Current State Coffee’s First Cafe is Presently Open in Shawnee, Kansas

Inside the new Current State Coffee Roasting roastery cafe in Shawnee, Kansas. All images courtesy of Current State Coffee Roasting.

There’s no time like the present to enjoy a quality cup of coffee in Shawnee, Kansas, where Current State Coffee Roasting’s new roastery cafe now stands at the ready.

The roasting company’s first cafe fills a nearly century-old red-brick building in downtown Shawnee, with heated concrete floors and high arched ceilings supported by industrial rafters.

“We wanted the building to steer the design, because it is a historic building, pushing 100 years old now,” Nick Robertson, co-founder and coffee director of Current State Coffee Roasting, told Daily Coffee News. “Instead of design heavy, we wanted it to just be heavy.”

A rammed-earth bar with layered colors anchors the space while supporting separate drink-prep stations at either end. Solid walnut cabinetry and oak chairs made from old church pews add to the sturdy feel, while a windowed garage-bay door opens the shop to a front patio with green metal chairs and tables, lawn and potted plants.

“We wanted it to feel like a factory that you’re invited into to be a part of,” Robertson, previously the green coffee buyer and co-founder of Kansas City, Missouri-based Messenger Coffee, said. “We’ve got the roaster front and center, for everybody to see.”

Kiersten Rex, also a founding partner and former head roaster for Messenger Coffee, leads roasting for Current State on an 18-kilogram-capacity US Roaster Corp machine in full view of guests, using green coffees selected and sample-roasted by Robertson.

Current State’s first roasted coffees hit the wholesale market late last year, while the brand publicly launched in January 2026. The company was co-founded by Robertson, Seleno Coffee Owner Josh Greenlee and Seleno Coffee Co-Founder David Weber.

For Current State, Robertson said he leans toward clean, traditionally processed coffees from a focused group of producing countries. The current lineup includes coffees from Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Peru, plus a decaf from Mexico, purchased through importers including Shared Source, Swift Coffee Sourcing and Cafe Imports.

The goal is not to tell the story of the entire coffee belt or chase breakthroughs in post-harvest flavor science, the company said. Current State instead takes a back-to-basics approach, showcasing terroir and processing methods traditionally associated with each place where the coffees are grown.

“The concept of the brand is leaning into an early-2000s style cafe. You probably won’t see a lot of funky coffees on the menu,” Robertson said. “In the same spirit of a high-quality Pilsner brewery, discerning quality in coffee or in a beer is about the fundamentals of processing, and not the imposing of other flavors to make it palatable.”

That philosophy extends to the house espresso program, which leans into an old-school, Italian-spirited approach, with rich, low-acid triple-basket shots forming the base for classic drinks prepared on a three-group La Marzocco Linea Classic paired with a La Marzocco Swan grinder.

At the other end of the bar, a single-group La Marzocco GS3 and Bee House drippers handle single-origin espresso and manual pourover brews, respectively. Robertson said that side of the bar showcases the company’s “more progressive American coffee perspective.” 

Robertson said cultivating a culture of appreciation will remain an ongoing project at Current State, whose next step is simply to stay present and keep improving.

“Though the vision is simple, we’ve got a long way to go before we’re perfect, so the next step is just trying to achieve perfection,” Robertson said. “We definitely want to just fill in the space that we have and figure out what Shawnee wants the most. The Current State brand is about being present, being in your current state, paying attention to coffee.”

Current State Coffee Roasting is located at 11217 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kansas.

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