A coffee brewtique

Crema is the mark of excellence in the finest espresso. When a shot of espresso is properly crafted, its rich foam topping is the crema. We focus on the fundamental elements, so our highly-skilled, ninja-like baristas use small-batch roasted beans, precise methods, and superior equipment to hand-craft the finest coffee and espresso. Our love and respect for coffee means we never stop learning or experimenting and we’re always eager to talk about it, making us the most welcoming bunch of coffee snobs you’ll ever meet.

Just months before opening (2008) our little nondescript building was abandoned to the homeless and had enjoyed life as a diesel engine repair shop. We chose the redeveloping and historic area of Nashville known as Rutledge Hill for its urban-fringe oddities and low rent costs (yeah, we’re cheap …so what!). A location we could focus on serving distinctly great coffee. We cherish coffee questions as much as we never grow tired of “so like, where are you again?” We love this little hill and enjoy being as unique to Nashville as it is.

CREMA is proudly owner-operated. Learn more about our owner’s journey opening CREMA in pictures, here and over here (pdf).

CREMA has been featured as a leader in the Nashville artisanal coffee movement by the Tennessean, The City Paper, The Rage and others writing “…CREMA knows coffee like the Coen Brothers know quirky film characters” and “a coffee shop (gasp) for coffee lovers.” Hearing from you matters to us the most, “The best cup of coffee you will find in Nashville.  Seriously. It reminds me of coffee you would get in France or Spain.”

Press: TN Crossroads, The City Paper (.pdf), TrevEchoes, Hill of Beans, Wake Up Call, CMT Blog, The Rage and Fringe Magazine (.pdf).

A community of good people

“Do good and good will follow you” Hillis our 100 year old neighbor said. You can’t second guess that many years of wisdom. It sounded, well, good to us and off we went to write our own story.  Little did we know what a big impact these words would have. The CREMA mission is to serve distinctively great coffee, advance coffee knowledge and be good people.

2008-2009 With the collaboration of local artists and the community we raised and donated nearly $3,000 to Safe Haven, the Contributor and other local charities. We’re always looking for new ways to contribute, a few times we gave away our advertising space to charities and donated caffeine to jump start event volunteers at 5:30am, coffee is essential at that hour!

2010 Another year to remember! Here’s what we were able to accomplish with your help…

• Thanks to your help Lacey and team raised over $500 for PIH’s Stand With Haiti campaign at a CREMA January bake sale!
• The quick assistance from the CREMA community resulted in over three truckloads of supplies for immediate use by those displaced at tent city by the Nashville flood.
• 2010 marked the third annual CREMA Christmas and it raised $2,000 alone for Safe Haven and People Loving Nashville.
• CREMA donated $25 to Hume Fogg, $50 to the Nashville School of the Arts and $300 to The Contributor.
• A requirement of displaying artwork at CREMA is a donation to a charity of choice. Although unmeasured in 2010, six artists displayed and sold their art and pledged a portion of sales to their charity of choice.
• As we do every year, CREMA sponsored employees who participated in local walks and races for charity.

Follow us on Twitter or find us on Facebook to be the first to know about 2011 events! Our big event will be the fourth annual CREMA Christmas in December, hope we’ll see you there.