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Flavor Moments: MoAv Coffee

Stella Fong
/
YPR

A cup of java jolts those who enter MoAv Coffee at the corner of N 25th Street and Montana Avenue in the historic Carlin Hotel built in 1913.  Jeff Hosa, co-owner of MoAv coffee confessed, “We always say we are nerds about coffee.” From dawn to beyond dusk, this gathering space offers caffeine to bring pulse to life in the mornings or calm through wine and beer later in the day.

Credit Stella Fong
Entrance to MoAv Coffee in the historic Carlin Hotel built in 1913.

The site of Club Carlin has been extensively remodeled to provide space for poetry readings, open mic nights, and convening with friends. Hosa, continued, “Everyone who comes in here, we call them our guests. They are not customers but our guests.”

Hosa’s intent was to have a place where people could come together without being in a bar scene, but still offer a “lounge area” to hang out and relax.

All food is cooked in house with offerings of croissants and sandwiches. In the evening, more small plates will be offered.

Employees have been encouraged to create specialty drinks with names as Undertow, small drink incorporating cold cream layered on top of espresso. Hosa explained the experiential effect of an undertow from being in the ocean. A sip of the warm espresso is followed with a hit from the cold cream.  Another refreshment, the Dirty Palmer plays off the Arnold Palmer, but mixes a cold brew instead of black tea with lemonade.

Behind the counter, scales and timers bring exactness to the coffee served. Hosa wanted “The coffee taste exactly the same everyday” with every drink made consistently. Aside from the regular espresso drinks, pour overs and brew made through siphoning with halogen heating are available.

Credit Stella Fong
Refurbished vintage bike brining nitro coffee to events.

Nitro coffee was introduced recently. A refurbished vintage bike with a trailer will be available at events such as weddings to serve up nitro coffee with creamy foam.  The nitro technique makes Guiness beer popular and is

In house coffee roasting occurs twice a week to supply wholesale clients as well as MoAv. The 100 to 150 pounds of coffee roasted in a portable roaster on a given day must sit for at least two days before grinded up and brewed.  

MoAv Coffee continues to brew vitality in a popular gathering space of yesterday for current day. 

Credit Stella Fong
Jeff Hosa with coffee roaster.

Stella Fong shares her personal love of food and wine through her cooking classes and wine seminars as well as through her contributions to Yellowstone Valley Woman, and Last Best News and The Last Best Plates blogs. Her first book, Historic Restaurants of Billings hit the shelves in November of 2015 with Billings Food available in the summer of 2016. After receiving her Certified Wine Professional certification from the Culinary Institute of America with the assistance of a Robert Parker Scholarship for continuing studies, she has taught the Wine Studies programs for Montana State University Billings Wine and Food Festival since 2008. She has instructed on the West Coast for cooking schools such as Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, Macy’s Cellars, and Gelsons, and in Billings, at the Billings Depot, Copper Colander, Wellness Center, the YMCA and the YWCA. Locally she has collaborated with Raghavan Iyer and Christy Rost in teaching classes.