cheyenne_young_san_geronimo_valley_espresso
COFFEE: Cheyenne Young, whose espresso bar is nestled inside a Forest Knolls mercantile, fondly calls his steeped coffee “Inverness creek mud.” It’s made by French press, which allows the grounds to “bloom,” resulting in a richer, rounder flavor—and oftentimes some grit. Mr. Young, an Inverness native who also works as a coffee rep for a boutique roaster based in Terra Linda, has been serving valley locals and passersby since January.   David Briggs

Making coffee on Tuesday morning, Cheyenne Young followed a precise routine: 19 grams of grounds tamped into the portafilter and 30 seconds for water to flow through, yielding two ounces of rich, smooth espresso. “I’m just really happy to be here in my own spot,” he said, looking out over the counter of Pump Espresso Bar. “It’s such a beautiful office to work in.” Pump, a coffee bar located at the edge of Forest Knolls, opened in January. But Mr. Young has been serving coffee quite a bit longer: “I pulled my first shot of espresso in 1986,” he said, at the Knave of Hearts Bakery in Inverness Park. Mr. Young grew up in Inverness, but moved to the Lake Tahoe area after the Mount Vision fire, working in restaurants and playing music. After returning to Marin eight years ago, he began to focus on the coffee trade, working at the Coast Café and Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall. While living in Fairfax, he met Tom Carhart, owner of Terra Linda’s Palio Coffee. The company operates its own roastery in Alameda, and Mr. Young said that the freshness of the roasted beans was immediately noticeable. “His product was far superior to what I had been working with with Stumptown, Four Barrel, and Equator,” he said, referring to three stalwarts of the high-end coffee business. Mr. Young became a representative for Palio Coffee, and convinced the Coast Café, Saltwater Oyster Depot, the Palace Market and Good Earth Natural Foods to use Palio beans. He and his wife, Samantha, now operate two businesses under the same roof: Pump and the Garageland Marketplace, which sells vintage and Marin-made items. Mr. Young said they aren’t sure how long they’ll be able to stay—the building is for sale, and his lease is now month-to-month—but said that if he can, he’d like to eventually roast his own beans. For now, all of Pump’s coffee comes from Palio’s roastery in Alameda. Mr. Young uses Straus Family Creamery milk, his own organic, vegan chocolate sauce, his own organic vanilla syrup, and homemade marshmallows. In addition to coffee, Pump offers fresh lemonade, tea from valley-based Key Tea, and muffins and banana bread from the Coast Café. Pump is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, and from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, at 3700 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.