Erin Lanahan 
Going to your favorite Jersey coffee shop is a ritual. You smell the coffee brewing as soon as you walk in and order your go-to caffeinated beverage from a friendly barista. More serious coffee lovers could favor a specialty coffee and all the unique flavors it brings to their coffee ritual. Specialty coffee is typically a high-quality, unique coffee, elevated from your average Starbucks or Dunkin experience. The Local Girl compiled a list of several specialty coffee roasters in New Jersey so coffee lovers can celebrate their favorites or discover their next favorite. Here’s a guide to specialty coffee roasters across New Jersey.
Rook Coffee | Multiple Locations Across New Jersey
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Two childhood friends from New Jersey started Rook Coffee back in 2010 and have since expanded from a tiny coffee shack to dozens of locations around the state. The company roasts its coffee beans in Long Branch at a 10,500-square-foot facility. The team plans to expand its roasting operations, announcing Rook will move to a new headquarters and cold brew facility in Tinton Falls. Check out which location is closest to you online.
Hudson County
Mod Cup Coffee | 479 Palisade Avenue + 25 Senate Place #3, Jersey City
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A Jersey City favorite, Mod Cup has been serving coffee in Chilltown since 2013. The team has expanded from a coffee truck parked downtown to a cafe in the Heights, a cafe in Hoboken, and a roastery in Journal Square. The coffee team delicately roasts their beans to allow unique flavors to shine, like peach tea, chocolate liqueur, blueberry pie, and tropical fruit. Online ordering is available.
Read More: Coffee Shops Open Late in Hoboken + Jersey City
Essex + Middlesex Counties
Paper Plane Coffee Co. | 61 North Fullerton Avenue, Montclair
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Paper Plane Coffee Co. started in Brooklyn in 2015, then moved to Montclair in 2019. Along with several different roasts available for purchase, Paper Plane also sells a “Coffee Passport” program. Each month, the roasters hand-pick coffee from somewhere in the coffee world, roast it, and deliver the 12-oz package of coffee beans to the customer’s door. In 2023, the team opened the doors to its cafe, which guests can visit Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM or on weekends from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Penstock Coffee Roasters | 13 South 3rd Avenue, Suite C, Highland Park
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Formerly OQ Coffee, the New Brunswick and Highland Park community has embraced Penstock Coffee. The Penstock crew believes that where your coffee comes from and who you share it with are important, focusing on quality, craft, and transparency. The team sources coffee beans from Central and South America and roasts them on-site. The cafe is open for coffee lovers from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, and online ordering is available.
Bergen County
Ara Coffee | 6 Ames Avenue, Rutherford
For the past seven years, Ara Coffee has been roasting coffee beans in-house. The menu ranges from plenty of hot and iced coffee drinks, such as espressos, macchiatos, cappuccinos, and lattes, along with bubble teas.
Union County
Boxwood Coffee Roasters | 17 Beechwood Road, Summit + 143 E Broad Street, Westfield
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This Summit-based coffee roaster focuses on serving world-class coffee roasted with precision. Established in a garage in 2014, it’s since grown to not only having the cafe in Summit, but also a full roastery in Westfield. Boxwood believes in ethically sourcing its coffee beans, even traveling to Costa Rica to visit the farms and meet the people who cultivate its coffee beans. The coffee roaster sells both specialty coffee and tea sourced from all over the world. Plus, the cafes are open seven days a week, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
South Side Coffee Co. | Online, Based in Scotch Plains
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South Side Coffee Co. wants to share happiness through specialty coffee. The company says every batch is roasted to order using ethically sourced beans. Plus, they sell matcha, specialty tea, and brewing equipment to make sure each cup of coffee tastes amazing. Online ordering is available across New Jersey. Plus, South Side has a coffee truck that can be booked for events.
At the Jersey Shore + Central Jersey
Afficionado Coffee Roasters | Based in Morganville, Located in New York City
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Two friends with a passion for coffee started Afficionado in 2008. The team travels around the world to source the coffee beans, bringing them in from Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Honduras. While their coffee shop is located in New York City, the roastery is based in Morganville.
Booskerdoo Coffee + Baking Co. | 1321 Memorial Drive, Asbury Park + 101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel + 200 Monmouth Street, Red Bank
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The flagship location for Booskerdoo is located in Asbury Park, where the Booskerdoo family roasts and serves coffee, tea, freshly baked pastries, and sandwiches. It has locations in Holmdel and Red Bank. Booskerdoo roasts, packages, and ships coffee beans directly to its customers. Online ordering is available if you can’t make it to the stores.
Grover’s Mill Coffee House + Roastery | 295 Princeton Hightstown Road, West Windsor
Grover’s Mill blends history at the cafe and roastery. The coffee shop pays homage to the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast. CBS Radio Network broadcast a narration of a fictional Martian invasion that led listeners to believe it was actually happening right in their own backyard on a farm in Grover’s Mill in West Windsor Township. The roasters say the coffee is out of this world, with a variety of coffees and teas to buy from the store.
Harvest Coffee Roastery | 67 North Main Street, Medford
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This small batch roastery has been crafting its own coffee since 2012. They have a seasonal rotating menu of 10 to 15 different coffee varieties. Guests can grab a coffee, tea, or food from the cafe Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM, or Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Port Coffee Roasters | 519 Main Avenue, Bay Head
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Port Coffee sources organic or fair trade organic coffee beans and roasts them on site. The menu consists of rotating seasonal flavors, and customers can order their favorite beans online. The Bay Head coffee shop was closed for the winter season, but will be back open and serving coffee daily starting February 6, 2026.
Rojo’s Roastery | 33 Palmer Square West, Princeton
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This small-batch, artisan coffee roaster focuses on curating sustainably grown coffees and teas. The cafe is open from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM seven days a week. The roastery also sells coffee equipment to make sure customers are able to brew a perfect cup of Rojo’s coffee. Coffee beans are also available to order online.
Turnstile Coffee Roasters | 1607 Highway 71, Belmar
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Turnstile puts care into each step of the coffee process, from when the bean is grown, harvested, roasted, brewed, and presented. Stop by the coffee shop to try the espresso, cappuccino, latte, brewed coffee, or cold brew coffee. The coffee shop is open weekdays from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM and weekends from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
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