Zero Tolerance
Fine Coffee and Chocolate From Scratch
Whether it’s house-ground nut butters or expertly roasted coffee and cacao beans, the owners of Zero Tolerance Coffee and Chocolate refuse to abide weak or bland creations.
Maura and Roy Baker are lifelong coffee enthusiasts—they once plumbed a professional espresso machine into their home—but it’s their chocolate technique that really sets Zero Tolerance apart. Whereas most chocolate manufacturers make up for over-roasting and scanty cacao with too much sugar, Zero Tolerance lets the innate complexity of well-sourced and expertly roasted chocolate shine through. They are one of only a few shops in the country that roasts both coffee and cacao beans under the same roof.
“Cacao is fermented, so there’s a ‘fermentiness’ and a high acidity and bitterness that is inherent in it, and you want to leave some of those beautiful nuances without cooking it all out,” co-owner Maura Baker says. She adds that, like wine, the flavor profile of chocolate from a certain grower should vary year by year.
While the Bakers believe that the focus should be on the beans, they put equal attention into everything that accompanies them. They grind hazelnut and peanut butters for their dark chocolate hearts and make their own chai and their own flavored syrups. A local confectioner creates their caramels, and they use as many local ingredients as possible, such as Red Ridge Creamery Milk. They age green coffee and cacao beans in whiskey barrels for one to two months for their barrel-aged beans and bars.
Zero Tolerance is meticulous about ethically sourcing their coffee and cacao beans. Some cacao they purchase directly from a cooperative, Agrofloresta, in Mexico. Zero Tolerance’s coffee importer focuses on smaller family farms.
The inspired chocolate and coffee creations at Zero Tolerance would stand out in any city. Oklahoma City’s coffee and chocolate lovers are fortunate to have them here.
Zero Tolerance Coffee and Chocolate, 913 W Britton Rd, Oklahoma City; 405-341-0048; Zerotolerancecoffee.com
