Alderaan Coffee

Alderaan, as all Stars Wars fans probably know, is the planet Princess Leia comes from, and is known, according to “wookiepedia,” as a place of “unspoiled beauty, refined culture, and commitment to peace.”

Milwaukee’s Alderaan coffee shop, by contrast, is considerably more down to earth. Located at 1560 N. Water St., it’s on the corner of N. Water St. and E. Pleasant St. on the first floor of The Flatiron building and is very well trafficked, with a bike path and a bus stop directly in front of its patio. Inside is a 1,400 square-foot retail space with expansive, floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides that bring the city into the coffee house.

Co-owners and brothers David and Daniel Neumann brought their coffee knowledge to Milwaukee all the way from New York, where they have two Upright Coffee shops, not to mention Upright Brew House. But the Neumanns are also Milwaukee natives. David and his wife moved back to Madison to be closer to their families, and Neumann soon began seeking spaces for a coffee shop in Milwaukee and Madison

We fell in love with our new space… as soon as we saw it,” David told sprudge.com. “The space was completely raw–there was even gravel on the floor–so we had a blank slate. The building is designed with an industrial feel that paralleled our aesthetic.”

Daniel Neumann hand-designed the cafe’s geometric wooden tables and the flashing, vintage-style “A” that dominates the back wall of the shop. Gray cinder-block walls were left mostly exposed to mimic the neighborhood’s industrial vibe, Neumann said, while its back wall sports crimson paint.

As for the name, the two brothers are Star Wars fans, but the design inside is anything but spaceship-like. It’s strictly urban and urbane.

Alderran is a multi-roaster coffee shop, which rotates their selection from roasters throughout the U.S. “We feature coffee from:  Anodyne in Milwaukee; Kickapoo Coffee from Viroqua, WI; and Brooklyn Roasting Company in Brooklyn, NY.  We will add other roasters, to give people the opportunity to try a number of different options”, says David Neumann.  That’s the virtue of running a small shop, you can buy small batches of “whatever’s in season, whatever’s amazing at the time,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Alderaan offer a multitude of made- in-house syrups, including favorites  French Lavender, Madagascar Vanilla, and salted caramel syrups. The French lavender “makes an amazing smoky, floral latte,” Neumann noted. “It’s been a huge hit” at his New York cafes.

“We source the best ingredients we can to make our syrups,” Neumann says. “This gives us control over the whole process and enables us to produce an amazing product.”

In addition to their in-house syrups, Alderaan makes fresh, homemade almond milk. It also offer up fresh pastries, delivered every morning from Troubadour Bakery in Bay View.

So far the response has been nothing but positive. “Our customers have been overwhelmingly happy with our syrups, almond milk and selection.”

Alderaan seats about 30, and will add outdoor seating come spring.

More information and a full menu can be found on their Facebook page or at alderaancoffee.com

Photo Gallery