Infusion Coffee & Tea Crafters is a specialty coffee and tea shop with a passion for providing a beautiful space to experience quality!
Infusion is so much more than your average coffee shop… It is the product of owner Patrick O’Malley’s 30+ years of coffee expertise. Specialty coffee goes beyond how it’s brewed or how intricate the latte art is; although, we have both of those covered for you. Specialty coffee starts at the source. When you order a drink at Infusion, you can trust that not only were the beans bought through direct trade with the farmer but also its quality has been extensively tested and roasted to bring out only the best flavors of each bean. Patrick travels the world to teach, consult, judge coffee competitions, and even to source his own green coffee for Infusion. It makes for a special experience because if you ask your barista, you can hear the backstory of the beans that brewed your cup.
Our Locations
Our cafe started with just one location in Tempe, Arizona, but we will have 3 locations in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area by the end of 2021.
The O.G. Infusion Coffee & Tea - 1300 E 8th Street, #100, Tempe, AZ 85281
Infusion Coffee & Tea at Queen Creek Olive Mill - 25062 S Meridian Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85142
COMING SOON! Infusion Coffee & Tea Drive Thru - 13212 N Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, 85022
Meet The Infusion Team
Patrick O’Malley - Owner, SCA Diploma Holder, SCA Authorized Trainer, Roast Master, Licensed Q Arabica Grader, & Tea Sommelier
Patrick is the founder of Infusion Coffee & Tea Crafters, as well as having several other coffee businesses and partnerships. With his many certifications and years of experience, his love and passion for coffee shine through in every cup.
Patrick was born in Tucson and raised in the small yet cultural town of Bisbee, Arizona. His journey began when he ventured out into the world, with his sights initially set on using his developed palate for a winemaking career, but changing course when a job in Hawaii introduced him to the art and science of coffee production. In 1989, Patrick opened his first coffee business that specialized in the sale and repair of espresso machines. His passion didn’t stop there though, as Patrick also began roasting coffee and curating teas, which led to the creation of his wholesale business in 1998. Espresso Italia coffees and teas can now be found in almost 500 cafes, restaurants, and hotels all over Arizona.
Always in pursuit of honing his craft, Patrick underwent years of training and became only the 43rd person in the world to receive a Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Diploma in 2010. Two years later, members of the SCA asked him to train others in the art of specialty coffee. So, Patrick founded the International Barista & Coffee Academy in 2012. Inspired by the same passion to share the joy of quality coffee and tea, shortly after in 2015, the doors to Infusion Coffee & Tea Crafters opened. The cafe shares space with IBCA so that guests can witness grading and testing in the lab and even watch the roasting process that went into the cup of coffee they are drinking.
Patrick has since received the SCA Trainer of the Year award, the SCA Distinguished Education Coordinator Award, and the Passionate Educator Award from the Specialty Coffee Guild. He now travels internationally to teach with IBCA, judge coffee competitions, lead coffee enthusiasts to the source on coffee voyages with 3 Coffee Guys, consult on research and development with Sanremo Coffee Machines, and to film a coffee documentary.
Rachel - Tempe Lead
Favorite Coffee: Robusta
Favorite Brew Method: AeroPress
Devin - General Manager
Favorite Coffee: El Salvador Black Honey
Favorite Brew Method: Aero Press
Leo- Barista Tempe
Favorite Coffee: Liquid Pie
Favorite Brew Method: Espresso
Gracie - Barista Tempe
Favorite Coffee: Finca La Maria
Favorite Brew Method: French Press
Jesse - Head Roaster
Favorite Coffee: Push
Favorite Brew Method: Pour Over
Marissa - Barista Tempe
Favorite Coffee: Brazil
Favorite Brew Method: Chemex
Bella- Barista Tempe
Favorite Coffee: Finca La Maria
Favorite Brew Method- V 60
Marisa- Queen Creek Lead
Favorite Coffee: Sumatra
Favorite Brew Method: V60
Amber-Barista Tempe
Favorite Coffee: Finca La Maria
Favorite Brew Method: V60
Sophia- Barista Tempe
Favorite Coffee: Rwanda
Favorite Brew Method: V60
David-Production Team
Favorite Coffee: Java
Favorite Brew Method: V60
Rio - The Coffee Dog
Come Have A Drink With Us!
What goes into your cup?
From our high standards for quality, large variety, and expert roasting to our intention to do as much Direct Trade as possible, you are guaranteed an exceptional coffee experience. Below we outline every step of our process from the farmer all the way to the drink in your hand when you’re sitting in our cafe…
We share this because quality coffee has a story worth knowing.
Our green coffee is sourced through direct trade with farmers or green coffee importers that we have vetted and trust. The coffee industry impacts the livelihood of 25 million people, so we make sure to use our purchasing power to create better wages for farmers, more sustainable practices, and higher quality coffee. We do this by doing as much direct trade as possible.
Regardless of where the coffee comes from, the buying process always starts in our Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) certified coffee laboratory. The green coffee is meticulously tested and profiled by the team based on rigorous standards laid out by the SCA and the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). This includes moisture and density meter, water activity meter, and screen sizing.
If the green coffee passes our quality tests, then we move them to the roaster! Yes, we roast all the beans in-house. Depending on the day, you may even get to watch us in action if you take a seat at the bar adjacent to our roasting room or just take a peek through the window on your visit to the cafe. Based on the qualities observed during our tests, we have a sense of how long to roast to bring just the right flavor out of each bean. The beans are roasted to a few different levels to determine which level is best.
The roasted beans are measured again for moisture and density and are now ready for the Infusion team to taste. This process is called “coffee cupping” and involves tasting each roast in order to score and profile based on a combination of tasting notes, aromas, and even how the coffee feels in the mouth. (If you’d like to learn more about this stage of the process, check out our events page for our next public cupping where we guide you through the coffee cupping experience.)
Using all of our roasting results and profiles, we determine specific brewing protocols for each of our coffees. The brew method can bring out the tasting notes that make each bean special and turn down the volume on anything that might take away from the perfect cup. Infusion takes this a step further by using a custom-designed espresso machine from Sanremo, the Sanremo Opera, that Patrick helped design. It allows the barista to set specific pressure levels during each stage of the brewing process. Additionally, all water used for brewing is filtered through our SCA-certified water system.
If after all of these steps we decide to purchase the coffee, it actually goes back to the roaster. We begin a long process of sample roasting with different roast curves and approaches in order to find the absolute best cup quality, flavor, and roast profile. When it comes to our coffee, quality is our top priority.
As you may have guessed, we find coffee to be both a science and an art. The Infusion team of baristas is here to bring you both! All of our baristas are SCA certified, which amounts to an impressive level of training on everything from latte art to flavor profiles and about a dozen brewing techniques.
Coffee Ventures
As a true coffee lover, Patrick is involved with many coffee projects from a documentary and coffee adventure travel to his own international coffee school and providing wholesale coffee for businesses. >> Learn more.