The Story
Regalia Coffee was founded in 2017 by Paolo Maliksi, an international roasting instructor who envisioned a company that would treat coffee with the reverence it deserves . The name itself evokes the treasures of royalty, inspired by a coffee farmer who once described his beans as emeralds and diamonds . Paolo, alongside his wife Chisato, launched operations out of Long Island City, Queens, where they built a shared roasting collective that would become a launchpad for an entire community of coffee professionals.
In 2018, the Maliksis opened the Regalia Roasting Collective, a collaborative space in Long Island City where aspiring roasters could learn the craft and launch their own brands . When a fire destroyed the original space, the concept was reborn just one block away as Multimodal Roasting, a 7,000-square-foot specialty coffee hub equipped with a Diedrich IR5, a 15-kilo Mill City Roasters machine, a Probat P25/2, and a Roest sample roaster . The new facility serves as both the headquarters for Regalia Coffee and a shared production space designed to lower the barrier to entry for emerging roasting businesses.
Regalia has grown into one of New York City’s most respected light roast specialists, earning a spot on the Sprudge Twenty list and partnering with Cometeer to bring their coffees to a national audience through flash-frozen capsules . Paolo’s dual role as roaster and educator has made Regalia a uniquely influential force in the specialty coffee world, with a brand identity built on precision, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to showcasing what coffee can be at its very best.
Sourcing & Relationships
Regalia’s sourcing menu is carefully bifurcated between two pillars: exemplary lots of traditionally processed coffees and innovative designed-fermentation coffees from leading producers . This dual approach allows the company to offer both the clarity and terroir expression of classic washed and natural coffees alongside the boundary-pushing flavor profiles that emerge from controlled anaerobic and carbonic maceration techniques . Paolo and his team work directly with world-class producers across Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Costa Rica, seeking out coffees that score exceptionally well and tell a compelling story about their origin.
The designed-fermentation side of the menu reflects Regalia’s willingness to embrace the cutting edge of coffee processing . These lots often come from producers who are experimenting with yeast inoculation, extended anaerobic fermentation, and other techniques that create intensely floral and tropical flavor profiles . By placing these coffees alongside more traditional offerings, Regalia gives drinkers a chance to experience the full spectrum of what specialty coffee has become.
Roasting Philosophy
Regalia’s roasting philosophy treats the roaster as a translator rather than an author . The goal is a clear, transparent roasting style that allows drinkers to effortlessly experience each coffee’s intrinsic beauty without the distraction of roast-driven flavors . Paolo approaches each lot with the precision of an instructor, adjusting profiles to maximize sweetness and acidity while preserving the delicate aromatics that distinguish great coffee from merely good coffee.
Quality control is central to the operation . Regalia is known for its unparalleled roast consistency, achieved through rigorous cupping protocols and meticulous data tracking across every batch . The roasting equipment at Multimodal gives the team flexibility to match each coffee with the ideal machine and batch size, whether that means a small run on the Diedrich for a rare microlot or a larger production roast on the Probat for a seasonal blend.
What to Try
Eucalipto is Regalia’s signature African espresso blend, a lively and sweet combination with notes of citrus, raisin, and chocolate that showcases Paolo’s ability to balance brightness with depth . For those drawn to Colombian terroir, the Finca El Paraiso offering is a washed field blend delivering pear, tangerine, nougat, and caramel in a clean and elegant cup . Both coffees are available through Regalia’s partnership with Cometeer as flash-frozen capsules, making them accessible well beyond the five boroughs.
The Design Fermented Series is where Regalia’s adventurous side comes through, rotating limited lots that feature some of the most experimental processing methods in specialty coffee . These coffees tend toward intensely floral and tropical profiles, often with a syrupy sweetness that lingers well past the last sip . Regalia offers subscriptions and ships nationally, and their monthly cuppings at Multimodal in Long Island City provide an opportunity to taste the full range of their current offerings alongside the community of roasters who share the space.