In the Kitchen: Meet Stephen Miller of Longshore Coffee

Right off Tiogue Avenue in Coventry, past the lake, look for the white, modern farmhouse-style building with black trim and a teal blue sign. Inside you’ll find Stephen Miller, serving up coffee drinks like this summer’s Friendship Bracelet, a tasty confection of spiced peach, brown sugar, and vanilla, shaken with a concentrated shot of espresso (ristretto) and milk. The youthful beverage tracks for Miller who spent six years as a Providence high school teacher. It was there that the former home-roaster was inspired after creating fictional business plans for a coffee shop with his class.

In 2019, a student asked, “Mr. Miller, why don’t you start your own business?” The following school year, he decided to do just that and let the students see the whole process in real time. After they graduated, he opened the doors to Longshore Coffee in the fall of 2021. Converting a former home into a bright and cheerful coffee shop with a minimalist, bohemian vibe, Miller made the garage into the roastery, kept the original glass doors (to his office), and maintained the original hearth and fireplace as the heart of the sitting space. The bar was designed mindfully to maximize every inch, allowing for more seating and bright sunlight inside.

Miller sources coffee from farms and producers around the globe, roasting premium blends and single-origin specialty coffees. He works in small batches (6.6 pound capacity) using a Mill City Roasters gas roaster, which he finds allows for greater control and consistency, and likens the process of creating blends to assembling parts to a song. For single-origin coffees, his aim is to roast for maximal flavor development according to the characteristics of each particular coffee.

In addition to all the classic coffee drinks and fun menu items like the Kiddiccino (steamed milk with flavor syrup), there are breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and baked goods. And for merch-loving coffee-drinkers, a tote bag designed by Providence artist Jenny Brown is for sale, as part of the shop’s artist series.

“What you don’t want to miss when you’re ordering is the Beach Coffee. Miller says, “It’s a banana latte made with banana milk and banana syrup, topped with a cinnamon maple cold foam.” The sweet sip has been a Longshore best-seller from day one, and Miller says it will always be on the menu. “We wanted to make something that would be popular year-round, and also pay homage to Rhode Island being the Ocean State. It’s great in the summer to sip on the way to the beach, and during the winter, it gives folks the hope of warmer days to come.”
315 South Main Street, Coventry, LongshoreCoffee.com