Pumphouse Pouratorium
1016 Clare Ave STE 5A, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
An 8,000 sq ft facility with a diverse menu and a coffee lab and cafe that overlook a extensive, open-air roastery, The Pumphouse Pouratorium is an alluring mix of opulent and gritty, and very much worth a visit. And who isn’t drawn in by their garage door proclamation, ‘If you hate bad coffee, we should be friends’?
Coffee:
Their espresso machine is a Slayer, hand made our of Seattle and known for its ability to manually fine tune every facet of coffee making, and for needing repair tweaks on a fairly regular basis. My drip was made with a Honduran, fully, washed bean. With this process, the coffee cherry’s outer casing is removed with water before the beans are dried and, while more expensive, is thought to deliver a cleaner, more consistent flavor to the final coffee vs the more traditional process of drying the beans without removing the casing. I can’t tell you that I’d be able to to taste which is which, but my Honduran drip was chocolaty, nutty, and excellent. My cortado was similarly superb.
Barista:
Normally, I purposefully engage the barista straight away as I find it often leads to a nugget of knowledge, either about the coffee, the shop’s creation story, or some other interesting tidbit. But here, I was so taken in by the surroundings that it took me a while to focus on my server who enhanced my visit by being friendly, engaging, informative, and very intentional with his craft.
Vibe:
I didn’t plan on driving into West Palm Beach, but there was something about an exit sign reading, Okeechobee Blvd Downtown, that compelled me to use my right turn blinker. I know that’s a lame justification, but I am a wompler, and sometimes you have to trust your gut. It turned out to be the right call. Just past the lake that earned the name Okeechobee (big water), about half-way between the expressway and downtown and next to the railroad tracks, a VFW, and a warehouse gym, sits The Pumphouse Poruatorium. Its curb presence prickled me with anticipation. Upon entering, you walk down a hallway with windows to your left that display a large roaster and cafe ahead that looks down upon the operations. Neat. When you walk through the next door, the experience shifts from manufacturing plant to an elegant consumer experience. Persian rugs, leather sofas, cushy bar stools, and hardwood dining booths, welcome you to enjoy a diverse menu along with craft coffees. Frank Lloyd Wright was all about bringing the outdoors, indoors and whoever designed this establishment achieved the same effect by melding both a roastery, a coffeehouse, and a coffee lab into a single experience that is all at once, invitingly industrial and unpretentiously opulent. Merch is solid, lighting fixtures are interesting, and bathrooms are modern, spacious and clean. Menu varies from breakfast fare to a full blown lunch offerings. Acoustics were pleasant and the entire operation, roastery and all are clean, orderly, and in top notch condition.
Make You Better
The only thing I can think of improving would be the addition of a more compelling logo. I loved everything else, and wanted to leave with some merch, but nothing visually compelled me to make a purchase.
Coffee? Breakfast? Business meeting? Lunch? Chill stop? They got you covered at Pumphouse. Plain and simple, its a worthy womple.
~ Clyde <3