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, locally-roasted beans, precise methods, and superior equipment to hand-craft the finest traditional Italian 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.
A community of good people
“Do good and good will follow you” Hillis our 99 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, expand your coffee mind-brains and be good people. We are committed to continual learning and discovery of what it means to be good people.
In 2008-09 with the collaboration of local artists and the community we raised and/or donated nearly $3,000 to Safe Haven, the Contributor and other local charities. We’re always finding new ways to be a part of the local community, such as giving away our advertising space to charities and donating caffeine to jump start event volunteers at 5:30am!
Our plans for 2010 are ambitious and we need your help. Already this year, thanks to your help Lacey and team raised over $500 for PIH’s Stand With Haiti campaign at a CREMA January bake sale! Also with the quick assistance from the CREMA community we collected over three truckloads of supplies for immediate use by those displaced at tent city by the Nashville flood. 2010 marks the third annual CREMA Christmas, stay in touch to learn how you can help. Third, we’re going to sponsor ourselves as we participate in walk/runs that support local charities, should be fun! And last we continue to advance a sustainability philosophy by implementing our Mayor of Sustainability’s research. Do you have a project or idea for us, let us know!
