Specialty Sonoran coffee culture across two distinct Tucson cafes, featuring meticulously sourced single-origins and a relaxed, community-first vibe.
Cartel Roasting Co. established its Tucson presence as part of a larger mission to cultivate specialty coffee culture across the Southwest. Founded in Tempe in 2008 by Jason and Amy Silberschlag, the company rebranded from Cartel Coffee Lab to Cartel Roasting Co. in late 2021 to reflect its maturation into a multi-faceted roasting, baking, and canning operation. While the physical roasting of their single-origin beans takes place at their centralized 12,000-square-foot production facility in Tempe, where roastery manager Laurel Lynn operates a 70-kilo Loring Peregrine and a San Franciscan SF25, the Tucson outposts serve as vital neighborhood hubs. These cafes translate the brand's meticulous sourcing philosophy into daily community spaces, offering carefully prepared pour-overs, espresso pulls, and local collaborations.
The company operates two distinct locations in Tucson, each catering to a different local subculture. The downtown cafe, located at 210 East Broadway Boulevard, opened in January 2014 in a historic 1937 Art Deco building that originally housed a Safeway supermarket. Situated next to Brick Box Brewery, this space features high ceilings, industrial accents, and an open floor plan where patrons can order espresso drinks, house-made pastries, and even pizza. Further north, the Campbell Grant location at 2516 North Campbell Avenue offers a spacious, study-friendly environment with a relaxed atmosphere that the founders playfully describe as "Willie Nelson during finals week". This location is highly popular with University of Arizona students who pack the large wooden tables and couches, utilizing the abundant power outlets and free Wi-Fi.
At the heart of the beverage program is a rotating selection of single-origin coffees sourced directly from international farms, such as the third-generation, woman-managed Finca Palin in El Salvador. Baristas prepare these coffees using precise extraction methods, including Chemex pour-overs and shots of their signature, seasonally shifting espresso blends. Beyond traditional espresso, the menu highlights regional flavors with drinks like the Sonoran Sun Cold Brew, which is steeped for 22 hours, and canned Night Vision Nitro cold brew. Reflecting its deep ties to the local community, Cartel also partners with Tucson-based purveyors, sourcing specialty green tea from Seven Cups and prickly pear herbal tea from Maya Tea. This commitment to local collaboration is further reflected in their business model, as the founders launched a community-based crowdfunding campaign in late 2025 to transition toward collective ownership.
Try the 22-hour Sonoran Sun Cold Brew or a prickly pear herbal tea sourced from local blender Maya Tea. If you need to study, the Campbell Avenue location has plenty of outlets and a relaxed, collegiate atmosphere.
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