XO Espresso Bar is immensely popular for serving specialty coffee, a unique recipe of beverages and also CBD-infused drinks. Run by an Australian native, David McLennan and his wife Puja McLennan, XO Espresso Bar is quite a swanky place serving high-quality coffee.
The couple migrated to Miami in 2017 to realize their dream of selling specialty coffee. Puja developed a taste for special brews in Kenya, her native. She says she consumes a lot of coffee.
For her, drinking coffee is not about caffeine fix. It is all about flavor and quality. She says that the idea of running a specialty espresso bar came from her personal desire to have a cup of great coffee every time.
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The story behind the unique concept espresso bar
David started off initially with a mobile coffee bar after quitting his fulltime job for his passionate project. He served coffee at private events and at the Brickell City Centre Farmers Market.
He also did a gig at a coffee cart barista which had always been his memorable job. Puja believes that her espresso bar is not just about selling specialty blends and to generate profits. She believes that her mission is to educate her customers about specialty coffee.
David and his wife make sure that the entire team is immersed in their passionate project and understand what specialty coffee is all about. They don’t want to run their pet project like other commercial chains.
After running the mobile coffee bar for about four months, the couple commenced operations outside W Miami in Brickell. Their customers were mainly the residents of Icon Brickell and the diners visiting the nearby restaurants Cantina la Veinte and Cipriani. Their cart served to be a quick refueling stop for passerby’s from Monday through Saturday.
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Unique CBD offerings at the espresso bar
David and Puja started their first coffee bar in February 2019 at Lincoln’s Eatery. The ambiance at the XO Espresso Bar is unlike the Brickell cart. The offerings include cappuccinos, cortaditos and Coladas.
There is an option to choose with regular milk and there are nondairy options as well. The bar also serves Kombucha on tap, nitro cold brews along with wellness lattes served with turmeric, purple potato, activated charcoal or matcha. You can pay 50 cents extra to indulge in espresso frappe in various flavors such as vanilla cream, lavender and dulce de leche.
Moringa and CBD oil flavors can also be opted for at two locations. These two can be added to any of the drinks by paying a little extra.
“Both Moringa and CBD oils are extremely beneficial. These help in relieving joint pain, digestive problems, and menstrual problems. The couple is dedicated to offering CBD-infused drinks and wellness drinks. They are preferred because of all the benefits they have to offer.”
Puja says it makes sense to include these oils in coffee as the drink is a part of the daily ritual of many and is also an easy way to incorporate cannabinoid into one’s routine.
XO is not just about beverages. It also offers freshly baked goods such as butter croissants, walnut and carrot loaves, chocolate chip cookies, vegan banana bread, and keto egg bites. There is also an option for those looking to brew their own coffee at home.
You can purchase freshly roasted beans from the espresso bar. The options offered include Colombian coffee with caramel and candied orange notes, beans from Burundi with hints of vanilla and sweet spices. Icon, the signature blend of XO is available with notes of chocolate, pralines and toffee.
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Future expansion plans
The coffee beans offered by XO are roasted in the Lincoln Eatery on an eco-friendly Bellwether roaster. The customers can also Tip the Farmer using a mobile app to contribute to the farmers directly while shopping from the store.
David and Puja are currently planning to offer a coffee delivery subscription. They are scouting real estate for a coffee shop that they intend to open in the next 12 months. They have plans to offer a complete breakfast menu so as to provide a friendly spot to the visit daily.
