Horizon Line Broadens the Coffee Landscape in Des Moines

All photos pleasantness of Horizon Line Coffee.

From the shining sea to quieter amber waves of grain, Brad Penna and Nam Ho moved from Southern California to Iowa final year on a query to open a coffee bar and roastery in Des Moines, after being captivated to a city’s mellower gait and reduce costs of living.

Earlier this summer they opened Horizon Line Coffee, a emporium that delivers a ambience of West Coast coffee enlightenment to a laid behind Midwest metropolis.

“HLC is loyal to a SoCal influences, though I’d like to contend that we are California boys with Midwestern affability and charm,” Penna told Daily Coffee News of how their menu’s Gibraltar, in place of a Cortado, is an paper to California. Other Cali-style offerings odd to their adopted marketplace embody coffee cocktails such as The Traveler, an espresso-based splash with Coca Cola, bitters, allspice, and vanilla; and The Vegan, an espresso splash with cinnamon, almond divert and ginger beer.

Passing by a splendid white interior with comfortable wooden accents and minimalist furnishings, congregation are treated to HLC’s house-roasted single-origins extracted into Not Neutral ceramics on a shop’s white 3-group La Marzocco Linea — a Craigslist find Penna and Ho brought adult to speed with a bit of TLC.

A span of Mahlkonig K30 grinders and an EK43 break a products for espresso and decoction respectively, a latter of that is achieved on a Fetco XTS collection appurtenance or in a accumulation of primer methods that includes a Mountain dripper by Kurasu, that is a brewer that itself launched usually a few brief years ago.

Roasting of greens procured with assistance from importers Crop To Cup, Genuine Origin, and La Bodega occurs on-site behind a half-wall that allows congregation to observe a 6-kilo-capacity North appurtenance in movement and discuss with a crew about a routine and a products. Penna told Daily Coffee News a blueprint is “a good approach get to know people, as good as teach people on coffee and what we are looking to do with it.”

“When I’m during a roaster, I’m looking to work a change of scholarship and art, utilizing both technology, data, and feeling experience,” Penna continued. “For a espresso, from sourcing, roasting, cupping, and pulling shots, we are looking to prominence sweetness, acidity, and physique — though who isn’t, really? With all of that in mind, we also adore anticipating nuances in a coffee and honing in on those a little.”

Wholesale and some-more open educational programming are a subsequent hills on a immature company’s horizon.

“We don’t devise on being a subsequent Heart or Intelligentsia or anything like that, though would adore to work with other shops and businesses to offer a coffee,” Penna said. “We are a tiny group and wish to make certain that we can offer clients a full experience.”

Horizon Line Coffee is now open in a Western Gateway area of Des Moines, during 1417 Walnut Street.

Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is a associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is formed in Portland, Oregon.

Tags: Brad Penna, california, Crop to Cup, Des Moines, Genuine Origin Coffee Project, Horizon Line Coffee, Iowa, Kurasu, La Bodega, Nam Ho, North