About
Zeke’s Coffee is a local, Baltimore based, small batch, family owned coffee roastery that is seriously committed to freshness.
At Zeke’s, we use a fluid bed coffee roaster. Invented by Mike Sivetz, a physicist from Oregon in the 1970’s, fluid bed coffee roasters use hot air to create a fountain of coffee beans.
This technique roasts more quickly and uniformly than a conventional drum roaster. We roast to temperature, giving us a more consistent product. Chaff escapes the roast chamber easily, leading to cleaner tasting coffee with more distinct regional flavors.
We roast in small batches. It guarantees freshness. It keeps us honest. Our roaster holds 30 pounds of coffee, compared to the 150 pounds that a standard roaster holds. Because of this, we put more time, more labor, and a little more of ourselves into each bean. You can taste the difference.
As we expand out of Baltimore, we stay committed to roasting in small batches, with a roastery in Washington D.C.
Where it all started
Zeke’s coffee started with a man and a one pound coffee roaster. Thomas Rhodes sold his first pound of coffee at Baltimore Farmers’ Market in November 2005, and opened a retail space in Lauraville in NE Baltimore on April 22, 2006. On February 26, 2010, we opened our first cafe at 4607 Harford Road. We relocated the cafe to 4719 Harford Road on September 27, 2017.
Zeke’s can also be found year round at the 32nd Street Market in Waverly and seasonally at several markets in and around Baltimore.