A Cuban-style cold brew coffee bar quietly debuted this morning in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood of St. Pete.

Brewed Awakening’s, known for its fun flavors and infused coffee cocktails, has opened inside Cybel, a new French Moroccan restaurant, at 2735 5th Avenue North.

“Brewed Awakening’s at Cybel feels more like a cocktail experience than a coffee bar,” Brewed Awakening’s Owner Chris Zamora said to St. Pete Rising. “We do not have an espresso machine. All of our cold brews are bottled, and we are using cocktail shakers for our made-to-order drinks.”

The space is Brewed Awakening's first brick-and-mortar location and distribution hub. Customers can order straight from the bar or pick up pre-bottled cold brew lattes and lemonades in a nearby fridge.

“A traditional latte will have milk and a small shot of espresso in it - I'm doing mine completely backward,” Zamora said. “We start with eight ounces of strong cold brew and add a little oat milk, creamer, and our in-house syrups.”

Their menu is ever-expanding; however, Brewed Awakening’s "calling card" drink - the cinnamon banana bread oat milk latte - is expected to continue to be a customer favorite.

To have a rich authentic flavor, Zamora extracts the sweet banana flavoring from a freshly baked banana bread loaf for the in-house syrup. The drink is garnished with dehydrated apple and cinnamon.

Other oat milk latte flavors include honey vanilla chamomile, rose mint, and fig chai.

Another fun drink is the Thai Me Up Papi concoction made with Thai tea, oat milk, and Cuban cold brew.

Because they are located within a restaurant, Brewed Awakening’s does not serve their own food, but Cybel will provide pastries.

The coffee bar is open in the mornings through the late afternoon just before Cybel's dining service starts. And although the coffee bar isn’t open during dinner, the bottled coffee drinks will still be available.

In addition to cold brew coffee, Zamora makes a cold brew lemonade.

“With the cold brew lemonades, I cut the bitterness and acidity down with my cold brewing technique, add citrus, and top it off with a single shot of cold brew,” said Zamora, explaining his mad scientist barista skills. “I accent it with different flavors like strawberry rose, guava, mango, and passionfruit. I have done a hot honey cold brew lemonade, which was really good.”

He founded the coffee operation in Ybor City in 2015, where he has family roots. Zamora later crossed the bridge to St. Pete, slinging lattes from an old Volkswagen before a drunk driver slammed into the parked van on Central Avenue.

“It might have been a blessing in disguise. At the time, I was making espresso drinks at The Floridian when I found this beautiful coffee-cocktail ratio. I redirected the entire company into a more cold brew-focused business,” Zamora said.

He has curated cocktail menus for popular St. Pete watering holes including Tequila Daisy, Ruby's Elixir, Urban Stillhouse, and The Dog Bar.

Follow Brewed Awakening’s on Instagram for the latest cafe operating hours and menu offerings.

In addition to working with Brewed Awakening’s, Cybel is collaborating with A Good Human, a wholesaler of plant-based meals.

Both Cybel and A Good Human had ghost kitchens at Foodie Labs, a restaurant incubator in the Warehouse Arts District.

A Good Human is utilizing the commercial kitchen space for its catering operations and statewide distribution with Fitlife Foods.

A cooler in the front of the restaurant carries their grab-and-go items such as a coconut ramen salad and Mexican bowls.

A Good Human will also host nutrition and cooking classes in the space. Registration for the upcoming classes can be found here.