Inside the First New Jersey Cafe of Outsiders Coffee
Howard Bryman| August 17, 2026 The new Outsiders Coffee bar in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. All images courtesy of Outsiders Coffee. With its debut coffee shop now open in Scotch Plains, New Jersey,Outsiders Coffee Roastersis hoping to give more people an inside view of the colorful world of specialty coffee. The 800-square-foot cafe balances familiar medium and darker roasts with a growing selection of lighter-roasted single-origin coffees intended to highlight more of their distinct flavor characteristics. A white Sanremo F18 espresso machine paired with aFiorenzato F64grinder sits atop the white stone counter of a slatted wood bar. A Mahlkönig EK43 handles coffee for a Fetco XTS batch brewer and manual pourovers made with Hario Switch brewers and water from aMarco Friia dispenser. AMarco ColdBru systemon the back bar produces cold brew. The menu also includes chai, matcha and seasonal fruit refreshers such as dragonfruit elderflower and mango peach, plus a house tonic with muddled orange and honey-yuzu simple syrup. Pastries come fromKirshenbaum Baking Co.andBalthazar Bakery. With drinks and bites in hand, guests are welcome to a modern cafe environment with bare Edison bulbs, potted plants and natural light from large windows. “I just want to bring specialty coffee to people in a way that feels welcoming and fun,” Outsiders Coffee Roasters Founder Ames Abdon told Daily Coffee News. “I aspire to be a place that offers fantastic coffee that a coffee enthusiast can come to but also have customers on the other side who want a little sugar without feeling judged.” Abdon, a former strength and conditioning coach, turned to coffee after a torn ACL derailed plans to open his own gym. “It was a blessing in disguise,” said Abdon. He trained with Derek De La Paz at Mill City Roasters in Minnesota in 2018 before launching Outsiders from his
Howard Bryman| August 17, 2026 The new Outsiders Coffee bar in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
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