When it comes to speciality coffee in Phoenix, you need to include the surrounding cities, particularly Scottsdale (east), Tempe (southeast), and, beyond that, today’s destination: Chandler. And when it comes to Chandler, there’s one name on everyone’s lips: Peixoto. Indeed, several people suggested I’d be well served making a specific trip just to visit Peixoto, so having arrived on the early flight from Miami exactly a week ago, and with a free afternoon to kill, I pointed my newly-collected hire car in the direction of Chandler…

What marks Peixoto out as special is its crop-to-cup philosophy, taking the ethos of direct trade to its logical conclusion. I’ve seen this in coffee-producing countries such as Vietnam (Oriberry Coffee) and China (Lanna Coffee), but this is the first time I’ve seen it outside of those regions. In Peixoto’s case, (some of) the coffee comes from the Peixoto family farm in Brazil, imported directly to the roastery in the corner of the coffee shop and, from there, straight to your cup. Short of moving to Brazil, it doesn’t come more direct trade than that!

There’s more on this in Peixoto’s Meet the Roaster feature, while this post focuses on the coffee shop.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Peixoto is in the heart of Chandler, a block south of the literal centre on South Arizona Avenue, although the address is West Boston Street. It’s on the southeast corner of a small block on the corner of Arizona and Boston, the front of the store facing east onto Arizona Avenue and the side overlooking a large parking lot to the south, handy when you’re driving.

The location means it catches plenty of sun and, with tall picture windows on both sides, it’s very bright inside. Even on a “winter” day in February, the sun was so strong that the blinds had to be down on the south side to stop us all frying!

The layout is essentially square, with the door slightly-recessed in the right-hand corner. There are a handful of tables outside on the pavement out front for those who really want the sun, but the bulk of the seating is inside, where the tall ceilings and air-conditioning keep it cool, even when the roaster is going (which is most days).

It’s a gorgeous space, with, ironically, lots of lights. It’s defined by the large counter, which is directly ahead of you and occupies most of the right-hand wall, and the roastery, which is an open area in the opposite corner at the back on the left. The seating, with the exception of two communal tables, is arranged around the edges. These two tables form an L in the centre of the room. There’s a six-person table parallel to front, while an eight-person one which between the counter on the right and the windows on the left.

There’s a window bar along front to the left of the door, then comes a pair of armchairs in front-left corner. A long bench follows along left-hand wall/windows, complete with a line of two-person tables. Next there’s another armchair, then a sofa, its back to the roaster. Carrying on, there’s a narrow bar down the right-hand side of the roastery area with five low stools.

Finally, you can sit along the left-hand side of the counter on one of six high stools. There’s plenty of space on the broad counter-top and you have excellent views of the pour-over (directly in front of you) and good views of the Sanremo Café Racer espresso machine which faces the door at the front of the counter off to your right.

Peixoto only roasts single-origins, one of which, from the family farm, is available on both espresso and pour-over, while the others are only available on pour-over. There’s also bulk-brew, plus a decaf Brazilian on espresso/pour-over. Other than the beans from the family farm, which are available all year round, the single-origins are seasonal, lasting anything from one month to four months, depending on how much has been bought in.

The espresso menu has the usual options (3oz macchiato, 5oz cortado, 6oz cappuccino, 8oz latte, with a 16oz option to cater to the local market). Pour-over options include Aeropress, V60 and Kalita Wave, all made into Pyrex cylindrical jugs from Ikea, before being served in mugs. The pour-overs can be made over ice, while there’s the usual cold-brew and nitro options too.

Although this was my first visit, I was familiar with Peixoto’s single-origins, a colleague having given me several bags of its coffee over the last year which I’ve enjoyed at home as pour-overs. I therefore went for an espresso-based drink, taking barista’s recommendation of a cappuccino, served with a glass of water. This was an excellent choice, the coffee going very well with the milk, which highlighted the coffee’s rich, chocolately notes. Perfect.

December 2018: Peixoto was a runner-up for the 2018 Brian’s Coffee Spot Special Award.

January 2019: The roaster has been moved out to a dedicated facility to meet increasing demand, which you can read all about in Peixoto’s Meet the Roaster piece. The spot where the roaster used to be has been turning into a neat seating area. The only other change is that Peixoto has lost its convenient parking lot just to the south, which was a building site when I returned. However, there is still plenty of on-street parking nearby.

If you enjoyed this Coffee Spot, then take a look at the rest of Phoenix’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to Phoenix.

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