Camber Coffee

Camber was founded in the winter of 2015 by David Yake, Andrew Bowman and Todd Elliott. Yake had placed third in the 2014 US Cup Tasters Championship and Bowman had taken first in the 2014 SCAA Roasters Choice competition, and their beans were on the tables at Canlis and the Willows Inn before they had a cafe of their own. The flagship on West Holly Street opened in late August 2017 with full table service, which is still unusual for a coffee shop.

The roasting happens about two miles from the cafe on a Probat G60. The espresso blend is called Big Joy. The drink that regulars name is the Japanese Oak, a hojicha latte with a smoke syrup, and the seasonal list rotates without much announcement. The bar runs a Synesso espresso machine, a Poursteady for pour overs and an EK43 grinder, for those who care about the hardware.

The room is about 2,000 square feet with table service on one side and a grab and go counter on the other. There is a kitchen with a seasonal menu; in the early days it served buttermilk waffles, quiche Lorraine and a dinner service, and the kitchen now closes earlier than the cafe, at noon Monday through Thursday and at 2 Friday through Sunday. The cafe itself is open 8 to 2 daily.

Sprudge, Daily Coffee News and Seattle Refined have all covered it, and it anchors Sprudge's 2024 guide to Bellingham coffee.