Press
The New York Times
"Grab a coffee at what, I believe, is the city’s largest La Colombe, or the L.G.B.T.Q.-owned Persimmon Coffee near the corner of Frankford and East Girard."
Eater
"Since it launched in 2020, Persimmon Coffee has been Philly’s most in-demand roving coffee pop-up. With a new brick-and-mortar, it’s here to stay."
Sprudge
"In a city with such a well-established coffee industry, it can be hard for a micro-roastery to keep up. Instead of trying to compete with the expensive selection and green buying power of the city’s larger roasters, Persimmon Coffee decided to embrace their size and focus their roasting and green buying on a singular coffee at a time. This forces them to approach their roasting with creativity, says Director of Coffee Sawyer Beckley. The goal is to create a coffee that is both approachable and interesting, appealing to both the specialty coffee fan and the new coffee drinker. Though seating is limited, the bright, simple shop is the perfect place to sip and contemplate. They were a 2022 Best New Cafe finalist at the Sprudgie Awards for good reason, and should be a major point of emphasis for coffee lovers exploring Philly."
“Speaking of good coffee, let's move to Philadelphia. Huge coffee scene. Has been one of the great North American coffee scenes for the last twenty years. And guess what? They got a new cafe. I'm talking about Persimmon Coffee. When we ran their build-out, we got so much feedback from Philadelphia natives who were like, thank you. Thank you for mentioning Persimmon Coffee, because it is truly wonderful. We love getting feedback like that. Chaereen Pak, one of Persimmon Coffee's own, led all of the design efforts. The space itself is beautiful, minimalist, very calming. Pak worked with local furniture house, Leeward, to build out their stunning bar with solid oak. It is a community effort, and it is gorgeous. Fishtown is a particularly central neighborhood for cool food and beverage stuff. This cafe looks like it's really kind of raising the bar there for cool coffee stuff. It looks like the coffee is really serious, too. This is a must-see. It’s a must-visit. If you are in the city of Philadelphia for any reason, put this bigly on your list. This is one of the cafes that a lot of the times—build-outs, good build-outs, inspire a lot of wanderlust and desire for travel. Philly is really itself in the summertime. Really makes me wanna go.”
"We are as excitable as anyone else when it comes to a great new cafe, and over the years the Build-Outs program has paid off ten fold when it comes to putting essential new spots on the national radar. We think this is one of those cafes, right in the middle of one of the country’s most interesting food and beverage neighborhoods. You will be hearing more about this project in the months to come. This is Persimmon Coffee in Philadelphia, PA."
Yelp
"Persimmon Coffee blossomed from a pandemic project to a thriving coffee business. They launched in late 2020 with a simple but unique concept: They’d roast one batch of specialty coffee a month and mail it to subscribers on Friday."
Thrillist
"If you’re looking for a new coffee shop to get your morning fuel, look no further. Persimmon Coffee has been making the rounds for the last couple of years as a pop-up, roasting their own beans and pouring it into minimalist drinks. The drinks and beans are well-balanced, and the space in Fishtown leans into their Japanese- and Korean-inspired design roots: it’s an airy, minimalist space with big windows and small stools for quickly sipping your drink and snacking on bites from the pastry case."
Philadelphia Magazine
"Persimmon is all about the rituals of coffee and the community that can spring up around a shared love of something. Now, with a permanent home base, I’m excited to see the team double down on the sense of inclusion and calm joy they’ve been bringing to Philly since they got their start early in the pandemic."
"Existing prior to this as a series of pop-ups, collaborations and online retail, Persimmon has grown its footprint slowly, focusing on community-building and some really good, really interesting coffee. But this shop is what they’ve been building toward since their pandemic beginnings, and I’m excited to see what they can do."
"Less a coffee pop-up than a Japanese/Korean lifestyle brand, Persimmon has been appearing all over the city with limited runs of its own single-origin coffee, perfect cups of pour-over and Japanese flash chilled coffee, and a line of apparel that can only be described as high coffee fashion."
"For now, Persimmon is a pop-up, but their limited drops of beans and simple, precise pour-overs, are inspired by the exacting standards and minimal aesthetic of Japanese cafes."
6abc Action News
"Persimmon Coffee opened last summer on Girard Avenue, with fresh pastries from Bloomsday Cafe and small batch, house-roasted coffee."
Daily Coffee News
"While persimmons won’t typically ripen on the tree until autumn or winter, Philadelphia’s Persimmon Coffee is ready to serve this summer with the opening of its first brick and mortar cafe."
"As a company born amidst the stress of the global coronavirus pandemic alongside a time of racial reckoning in the United States, Persimmon Coffee emerged explicitly as a lifestyle brand inspired by acts of courage and kindness."