A window of opportunity
Pandemic doesn’t stop Lincoln City duo from giving new coffee shop a shot
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
If you are in the Nelscott area of Lincoln City and catch the scent of good, strong coffee wafting on a gentle breeze, you are probably close to Zefir.
The brand-new coffee shop, whose name is the phonetic spelling of “gentle breeze” translated from the original Greek, is targeting people who love the taste of a well-roasted bean. The shop was opened just this month by long-time business partners Krista Melone and Rachel Baird.
“Both Rachel and I have had different experiences of coffee roasting and preparation styles from all over the world,” Melone said. “We both have come to really love a bold brew. It’s one of the reasons we do French press instead of drip; we really want the complexities of the coffee to be present.”
Melone has no interest in throwing shade at any other coffee providers, though.
“I’m not saying what we are doing is better than any other place in town, just different,” she said. “We cater to people that really enjoy a more old-world-style coffee preparation, where you can really experience the flavor of the beans and the roasting choices.”
After trying a few different options, the partners settled on a dark roast from a company they had been fans of well before starting the new business.
“We use locally roasted beans from Left Coast Coffee Company,” Melone said. “They know a lot about coffee and it shows in the way they roast. I like all of the different types they have, but the dark roast is my favorite and that’s what we serve.”
The menu does not include food, but there will be sweets, notably a confection of the same name as the shop, crafted by another of Melone and Baird’s local partners.
“There is a classic Russian confection named Zefir, and the Chocolate Frog is working on making a version especially for us,” Melone said. “It’s similar to a marshmallow in structure and will be filled with a fruit compote and dusted with powdered sugar. Ours will be made with agar instead of gelatin too, so vegetarians can enjoy them. They will melt really nicely into the coffee.”
The shop features a specialty drink every few weeks, and stocks ice cream for those warm beach days. And, though they do not plan to provide more than delectable accents to the beverages, Melone said great food is on offer nearby.
“The Nelscott Breakfast House is right up the street,” she said. “I’ve been there a few times already and I’m totally impressed. Their beignets are as good as the ones I’ve had in New Orleans. And I’d rather have people bring food from other places than have supplies that might end up being wasted.”
And, though her relationship with neighbor to the south ZuhGLife Surf Shop is good, she might owe a few free cups of coffee to the owner.
“Our main barista, besides me, is Olivia Pablo,” Melone said. “I poached her from the surf shop because I thought she was great. She still works there part-time too, so I’m pretty sure they aren’t mad at me.”
The options for accents to any of the beverage options include flavored syrups and one other “mod” that’s more about effect than flavor.
“As far as I know we are the only place in town offering a CBD infusion,” Melone said. “Though we can’t make any assurances about the effects, the theory of the benefits is that it counteracts the negative side effects that caffeine can have, so you still get all the wake-up without any of the jitteriness.”
Plans to open in the spring were delayed by the pandemic, but once Phase I began, a further delay happened due to the special nature of the building that houses the shop.
“This is a historical building so there can be very minimal changes,” Malone said. “Figuring out how to do a walk-up window without causing any structural damage was a challenge. The counter window system seems to be working quite well for now though.”
The small indoor space included in the coffee shop purchase will provide a cozy spot when people need shelter from more-than-gentle breezes when the timing is right.
“We’d like to have the inside open by this winter,” Melone said. “Money we were planning to have for remodeling is gone now so we’ll see how it goes, but we had a special designer who came by and gave me some suggestions on how to maximize the space and it has me pretty excited.”
In the meantime, you can visit the window seven days a week.
“We might have some days that aren’t as busy as others, but I think it’s better for us to be open consistently than not at all,” Melone said. “We already have regulars so we’re pretty optimistic.”
Zefir is located at 3203 SW Hwy. 101 and is open daily from 8:30 am to 3 pm.