At RocketCup Coffee in Cattaraugus, You Can Roast & Blend Your Own Coffee

Everyone has a bucket list. Things they want to do before they ‘kick the bucket’. But in the past couple of months I’ve built a list of experiences that I never would have thought to put on my list. And it’s been amazing! One of the highlights of this new venture was when I got to roast and blend my own bag of coffee at RocketCup Coffee in Cattaraugus, New York. As an avid coffee drinker, I never even thought that this was something I could do. And when I discovered it was possible, I made plans to go the next day.

About RocketCup Coffee

The company’s story starts with Thomas Cullen, the founding director of the St. Bonaventure Entrepreneurship Center. A few years ago he and his students created their perfect business plan. The results? RocketCup Coffee. Built using single-origin, ethically-sourced coffee beans that are freshly roasted on site.

Thomas and his staff source their beans from Brazil, Colombia, and Honduras. A great deal of time was spent researching the roasting process, through which each of the beans is roasted to perfection. Each batch of single-source beans is then either bagged as is, or blended to create the array of flavors RocketCup offers.

College Coffees

With the university at its heart, the coffee company now partners with several other universities to create custom blends. Syracuse University, Clemson, Pitt, and LSU are just some of the current blends available, with more in the works.

RocketCup Gives Back

Not only do they serve a great cup (or bag) of coffee, but RocketCup’s mission is to give back. In every location they open, they work with locals on a project to revitalize the community. In Cattaraugus, they have plans of outdoor music shows and have partnered with the new RevRail station.

The sense of their charity and community-driven beliefs can be seen right within the cafes. In Cattaraugus, a bulletin board is filled with coffee sleeves tacked up with notes written on them. “For someone who needs a reason to smile today.” “You are an amazing parent and just need to be reminded.” “To someone who is just trying to keep their head above water.” “Happiness is a warm cup of coffee.” These messages and others are accompanied by dollar amounts that customers have paid forward. And when someone visits the cafe in need of a pick-me-up, the kindness of strangers does just that.

RocketCup in Cattaraugus

RocketCup’s flagship location is located in the village of Cattaraugus. Upstairs is your typical cafe. A mixture of brick walls a murals. Comfortable seating in a cozy atmosphere. And an extensive menu of coffee and espresso drinks.

But downstairs is where the magic happens. If, instead of going up the ramp into the cafe, visitors take a few steps down from the sidewalk and enter a patio, tucked in between brick walls covered in ivy. From the patio, guests can enter the roastery and speakeasy part of the café.

The Speakeasy

I first discovered that RocketCup had a speakeasy after I tagged their Olean location in an Instagram story. I was scrolling through their feed to learn more about the café. When I saw they had a speakeasy at the Cattaraugus location — and that they offered tasting and roasting tours — I made plans to go that weekend.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to enjoy the full extent of the speakeasy during my visit, as it is only open during the evening on weekends. But they feature a variety of spirits, craft beer, and custom cocktails.

Coffee Tasting & Roasting Tours

But my favorite part of RocketCup is there “Coffee Connoisseur Tours“, an experience I’ve never seen offered somewhere else. Tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 1pm, lasting roughly 90 minutes. During the experience, visitors join master roaster Seth as they taste each of the three single-origin coffees, comparing and contrasting the flavor profiles.

Then, Seth invites attendees to watch and participate in roasting a fresh batch of beans. You’ll learn how the beans are sourced, what temperatures and times the beans are roasted at, and observe how the beans change during the process. Not only can you physically see how the beans get darker as they roast — both through a viewing window and by pulling out samples — but the smell is incredible. Even more, you can actually hear when the coffee is just about done because you can hear the beans crack, as if it was a quiet batch of popcorn.

Once the beans are done roasting they are transferred into a tank to cool down – and then they are ready to be blended and bagged. Using the knowledge from the tasting at the beginning of the tour, guests can then create their own blends of coffee by choosing their own proportions of the Brazilian, Colombian, and Honduran coffees. Visitors can choose whether they want the beans whole or grounded. And yes, you get to take your custom bag of coffee home with you!

RocketCup in Olean

Shortly after opening their flagship location in Cattaraugus, RocketCup opened a café in the heart of Olean. Partnering with the Arts Council next door, all cups of coffee are served in handcrafted mugs from local artists. The café also serves sandwiches, bagels, coups, salads and more. Perfect from breakfast or lunch.

Tri-County Arts Council