Saint Frank Coffee: Franciscan Hospitality and Relational Third-Wave Roasting in San Francisco

Who They Are: A Theology Student's Vision for San Francisco Specialty Coffee

Saint Frank Coffee (online at saintfrankcoffee.com) was founded in 2013 in San Francisco, California by Kevin Bohlin, a specialty coffee professional and former theology student who wanted to strip away the pretension often associated with high-end third-wave coffee bars. Opening its flagship neighborhood café at 2340 Polk Street in Russian Hill and later expanding to a roastery hub at 1081 Mission Street and additional Bay Area locations, Saint Frank quickly earned national recognition from specialty coffee publications such as Sprudge alongside mainstream culinary critics.

Verified active on October 29, 2026 with forty-one single-origin, blend, taster-box, and subscription listings, Saint Frank takes its name affectionately from Saint Francis of Assisi—the thirteenth-century Italian friar who is the namesake of the city of San Francisco. Bohlin has explained in interviews with the National Catholic Register and specialty coffee press that studying the life of Saint Francis convinced him that coffee should be a medium of humble, joyful human connection uniting the farmer at origin, the barista behind the counter, and the neighbor across the bar.

Current Coffee Catalog: Bolivian Geshas, Honduran Relationship Lots, and Taster Boxes

Saint Frank Coffee's catalog represents the pinnacle of light-to-medium third-wave specialty roasting, where every bag carries the name of the individual smallholder farmer or washing station that produced it. Rather than hiding producers behind generic regional labels, Saint Frank returns year after year to the same partner families in Bolivia, Honduras, Guatemala, Kenya, and Ethiopia, offering 10-ounce retail bags, 5-pound bags, recurring subscriptions, and a signature Single Origins Taster Box containing four 4-ounce pouches.

Verified on October 29, 2026, the single-origin roster features extraordinary high-elevation lots from Caranavi, Bolivia—including Bolivia Huellas de Jaguar Gesha grown by producer Juan Jose 'Juanjo' Machicado (with delicate tasting notes of clementine citrus, ripe peach, jasmine blossom, and Earl Grey tea), Bolivia El Porvenir Gesha (black cherry, plum, and honeysuckle), and Bolivia Noche Fría Gesha by producer Juvenal Quijhua (star anise, warm cinnamon, and mandarin). From Central America, Saint Frank showcases Little Saint — Pompilio Ramos from Santa Barbara, Honduras—one of the company's foundational decade-long farmer relationships—alongside Guatemala Don Guayo, a rare Bourboncito varietal cultivated on the slopes of Volcán de Agua with notes of sweet orange, milk chocolate, and caramel.

East African coffees are equally prominent, led by Kenya Karuthi Espresso and Kenya Thuti from Nyeri County, prized for sparkling pink grapefruit and blackcurrant acidity. Because Saint Frank purchases finite micro-harvests from individual smallholders, specific single-origin releases rotate seasonally throughout the year.

What Distinguishes Saint Frank Coffee for Its Customers

Saint Frank stands out in this guide as a bridge between elite third-wave specialty coffee culture and Franciscan relational ethics. For coffee enthusiasts who love rare botanical varietals like Bolivian Gesha, Honduran Pacas, and Kenyan SL-28 roasted with nordic-style clarity, Saint Frank delivers competition-caliber coffees that routinely attract praise from secular coffee critics.

Yet unlike minimalist cafés that can feel cold or transactional, Saint Frank's spaces and packaging radiate warmth, gratitude toward named farmers, and genuine hospitality—proving that technical excellence and personal humility reinforce one another.

Public Customer Feedback and Independent Press Reception

Independent third-party specialty coffee and hospitality journalism (Sprudge, The Infatuation San Francisco, Eater SF) and local café reviews, checked October 29, 2026.

Because Saint Frank operates prominent brick-and-mortar cafés in San Francisco in addition to its national webstore, its customer reception is extensively documented across independent third-party hospitality platforms and coffee journalism (checked October 29, 2026). Reviews in The Infatuation, Eater San Francisco, and Sprudge consistently single out the Russian Hill flagship on Polk Street for its bright, airy oak interior, friendly baristas, and immaculate espresso and pour-over execution.

Online whole-bean buyers and Taster Box subscribers similarly praise the floral and fruit transparency of the Bolivian Gesha and Honduran relationship lots, noting that Saint Frank's light-medium roasting preserves delicate terroir without grassy underdevelopment.