Rising Star Coffee Roasters

Snuck in here right before close and grabbed an iced coffee from the very nice fella who didn’t seem annoyed at all that I walked in like 3 minutes before close. In fact, he was so sweet and made lovely conversation with me as I waited for my drink. The coffee itself was delicious and I took their card to order those beans later, I liked the brew so much! Not every coffee translates great to cold brew but this one was great. They do sell their beans in house but the particular roast I had in the cold brew was not available so online it will have to be.
The space is very cool and it’s located in a portion of an old firehouse so it’s got a beautiful interior with lots of gorgeous wood. Since they were closing I didn’t enjoy my drink in the space but they do have a few picnic tables outside that I sat at. It was a nice, warm evening, so it was perfect. The neighborhood is lovely with lots of fun little storefronts to pop in and out of so sitting at the table watching folks go about their business on the block was a real treat.
Looking forward to ordering their beans online and visiting again next time I’m in Cleveland!

Nice local coffee shop, better than the McDonalds variety coffee shops.
Friendly, knowledgeable staff. I was interested in learning about pour over coffee and I was given much information.
Cool factor: it’s housed in an old fire station.

This coffee shop truly is as good as the lofty Unilocal reviews. First, let me state, I am a coffee shop dude. Something about coffee shops that I like — maybe it is from my college days — and whenever I’m out of town, I have to visit an independent coffee shop.
The coffee shop is located in a former firehouse. The décor is industrial meets rustic. The barista was super friendly and engaged me in small talk. I was pleasantly surprised when I told her that I was visiting from Delaware and she actually was familiar with the state and its beaches. Okay I’m digressing.
I normally order a varietal coffee, but something about the cardamom bomb stood out. Maybe it’s because I have never seen this before on a menu. So I ordered one cardamom bomb and a vegan chocolate chip cookie. My cardamom bomb was served with a glass of water on the side. The cardamom bomb was da bomb… pun intended. The cardamom spice was just right and worked well with the expresso. The latte is flavored with real cardamom spice. I prefer to have the real thing, then having syrup. Once I was finished with my coffee, I cleaned my palate with the glass of water that was served with it. The atmosphere was nice for me to sit down to enjoy my latte. All in all, this is a terrific coffee shop!

Serving their specialty coffee with a heat resistant decanter makes Rising Star standout among a lot of specialty coffee shops. This little detail, which I think is huge, tells me that Rising Star cares much about my enjoyment of coffee. They offer a variety of brew methods including a small batch brewed in a Fetco, which rivals pour over brewed coffee. The jams on the speakers add to the hip vibe. They use a sweet Synesso for espresso. They also sell Ritual Chocolate.

One of the very best coffee shops I have ever been to! For the coffee enthusiast it has every brewing method you could want, French press, pour over, etc… coffee by the pound is a bit pricey but it’s a good deal if you think of never having a bad cup of java again! It’s a bit hippy for me but it’s definitely worth the trip. The milk is local grass fed which I absolutely adore and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. It is truly an Ohio city gem

Ok, so I’m a bit of a coffee snob. So what. I’m proud of it. I judge every cup I taste. So what. It’s my daily pleasure! Anyhoo… I say that to say this… Rising Star is the best coffee in the area. Heck, it’s the best coffee in the Midwest. Damnit, it’s the best coffee in the country! (OK, maybe not, but this is my review so whatever). I can honestly say that I’ve had Americano’s all over this fine country of ours, and one thing always holds true; Every time I order an Americano someplace other than Rising Star I end up disappointed that I’m not at Rising Star. Don’t believe me? Stop reading this review and go get a cup of their finest. You won’t be disappointed.*
*If you are disappointed you might be a space alien.

Best coffee shop in Cleveland, hands down! This place features a rotating selection of single-​origin, locally roasted coffees and espressos. They offer a variety of ways to prepare your coffee: from pour-​over, Aeropress, & vacuum pot, to cold-​brew iced coffee & toddy, and even a Fetco small-​batch brewer if your short for time. They also offer a good selection of expertly crafted espresso drinks, with a few unique ones such as a cardamom bomb. If you love coffee, this is definitely a place to check out!

Today marked my first visit to Rising Star Coffee Roasters and it lived up to the hype of its reviews. I arrived sometime during the nine o’clock hour and it was pleasantly uncrowded. The barista who handled my order was efficient and amiable!
I’d usually order a cappuccino so that I could establish some sort of reference point, but based on my predilection for the flavor, I decided to order the Cardamom Bomb. Hot dang, it was fantastic. It had the perfect amount of sweetness with a strong cardamom flavor that wasn’t overpowering.
I hadn’t yet had breakfast and was wavering between ordering their pineapple cake or their Morning Glory muffin, so I asked my barista which she would recommend. She steered me in an awesome direction by responding «the coffee cake muffin.» The muffin, or at least mine, was about two-​thirds light coffee cake and one-​third cinammony streusely nutty ribbon of flavor. I ate it like a lady, which is to say I had it in the car and shoveled bites of it with my fingers from the bag into my mouth.
I’m really looking forward to coming back to Rising Star to try their other espresso drinks and coffee roasts.

I can’t believe I never reviewed this place during the year that I lived here.
it is in a former firehouse. They make a fantastic, rich, perfect-​tasting pour-​over. They have gorgeous equipment. It is top notch. I drink coffee around the world, and THIS little spot in CLE is among the best coffee ever. That is a promise.

I really liked this place — I have been twice. I got a cardamom bomb and then a mocha. The baristas are so helpful! The guy is so friendly. They are not snobby. I love the coffee there. So quality! And the milk so foamy! Each day they have a little board and have two different espressos and a pour over coffee and also a brewed coffee (methinks) they also have other different options that I don’t know much about! But they are odd brewing contraptions that you’ll see when you are ordering. Give them a try! — my favorite coffee in CLE

My favorite coffee basically… ever. I’ve tried many a coffee shops and roasters from Seattle to Portland, to Oklahoma City and everywhere in between, and to me, this is by far the best coffee! Keep doing what you’re doing because its definitely working!
*The Promise Land is excellent!
*this is NOT starbucks or Dunkin style coffee. It’s bold and unique so anticipate that!
*they will work with you to find something you like if you don’t enjoy what you order.

If there’s anywhere Cleveland coffee snobs should be proud of, it’s Rising Star. Because Rising Star is a continually rising star. Apparently Cleveland was destined to endure a coffee siege but Rising Star made sure they put an end to that, several years ago already. And it has grown; it is now a great café with great coffee and many more fine details that make my heart swell with pride, and I don’t even live in Cleveland. The location is an old Fire Haus in a residential-​turned-​hipsterville area of Ohio City. Charming. Inside more charm awaits. This is The Roastery of Cleveland.
I have fond memories of my recent Brazilian pour-​over. Actually, I don’t. The only way a cup of coffee would take up a large part of my memory would be if it was quite bad. Or outstandingly wonderful. It was really good and that’s about all I remember. So it just occupies a warm little spot in my tiny memory bank. A great barista from another great coffee shop (that I frequent far too often, possibly one of the greatest coffee shops on the planet actually, ((but this is a review about this, not that))) told me once to Never go to Rising Star. Worst espresso ever, he said. I’ll consider that a personal, hopefully non-​repeatable experience because all the coffee I’ve had from here has been quite acceptable. Pour-​over, aeropress, siphon; it’s all been great. Maybe I should try an espresso next time. Or maybe I shouldn’t. I have no clue how to end this review.

Looking for the best coffee in Cleveland? Look no further. I frequent coffee shops regularly all over the Cleveland area and have not found a better cup.
I want to break it down into a few categories.
Staff: Most baristas and coffee shops that you visit have one or two sassy baristas that get on your bad side. I haven’t found one at Rising Star. I like to brew my own coffee at home a lot, so I’ve asked the baristas quite a few questions about creating the perfect pour-​over. They have all taken the time to show me step-​by-​step instructions on their personal pour-​over methods.
LOVE the staff. 5 stars.
Taste: Again — best cup of coffee I’ve had in all of Cleveland. They roast their own beans, so they know their flavor profiles and what pairs best with each drink. Personally — I like simple black coffee. But if you’re looking for something a little sweeter, try the Promise Land Latte. They also sell goodies from local bakeries, most of which are fantastic. For those of you who are vegan, they usually have a vegan friendly baked good option.
Hands down 5 stars.
Price: This is truly a case of you get what you pay for. It’s pricier. Drinks range from $ 3.50-$ 6. But it’s worth it. I buy my beans here, which is a dent in my budget every month.
But I still give the price 4 stars based on the quality.
Atmosphere: One of the most important aspects of any coffee shop. If you’re looking for a longer stay with comfortable seating, you may want to go to the Little Italy location (great for studying or board game date). They have done quite a bit of renovations to the Ohio City location, but it’s still pretty close quarters and not the most comfortable seating. Great place for a quick coffee date or after dinner snack.
4 solid stars.
Other miscellaneous notes: Parking at the downtown Arcade location as well as the Little Italy location is rough. Mostly street parking which can be a nightmare. Ohio City location has plenty of close parking and surrounded by a lot of other great local shops.
They sell a lot of coffee equipment (pour overs/​Aeropress/​scales/​mugs).

This was my first stop on my day of exploring if I’d enjoy living in Cleveland if I had to move here. I used to visit Cleveland often when I was a kid with my family, but it’s different now… But as long as there’s good coffee I think I’d probably survive.
Rising Star was great. I had really great espresso here that I truly enjoyed with really intensely acidic fruity crema. Like, I totally had an a-​ha moment here. It was served with sparkling water, which I had never seen before, so good job Cleveland.
The only part of my experience here I didn’t like was that I felt slightly condescended to? Overexplaining when I asked simple y/​n questions and made comments, but for the most part not on purpose and friendly. Didn’t love the occasional hipster-​in-​the-​making on Mount Stupid trying to show off his coffee snobbery either, but I suppose those are all too typical growing pains for any city.
If you can overlook that small detail, this is a great little shop in a quiet strip of town that I really enjoyed. Tables are small for work imo, but people were making it work. I heard there’s a waffle guy sometimes…

Located inside the garage portion of what looks like a fire station, Rising Star makes their coffee very peculiarly. I guess that’s not really the concern though; the flavor is what’s important. Fortunately, they got some good coffee. I was feeling sweet so I got the Promised Land (I think that’s what it was called?), a ingenious espresso concoction of cinnamon… actually I lost it at cinnamon. Anyway, it’s good so trust me on that. They even gave me a small cup of sparkling water to cleanse my palate after.
A very small and homey coffee shop, you’ll find that the coffee here is good and slightly more pricey, around $ 4+ for a cup.

Love this place.
Coffee is a bit acidic in my view but tasty and presented beautifully. Including a side of sparkling water. Pastries outstanding.
Go local on coffee roasters. Resist temptation to take it «to go» and take ten minutes to enjoy a CLE treasure.

Last time I was here, this place was overrun with giant coffee roasters– so much so that there was barely any seating. They have since moved their roastery (is that a word?) to a separate location.
This place has great lighting, ample seating indoors and out, plenty of electrical outlets, friendly baristas and a solid cup of coffee… what’s not to like?

Good coffee, overpriced. $ 8 for two 12 ounce cups. They only have one size. We had the Ethiopian blend. Only three stars for sour cream and price.
Be prepared to wait. It’s the one cup method and it took 15 minutes for our drinks to be ready.
Then, after the wait, I used the cream and it curdled. Had to wait for second cup, which only took five minutes because they made it before others in line. Dinged them two stars for that. How can you charge $ 4 for a coffee, have one canister of half and half out and that canister is sour?

This update of my review is purely to tout the awesomeness of one particular staff person on one Sunday morning.
My friend and I ordered 2 Cardamom Bombs. The line was so long though that we decided to go across to Cleveland Tea Revival to get some to go food while our drinks were made. We told the barista what we were doing and then left. At Cleveland Tea we ordered our food to go, but the worker put it on plates anyways so we sat to quick eat it. While we were eating in the window the Rising Star employee comes walking across the street with our two drinks. She didn’t just put them in to go cups, she brought them on the wooden tray, with the water and in ceramic mugs all the way across the street to the Tea shop as she said she didn’t want them to go bad.
What amazing service with a smile! That’s how to win customers!

High quality coffee establishment, if I do say so myself. I’ve only been here twice so far, since it’s not exactly around the corner from my place, but it is SO worth the trip.
I asked for a recommendation on what to get– I was served up with a cardamom latte. All I can say is move over Pumpkin Spice Lattes! This was a frothy autumn treat. As a double bonus, they always have Brewnuts to accompany the delish coffee! Is there a better way to start the morning? A bought a bag of beans to go as well.
I will agree with other Unilocalers, that there aren’t a lot of seats, but the staff was laid back and friendly. They didn’t mind us lingering and checking out the artsy décor while savoring our coffee.