Imagine, if you will, an iced coffee that isn’t shitty. Imagine an iced coffee that is an art-form, an experience; something refreshing, beautiful, and full-bodied. Sound impossible? Just a little too heavenly to be real life? Well, not anymore. Gone are the days of 12 hour old coffee grounds lazily steeped in water, poured over ice, and called acceptable. Our saviors, Commune + Co., have come to free us from our over-caffeinated prisons of eternal run-of-the-mill iced coffee suffering.  And they’re doing it all from a bicycle.

Commune + Co. was started in 2013 by Joel Davis, and founded on the dream of making iced coffee that was something just as revered and respected as craft beers. To make this a reality, they created their own method of cold brewing, dubbed Pressure Brewed Ice Coffee, which allows for less wait time, and accounts for a fresher, more enriched flavor. To top it all off, they serve their creations nitro tapped, which adds a creamy, silky feel to the finished cup.

Being that Commune + Co. is currently only a mobile operation, this past Saturday, Davis and his team set up shop at Schiller’s Salvage in Downtown Tampa. An important aspect of the business is that it incorporates the community, and local businesses of Tampa Bay. Many came out for the coffee (courtesy of C + C’s gracious hosts), but stayed for the conversation, and to explore Schiller’s vast warehouse of vintage-y goodness. Not only do they seek community partnership via pop ups, their concoctions can also be found on tap in places such as Datz Dough, and Local Public House and Provisions.

At its core, the company is about putting the craft back into making artisan coffees, and to cultivate an environment that can bring together Tampa Bay by way of a shared cup of damn good iced coffee. Their pop ups allow for people to join in on something meaningful and enjoyable, and to create networks for places and people that may not have crossed paths otherwise. Not only is Commune + Co. transforming the definition of iced coffee, they are changing the entire experience.

Recently, Commune + Co. has come into some resistance from local ordinances in Ybor City that takes aim at mobile businesses. Stemming from a time when there were countless such street-side vendors that became too difficult to regulate, a law was passed that essentially makes it illegal to sell there. Fortunately for them, it is not impossible to override this law. They just need to show community support and demand for their product. Within the coming weeks, they will be releasing a petition, that will help to solidify their well-deserved legitimacy. 

Commune +Co. can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and you can track their locations at www.communeandco.com.