. I just remembered what you said. JOE PALOZZI Kandace: It's cool and they've been opening up their space to other people that come in and roast, too. They're being good community members. We spoke to Joe Palozzi from City of Saints. Joe's going to tell us about how they got started. Joe: My name is Joe Palozzi and I'm director of operations City of Saints Coffee Roasters. Kandace: Joe started as a roaster, but he has blossomed into an everything guy and so, I think other people are roasting now. Joe: We started as takeaway coffee shop and then decided to become vertical, integrated coffee roasting facility. COMMUNITY ETHOS Kandace: This coffee roaster in particular is all about community. When I see them talking in interviews, they use the word camaraderie a lot. They use the word community. Cha-ching, cha-ching ... Ray: If you're playing coffee roaster bingo, you already have ... It's interesting that compared to the roasters that we've talked about recently whose packaging was kind of minimal and who felt that the space would sort of speak for itself and the coffee would sort of ... The approach here with City of Saints is almost the opposite. These are literal representations of what's inside the space. If you look inside the City of Saints spaces, this is the graffiti on the wall. You can't mistake those spaces from ... They're indistinguishable from the coffee packaging itself, which is kind of ... THE BUSHWICK COLLECTIVE Kandace: This art is by Dasic Fernandez and a fellow that goes by the name of Mr. Nerds and they came from the Bushwick Collective. The Bushwick Collective is a group that's been painting murals all over the area and so, Bushwick is starting to have this really particular look. Ray: Criminals. Joe I have a little party here in the community, paint some walls, the whole community came out. The artists painting on the walls, it was a great experience. I woke up the next day like I took a pill and I felt happy like I was a kid again. That party was great and it symbolized everything that I wanted. It was everything I had lost, which was family. One thing led to another and I ended up falling in love with street art and graff, and I ran with it. https://youtu.be/7n5pDoKAcgw Kandace: City of Saints got a hold of them and asked them to paint the interior of their space and started using the art, too. That's another way that they're really supporting the community. Ray: The packaging is interesting in that it is just these giant cardboard boxes with cellophane bags with the one-way vent inside. Kandace: No coffee inside. Ray: They didn't have coffee inside. Joe: When we were deciding on what we wanted to do for our box design, we got these two great Bushwick Collective murals on our walls and I said, "Well, why don't we just make the walls the box?" Since they're really in a pretty good dimension aspect ratio, I was like, "We just take these and get them to go." Kandace: I loved how most of the information is on the bottom here and then they take all of this space to show the art. It's fantastic. They're not even covering it up in the end, in the back, on the back end, back end ART & COMMUNITY There's so much to be said about the way that art can support a community and I think that City of Saints is really into that. We brought in Portland's own Matt Wagner. Matt: I’m Matt Wagner. I own Hellion Gallery. I write art books, the Tall Trees of series. I'm one of the producers of the Forest for the Trees Mural Festival here in Portland. Kandace: Matt Wagner puts on a curated citywide show called the Tall Trees of Portland where he brings in mural artists from all over the world and businesses and spaces donate walls and the artists come in and create the murals. Matt: Instead of having these buildings with these blank walls or really crappy graffiti on it, these businesses get to interact with an artist and have something beautiful on the outside of their building. Ray: City of Saints of Bushwick in Brooklyn in New York City in New York in the United States, Planet Earth. Watch the Show https://vimeo.com/189695192 No coffee offerings have been added for this roaster yet. Log In to Cup Log in to your account Enter your email and password to continue Email address Password Remember me Cancel Log in Need an account? [Sign up](https://unpacking.coffee/register?intended=https%3A%2F%2Funpacking.coffee%2Fcupping%2Fnew%3Froaster_id%3D69) Log In to Cup Log in to your account Enter your email and password to continue Email address Password Remember me Cancel Log in Need an account? [Sign up](https://unpacking.coffee/register?intended=https%3A%2F%2Funpacking.coffee%2Fcupping%2Fnew%3Froaster_id%3D69) 0 Coffee Offerings 0 Total Cuppings Added 1 year ago Roaster Details Website [ www.cityofsaintscoffee.com ](https://www.cityofsaintscoffee.com) Established 2014 Location City Brooklyn State/Province New York Country United States Use filters or recent searches to refine your results. Press Esc to close. Filters 12 showing Users 0 Coffees 0 Roasters 0 Recipes 0 Explore featured coffees Start typing to search across the entire database. [ ### [ Mexico Maria Méndez ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/187-mexico-maria-mendez) by [ Heart Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/47-heart-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Varieties [Bourbon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/9-bourbon) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Elevation 1400m First noted Aug 19, 2026 Last tasted Aug 19, 2026 1 cupping [ plum](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/10 "plum") [ almond](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/37 "almond") [ cola](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/98 "cola") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/187-mexico-maria-mendez) [ ### [ The Answer ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/186-the-answer) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Process Washed, Natural Elevation 1,100-1,900m Source Various First noted Aug 17, 2026 Last tasted Aug 19, 2026 2 cuppings [ chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/108 "chocolate") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ fruit](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/250 "fruit") [ butterscotch](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/32 "butterscotch") [ berries](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/199 "berries") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/186-the-answer) [ ### [ Nelson Flores ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/185-nelson-flores) by [ Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/201-sweet-bloom-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Species Arabica Varieties [Pacamara](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/27-pacamara) Country [El Salvador](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/el-salvador) Region Chalatenango Elevation 1632m First noted Aug 16, 2026 0 cuppings ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/185-nelson-flores) [ ### [ Takele Mammo ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/184-takele-mammo) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Process Washed Varieties [Wild Heirloom Ethiopia Arabica Cultivars](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/93-wild-heirloom-ethiopia-arabica-cultivars) Country [Ethiopia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/ethiopia) Region Yirgacheffe Elevation 1800 - 2100m Source Takele Mammo Denbi First noted Aug 14, 2026 Last tasted Aug 14, 2026 2 cuppings [ rooibos](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/249 "rooibos") [ apricot](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/4 "apricot") [ dried strawberry](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/248 "dried strawberry") [ black tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/65 "black tea") [ watermelon](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/111 "watermelon") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/184-takele-mammo) [ ### [ Juan Puerta Mango ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/183-juan-puerta-mango) by [ Resident Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/296-resident-coffee-roasters) Process Co-fermented and experimental (Mango) Varieties [Castillo](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/13-castillo) Country [Colombia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/colombia) Region Quindío Elevation 1386m Source La Sirena First noted Aug 11, 2026 Last tasted Aug 11, 2026 3 cuppings [ mango](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/15 "mango") [ mango lollipop](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/246 "mango lollipop") [ fruit rollup](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/245 "fruit rollup") [ jumex mango nectar](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/247 "jumex mango nectar") [ cream](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/86 "cream") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/183-juan-puerta-mango) [ ### [ Fondo Paez ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/182-fondo-paez) by [ Amavida Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/294-amavida-coffee-roasters) Certifications Organic Country [Colombia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/colombia) Source Fondo Paez Cooperative First noted Aug 09, 2026 Last tasted Aug 09, 2026 1 cupping [ brown sugar](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/28 "brown sugar") [ apricot](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/4 "apricot") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/182-fondo-paez) [ ### [ Santa Maria ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/181-santa-maria) by [ The Boy & The Bear ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/292-the-boy-the-bear) Process Anaerobic Natural Varieties [Tabi](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/70-tabi) Country [Colombia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/colombia) Region Santander Source Hacienda Cafetera La Pradera First noted Aug 09, 2026 Last tasted Aug 09, 2026 1 cupping [ black tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/65 "black tea") [ dried fig](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/138 "dried fig") [ dark chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/34 "dark chocolate") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/181-santa-maria) [ ### [ San Antonio La Paz ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/180-san-antonio-la-paz) by [ Water Avenue Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/291-water-avenue-coffee) Process Washed Varieties [Caturra](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/12-caturra), [Bourbon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/9-bourbon), [Castillo San Ramon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/100-castillo-san-ramon) Country [Guatemala](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/guatemala) Region Sierra de Las Minas Elevation 1200-1400m First noted Aug 05, 2026 Last tasted Aug 05, 2026 1 cupping [ orange](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/17 "orange") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ black walnut syrup](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/244 "black walnut syrup") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/180-san-antonio-la-paz) [ ### [ Ethiopian Kercha ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/179-ethiopian-kercha) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Country [Ethiopia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/ethiopia) Region Guji First noted Aug 03, 2026 Last tasted Aug 03, 2026 1 cupping [ milk chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/33 "milk chocolate") [ cane sugar](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/29 "cane sugar") [ vanilla](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/27 "vanilla") [ strawberry ice cream](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/243 "strawberry ice cream") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/179-ethiopian-kercha) [ ### [ Finca Santa Cruz Washed ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/178-finca-santa-cruz-washed) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Varieties [Typica](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/34-typica), [Bourbon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/9-bourbon) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Harvest 2026 Source José And Karina Argüello First noted Jul 28, 2026 Last tasted Aug 04, 2026 3 cuppings [ chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/108 "chocolate") [ earl grey tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/242 "earl grey tea") [ citrus](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/110 "citrus") [ grapefruit](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/20 "grapefruit") [ lime](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/19 "lime") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/178-finca-santa-cruz-washed) [ ### [ Gamaliel Ríos Ortíz ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/177-gamaliel-rios-ortiz) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Process Honey Varieties [Peñasco](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/99-penasco), [Typica](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/34-typica) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Harvest 2025 Source La Concordia First noted Jul 21, 2026 Last tasted Jul 21, 2026 1 cupping [ peach](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/3 "peach") [ citrus](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/110 "citrus") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ butterscotch](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/32 "butterscotch") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/177-gamaliel-rios-ortiz) [ ### [ Finca Santa Cruz Natural ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/176-finca-santa-cruz-natural) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Varieties [Geisha](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/16-geisha) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Source Finca Santa Cruz First noted Jul 19, 2026 Last tasted Jul 19, 2026 1 cupping [ chilled red wine](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/240 "chilled red wine") [ lime](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/19 "lime") [ cacao nibs](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/241 "cacao nibs") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/176-finca-santa-cruz-natural)