The Alchemist Coffee Lab is having a grand opening Monday 11:30 a.m. in its new Tower District home on Wishon Street in the former Hi-Top Coffee location. Owner Hamzeh Mahmoud is seeking to create a unique coffee brewing and drinking experience for customers. He also owns the Q29 Roastery in Fresno. Photo by Ben Hensley.

A local coffee roaster has moved into the space previously occupied by Hi-Top Coffee on Wishon Street in Tower District, bringing a unique brewing style, specialty-crafted beans and a welcoming atmosphere to the area.

The Alchemist Coffee Lab opened its doors for a soft opening in mid-December with plans to celebrate its grand opening Monday at 11:30 a.m.

Owner Hamzeh Mahmoud says the plans to open a coffee shop have been a long time coming.

“I’ve been roasting coffee for about seven years now,” he said. “It was always in the plan eventually down the line to get a coffee shop and when this space became available, we jumped on it and it worked out.”

Mahmoud, who owns the Q29 Roastery in Fresno, has roots in the coffee industry. Three years ago, Q29 was launched with just $10,000 startup, and after only one year, the roastery had grown to a six-figure business, according to Mahmoud.

“Most people open a coffee shop first and then they get into roasting,” he said. “We just didn’t have the money.”

After growing Q29 Roastery’s brand and establishing local buyers including Collect Coffee Bar at Campus Pointe and the Hilton Bar and Inn on Shaw, Mahmoud decided to start looking for locations for a potential coffee shop.

The Tower District area has exactly what Mahmoud was looking for in a customer base — a community that is willing to try specialty-grade coffee focused more on natural flavor as opposed to added creams, sugars and other additions.

After acquiring the space on Dec. 1 of last year, Mahmoud and his family and friends kicked into high gear, turning the recently vacated shop into a welcoming atmosphere, painting walls and redecorating to welcome customers to the new store.

The Alchemist did not need to purchase a lot of equipment; Mahmoud had much of what was needed from a coffee truck experiment he worked on during the summer. Despite having only a little more than two weeks to prepare the shop for opening, Mahmoud said that his persistence to open is what allowed the turnover to be so short.

“Persistence and a drive — any business owner that doesn’t have persistence and drive, it doesn’t matter what you do, you won’t be successful,” Mahmoud said.

The Alchemist utilizes unique brewing techniques, including siphon coffee brewing — a technique which boils water in a “beaker-style” glass container, adding spectacle to the brewing process.

“It’s like a show. It’s an experience for the customer,” Mahmoud said.

The Alchemist also offers different coffees that can be brewed in a pour-over style, as well as espresso flights and single-origin flights.

Despite using different techniques to brew coffee, Mahmoud said it’s easy for most baristas to get the hang of — in particular, experienced baristas.

“I didn’t hire anybody that didn’t have experience,” he said. “I made sure that they all have some type of expertise in one location so if one [employee] was lacking in one, the other could pick it up and they could help each other.”

The Alchemist also offers small pastries and snack foods including a variety of toasts, scones, cookies and bagels.

In addition to brewed coffees, espressos and coffee-shop style pastries, Mahmoud also sells his signature blend of beans from Q29, specifically developed for The Alchemist.

Specifically, Mahmoud wants customers to be able to enjoy the atmosphere The Alchemist has curated.

“We want people to sit down and enjoy their experience,” he said. “It’s going to take a little bit longer than they’re used to, but good coffee takes time.”