The company started in 2007 at Star Lounge Coffee Bar on the West Side, built a whole family of Chicago cafés from there (Star Lounge, Osmium, Electric Mud, Meddle, Soft Parade and more), and kept a punk-rock streak the whole way. Its bags carry commissioned art and collaborations with Rise Against, Anthrax and Marky Ramone. The coffee is the serious part. Dark Matter has worked with the same producers in El Salvador and Guatemala for more than a decade, following some lots from seed to cup, and it experiments with barrel-aging and unusual processing. The house espresso, Unicorn Blood, is pulled short in the northern Italian style with notes of chocolate, lemon and nougat. Order off-script.
The Mayan Mocha is the cult drink, chocolate and cinnamon with real warmth, and the Dolor de Oro exists because customers kept asking for a spicier version, so it adds habanero. The Barrel Mocha is built on barrel-aged espresso, the Cafe Miel uses honey from the company's partner farms in San Jerónimo Miramar, Guatemala, and the Agave Latte layers agave, chocolate and cinnamon. Purists get drip, pour-over, press pot and a properly made cortado. Chocolate City cold coffee is the grab-and-go option. The Mothership is open every day from 6am to 6pm, and you can order ahead online.
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