Torque Coffee

Torque Coffee roasts in City Heights, at 35th Street and El Cajon Boulevard, from producers it names at prices it publishes, and at least a fifth of what a customer pays for a bag stays in the country that grew it. The company calls this proportional pricing: the share paid to origin moves in step with the shelf price, a formula it describes as doing the math for both sides.

The coffee list is organized around the people who grew it, such as Francisca Cubillo in Costa Rica or Jhoan Vergara in Colombia, with flavor notes like mulberry jam, honey mango and malt chocolate. Blends called compositions are arranged by profile, from Honey Drop and Cocoa Drop to Gum Drop and Dark Drop. The coffee shop and roastery opens early on weekdays and a little later on weekends.