Boston still runs on Dunkin'. But a new coffee culture is taking hold.

A cafe in Brookline offers cocktails but hosts a Thai coffee pop-up on weekend mornings, drawing packed lines for pour-over coffee and multiple roasts. The pop-up operator developed a passion after receiving Thai beans in 2020 that tasted like fruit with low acidity, unlike instant coffee. He has since tried to bring that flavor experience to Boston. New immigrant and Asian American entrepreneurs are using scrappy, temporary concepts inside existing venues to reshape a city known for convenience coffee into one centered on craft and cultural identity. Independent operators are growing even as commercial rents rise and chains quickly adopt trends, while customers increasingly seek alternatives to Dunkin’.

"Squished between a Dunkin', a Starbucks, and a Caffè Nero, the bar Merai in Brookline is known for funky cocktails. But on a recent Sunday morning, customers packed inside for pour-over coffee served in stemlessglassware. They were lined up for a high-end pick-me-up from Newbery Street Coffee Roasters, a Thai coffee pop-up that has taken over Merai's space on weekend mornings for the past year."

"In 2020, a friend back home in Thailand mailed him a bag of coffee beans. It tasted like cherry juice and pomegranates, and had low acidity, unlike the instant coffee he was used to. "I never thought coffee could taste like that," the 35-year-old said. "He's been trying to convince Boston of the same ever since.""

"Katisomsakul is part of a new generation of immigrant and Asian American entrepreneurs rethinking the traditional cafe with scrappy pop-ups and temporary concepts inside bars, gyms, and galleries across Boston. Together, they're trying to transform a city long defined by convenience coffee into one driven by craft and cultural identity, even as the economics of Boston are increasingly stacked against them."

"Even as independent operators like Katisomsakul are multiplying, commercial rents are soaring and chains are quickly adapting to trends. But while Boston may still run on Dunkin', its next generation of coffee drinkers increasingly wants something else. Nearing closing time at Newbery, there was hardly an empty seat. Customers sipped light roasts, lingering over them like tea."

Read at Boston.com