John and Jenna Wicks. Photo: Drum Coffee
[W]hen Drum Coffee co-founder/owner John Wicks isn’t managing his Missoula, Montana, business with his wife Jenna, he moonlights as a drummer for Fitz and The Tantrums. Years of working as a barista himself in Seattle at the first-ever Starbucks, before his band gained widespread fame, inspired dreams of opening his own café. Earlier this month, the Wicks celebrated a milestone as Drum Coffee opened its third location in Missoula’s historic Florence Building lobby, which was painstakingly restored in 2002 to preserve the location’s original Art Deco elements. John and Jenna say opening an espresso bar in the lobby was a no brainer for the couple: “It’s like stepping into a Wes Anderson film.”
The new espresso bar features Drum’s signature Northern Italian-inspired beverage menu and artisanal truffles, caramels, toffee, and sipping chocolate from local chocolatier Posh Chocolat.
Drum is also making its national debut as the company launches a new roast collection, available online and wholesale. The company began roasting its own coffee in 2017 with the opening of its second location. A Probat 12 kilo roaster imported from Germany creates the company’s custom roasts, personally curated by Wicks to reflect his love of Northern Italian coffee. The initial launch features five custom roasts, including the Luigi (traditional Italian espresso blend with tasting notes of peanut butter and chocolate spice); Airto (drip blend, African/Brazilian with tasting notes of chocolate, citrus, and bakers spice); Elvin (African blend with tasting notes of strawberry, black grape, and saltwater taffy); Ethiopia Guji (medium roast with tasting notes of blueberry, lemongrass, and pie crust); and Brazil Cerrado (medium blend with tasting notes of vanilla, maple syrup, and lime zest).
