A Look Inside La Colombe Coffee, Now Open in Boston

Today's a good day for a Draft Latte.

By Jacqueline Cain· 4/28/2016, 7:00 a.m.

La Colombe South Station. / Photo by Alexandra Wimley

Now that it finally feels like spring, how about mixing up your iced coffee routine?

La Colombe Coffee, a Philadelphia roaster, just opened its first café in Boston, and they brought cofounder Todd Carmichael’s innovative Draft Latte with them. The caffeinated concoction is a blend of concentrated, cold-pressed Pure Black espresso and aerated milk. The creamy drink isn’t iced, like a nitro pour, and it doesn’t need added sugar or milk (though go ahead, if you like). It’s served on draft, along with Pure Black. The baristas are also happy to pour a “Pure Black and tan,” with the frothy latte floating on top for a few Instagrammable moments.

La Colombe South Station, as the company’s calling it, is on the ground floor of a WeWork co-working space, across Atlantic Ave. from its namesake’s bus terminal. It quietly opened yesterday. Café manager Derek Craig said the neighbors kept them busy throughout the day. The Leather District lacked an espresso shop until this past fall, when Gracenote Coffee opened on Lincoln Street.

The Boston location is La Colombe’s 16th, and its first in Massachusetts. It has cafés in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., plus more in the works in Los Angeles and Miami. Carmichael and his partner JP Iberti, who started their ethically-sourced roasting company in 1994, both confirmed they’re actively looking for more real estate in Boston. La Colombe raised $28.5 million in 2014 to open 100 new stores nationwide.

Café Madeleine is providing the pastries, sandwiches, and salads packed to go. Eventually, the shop will also carry La Colombe Draft Latte cans, which launched last month online.

La Colombe South Station, Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m, Saturday + Sunday 8 a.m-6 p.m., 745 Atlantic Ave., Boston, lacolombe.com.