When first reading about 5th Element Coffee I was quite excited. It had a promising provenance: a world barista champion connection, Black Eagle espresso machine, EK43 grinder, and Yama cold brew towers. All equipment that is top of the line and was previously nonexistent in Madison.
The service was friendly and attentive, the decor a refreshing industrial modern but what it all came down to was the coffee. I sampled both an espresso and iced coffee. Both suffered from a disappointing darkly roasted bean with little aroma and flavor notes but much bitterness. I applaud the notion of highlighting coffee from Alejandro Mendez's home country of El Salvador, but somewhere between the quality of the green coffee and the roasting process it went downhill. All that great service and equipment for naught. I hope that they improve the quality of the coffee or chose to highlight other regions/roasters, because the place truly has potential.