Milwaukee, the Brew City. It’s a destination defined by its brewing roots, with landmarks bearing the names of late beer barons, active beer giants still churning out the brews that made Milwaukee famous and a slew of craft breweries keeping that legacy alive and well.

But quietly, over the past few decades, Milwaukee’s started to define itself by a different brew entirely: coffee. In cups and carafes, mugs and beans, they came—these caffeinated connoisseurs—creating just the right conditions for the café scene we see today.

They brought top-quality beans from all corners of the world and bold drinks that pushed the limits of what coffee should be. They popped up on street corners, in neighborhoods, and along the lake, and the craziest part: they even got your name right.

Opened in 1999, Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. was one of the first to do it, bringing craft coffee to Milwaukee alongside names like Stone Creek and Altera (now Colectivo). With its little squirrel on the packaging, quality brews and tasty drink combos, Anodyne found a special place in Milwaukeeans’ French presses and drip coffee makers, but more importantly, they found themselves at the heart of locals’ daily routines. The best part of waking up.

Who better to talk about the city’s coffee scene than someone who’s seen roasting operations all over the country and now heads Anodyne’s roastery? To see how Milwaukee stacks up, what makes the perfect cup and what keeps this side of Brew City ticking, we sat down for an unfiltered conversation with Anodyne’s Head Coffee Roaster, John Malone.

You’ve seen Milwaukee’s coffee scene at a few different points over the past decade. How has it changed, and what stands out to you compared with other coffee scenes you’ve experienced?

Milwaukee has a real sense of local, which is really exciting and really cool.
 

On the West Coast, there are a lot of people buying coffee from brands all over the country. Milwaukee has a really strong pride about itself, in a healthy way, where people love to rep the brands that have come up in the city in a way that I didn't see in Washington as much.
 

When I left, at least in my world, there were kind of these big roasters: Anodyne, Valentine, Colectivo and Stone Creek. Now, it's been really cool to see places like Canary or Discourse, which serve coffee from different roasters and bring a newer, fresher take to the café experience, while those established brands continue to grow and experiment.
 

What drew you back to Milwaukee and, specifically, to Anodyne?

Pre-pandemic, I was at Valentine and early in learning how to roast. I had been a barista and loved coffee. At that time, in my early to mid-20s, I was always looking at Anodyne as this pillar or beacon of, like, "Oh, these guys are doing really cool things."
 

I always felt like they did really great single-origin coffees as well as really solid blends. That can be hard for a brand to do lighter-roasted coffee really well and also have these really great medium-to-dark roasts. I always admired them for that.
 

When we moved to the West Coast, I kept track of what was happening in Milwaukee because we'd come home for holidays. Eventually, we started feeling this pull to move back and be closer to family.
 

I was talking to a friend who lives in Milwaukee, and every time we talked on the phone, he would say, "When are you moving back?"
 

And I said, "I don't know. I'd love to, but it would have to be with a good job, and I don't think I would really want to roast for anybody in Milwaukee, except I do think I would roast for Anodyne."
 

No joke, about a week or two later, the posting for Anodyne's head roaster went online.
 

Sometimes when I tell the story, I feel like it sounds cliché, but that's what happened.

You mentioned seeing more experimentation across Milwaukee’s coffee scene. What’s caught your attention, and what have you been able to experiment with at Anodyne?

At Anodyne, this has been the first job where I've had the opportunity to buy what we call raw coffee, or unroasted coffee. In the industry, we call it green coffee.
 

Coffee is not actually a bean. It's a seed from a coffee cherry. After the coffee is processed and fermented to remove the fruit and mucilage, it looks like a little green bean.

This is also my first job where I've had the opportunity to purchase and curate the coffee menu for a brand. Getting to maintain the heritage Anodyne has while bringing in some of my own ideas has been really fun.

We have some really cool coffees from Colombia that are on a boat right now.

Canary Coffee caught my attention as they serve coffee from other roasters, so they're what you'd call a multi-roaster. They've brought in different brands from outside the city, but they do it in a very Milwaukee way.

If someone who really loves coffee had one morning in Milwaukee, what should they know about the city’s coffee scene? Where would you send them, and what should they pay attention to?

It's funny because I just had two friends from Washington come out and visit last weekend. I took them around to a couple of coffee spots and to the roastery at Anodyne. One of them had never been to the Midwest before, so he was totally blown away by the different scenery.
 

If you're visiting Anodyne, our espresso is really great. Personally, I'm a black coffee, straight espresso guy, which I know can be alienating for people, but it's always worth trying an espresso or a black coffee.
 

We also have some really great seasonal drinks. Lex, our educator, works closely with our coffee leads to develop drinks that we release every season.
 

Milwaukee has a really strong coffee history, too. We have Likewise Coffee in the Third Ward, which was formerly Wonderstate, which was formerly Kickapoo Coffee. That's owned by Scott Lucey, who's been in the coffee world for a very long time and is a key part of the culture Milwaukee's coffee scene has become.
 

Our baristas in the city have so much personality. What's exciting about our coffee scene is the breadth of people who work in this industry. Visiting cafés around Milwaukee gives you a really good take on both the coffee and the community.
 

You’ve talked about bringing some of your own ideas to Anodyne. How do you balance that with the history and identity of a nearly 30-year-old roastery?

Carefully.
 

With immense respect, too. Anodyne will be 30 in 2029, which is coming up before we know it.
 

There's an amazing team at the roastery here. There are folks who are newer, and then there are folks who have been with Anodyne for a long time.
 

I've developed some good relationships with those heritage employees who have seen Anodyne grow. Having their ear and being able to run ideas off of them before I get too excited or carried away is important.
 

Sometimes I'll say, "Hey, I have this idea. What do you think about this?" And they'll be like, "Oh, yeah. I don't know why we did it like that for so long." Or, "Actually, that blend needs to stay this way. That is part of who we are."
 

It's just respect and time.

For someone who doesn’t know much about roasting, what actually makes a great roast?

Ultimately, you have to start with great raw coffee, great green coffee.
 

I equate it to a kitchen. If you're trying to dress up a dish with low-quality ingredients, you can put the best presentation on the plate, but if it's low-grade beef, it's going to be hard to present it like it's Wagyu or something.
 

If you start with an excellent product, then it's just gravy from there.
 

I'm trying not to get in the way of what the producers, the farmers, have done. If you have a really delicious, bright, fruity coffee, I try to keep those roasts lighter to showcase the farmer and the inherent quality of the coffee. If you want to showcase the darker characteristics, you can extend the roasting time and play around with the temperatures to develop darker or burnt-sugar flavors.
 

We’ve talked about Milwaukee’s coffee scene in the past and present. Where do you see it going over the next 10 years?

The longer I work in the coffee industry, the more I realize it's about the people, whether that's the farmers, the customers, the baristas or my coworkers.
 

We're serving an excellent beverage, but we have to continue to invest in those people. Whether that's our baristas connecting with our customers or us connecting with one another, we're at a really good moment where I'm realizing coffee is an amazing conduit for people.
 

I would love to see that continue over the next 10 years, and for myself and Anodyne to continue building strong relationships with the farmers we're buying coffee from.

If someone came into Anodyne for the first time, what would you point them toward for a taste of the roastery’s history, and what would you recommend if they wanted to try something a little different?

Our Atomic Blend is kind of our core flagship blend, along with our Mind Tonic espresso.
 

Atomic Blend is a core piece of Anodyne. If you're a black coffee drinker, that's where I would send you.

Our Honey Bee is also one of our classic drinks that's been on the menu for a very long time.

If you want something a little different, we just launched our new seasonal menu, and we have a potato and molasses mocha that is really good. It has potato chip, molasses and mocha, so you get that sweet-and-salty combination, almost like a sea-salt chocolate chip cookie.

Is there anything else coming up at Anodyne that you’d like people to know about?

This is our fifth year doing Bean Plant, a skateboarding event that happens on Sunday, September 27.

We have a history of a lot of skaters at Anodyne, and I'm not a skater, but I love watching it. We have bands, food vendors and local makers, and artisans.

We shut down Bruce Street, and it's like a block party with skate ramps and local skaters coming out and jumping in.

I really just enjoy watching.

What's Brewing in Milwaukee?

It's time for you to explore the city's coffee scene for yourself! Check out coffee shops and roasteries all over town and find your cup of tea (or coffee).