Bucks County natives and childhood friends, Jonathan Adams and Damien Pileggi (pictured, to left), known collectively as the Rival Brothers, trace their passion for coffee back to their diner days. After working together at Philadelphia restaurants such as Davio’s and Brasserie Perrier, Pileggi went to work for Philadelphia-based coffee shop and roaster La Colombe Torrefaction, while Adams went on to own and operate Pub and Kitchen in Philadelphia’s Graduate Hospital Neighborhood and The Diving Horse in Avalon, NJ. Pileggi has worked as a Regional Sales Director for La Colombe Torrefaction in Philadelphia and San Francisco, and after seeing how the West Coast does coffee, he simply had to show Adams.
After being wowed by the discovery of West Coast coffee, Pileggi and Adams began blending coffee, meticulously sampling each varietal, and creating the four blends that are now served at Rival Brothers – the decaf blend is called Palooka, their espresso blend is Whistle & Cuss, their lightest blend is Featherweight, and their drip coffee is Revolver.
In October of 2011, they opened up shop in a converted DHL delivery truck, splitting time between Love Park and a 33rd and Arch St. location. Since its inception, Rival Brothers has also added two single origin coffees to their rotation – an El Salvador, as well as a Burundi. The truck is equipped with the finest coffee and espresso tools available including a Mazzer Mini stepless burr espresso grinder, and a two-group La Marzocco espresso machine with paddle infusion technology. While the La Marzocco and Mazzer names have been around for over half a century, old meets new with American technologies used to create hand-pour coffee, such as a Chemex coffee maker and Hario V60 ceramic drippers.
While on board the truck with Pileggi and Adams, I was served a Derringer, Rival Brothers’ signature drink. The drink is a shot of espresso with four ounces of textured steamed milk, and is sized between a macchiato and a cappuccino. The beauty of this drink is that there is just enough milk to be enjoyed, but the Whistle & Cuss espresso is still able to shine through with its nutty aroma and beautiful fruit bodied flavor.
Curious to see what the Whistle & Cuss would be like as a double shot, I was served just that. The drink is rich and powerful by itself, with a syrupy body and rich crema. At Rival Brothers the imagery and names of drinks are just as important as the coffee itself: Pileggi and Adams believe in coffee that evokes a sense of Americana.
There’s nothing foreign about Rival Brothers – Pileggi and Adams subscribe to the ideology that in order for Philadelphia’s coffee scene to flourish the coffee should feel unique to Philadelphia, rather than foreign.
When asked what he thought of the maturity of the city’s coffee scene in relation to that of San Francisco, Pileggi responded that Philadelphians are experiencing third wave coffee in its infancy. In essence, Third Wave coffee is getting a large audience to think of coffee in the way we have grown accustomed to thinking of beer or wine – learning characteristics of the region in which the ingredients are sourced, subtleties of flavor, as well as bean varietal. Pileggi tries to incorporate new American techniques in coffee roasting and preparation such as hand-pour coffee and lighter roasts, and bringing the characteristics of Pacific Northwest coffee to his hometown. Pileggi initially fell in love with coffee, but when he felt he was going in a different direction than La Colombe, he knew it was time to start his own venture.
When asked about the state of food trucks in Philadelphia, Adams noted that they have certainly come a long way in the past few years. Along with friends and colleagues on the scene such as Sweetbox Cupcakes, Chewy’s Food Truck, and Pitruco Pizza, they have brought attention to Philadelphia and helped to shape how local government manages mobile food vending. The popularity of these trucks, along with a concerted effort by their owners, has helped to spur the revitalization of LOVE Park.
Starting April 16th, you can visit Rival Brothers at 33rd and Arch St. with their new spring hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 7 am – 3 pm; and Wednesdays, 7 am –1 pm.
For more information on Rival Bros Coffee or to place an order for coffee beans, please visit RivalBros.com.
Photographs credited to Jason Varney and Greg Taffer.
