CxT Roasting Company - Apollo

Tristan Popadziuk pulls shots and roasts beans at CxT, which sits across from the Caterpillar building in downtown Peoria. He went to Costa Rica to learn the work from plantation to cup, which shows up on the cupping table even if you wouldn't know to ask. The shop is family-owned. Single origins come from Peru, Mexico, and Costa Rica on the current rotation.

The Main Street storefront has seating inside and along the sidewalk, plus a separate Apollo lounge the staff will open for larger meetings. The room is cozy. A window view of downtown gives regulars a daily watching post. Home brewing equipment sits for sale near the counter, which is one of the small touches that signals what CxT is doing. The vibe is closer to a neighborhood pour-over bar than a chain cafe.

The pour over with Peru beans is where to start. The Mexico single origin shows the range. Cold brew, cappuccinos, and lattes cover the standard board, with a tea selection for non-coffee drinkers. Pull whichever single origin Tristan tells you to. He'll have an opinion. The barista-roaster overlap is the whole point: the person who roasted your beans is the person dialing in the grinder for your cup.

CxT also runs a satellite location at the Peoria Civic Center for events and concert nights, which extends the reach without diluting the Main Street operation. The Apollo lounge next door is the move for small meetings, and the staff will open it on request.

The retail home brewing equipment on the wall is the kind of stock that signals a roaster who expects you to take the work home. Wifi isn't mentioned in reviews, so don't plan around it for a long laptop session. Downtown Peoria workers wanting a real owner-roasted cup, and small meetings looking for the Apollo lounge as a side room, will find what they need on Main Street.