84 | <strong>Charleston</strong><strong>Living</strong>Mag.com 84 | <strong>Charleston</strong><strong>Living</strong>Mag.com Estuary Coffee Company
Coffee Talk Passionate coffee roasters percolate across the Lowcountry By DARIA SMITH A cup of coffee brings people together to sit down to discuss important decisions and events. Likewise, coffee is a relationship-centric business amongst roasting facilities and cafes. The Lowcountry abounds with local coffee roasters as the coffee climate percolates around the region. Over the past decade, novice and seasoned roasters have multiplied in <strong>Charleston</strong> and now include <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters, Second State Coffee, Big Kick Coffee, King Bean Coffee Roasters, Highfalutin Coffee Roasters and Estuary Beans & Barley. As these roasters explain, roasting coffee is a divine art and an intricate science and art form from bean to cup. Coffee is similar to wine in that several principles affect its profile— soil, altitude, temperature, farming practices, varietals, etc. Coffee is best grown in remote tropic regions with moderate rain and plenty of sun between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer— cultivation in North, Central, and South America; the Caribbean; Africa; the Middle East; and Asia. Coffee trees yield green cherries, which turn bright red as they ripen. Each cherry pit houses a few coffee beans. Four thousand beans yield one pound of roasted coffee and harvesting coffee beans is no simple feat. Once the beans are delivered to <strong>Charleston</strong> roasters, heat is applied to beans, transforming them from a grassy state to a deep, rich, and complex roasted composition. A roaster must master the art of listening, smelling and watching as the beans are brought to life, delivering the bean’s distinct regional characteristics. The secret to roasting coffee is patience—this process can’t be rushed. <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters Lowell Grosse founded <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters in 2005 on a mission to roast coffee that reflects <strong>Charleston</strong>’s originality, concern for the environment and attention to quality. <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters is dedicated to supporting sea turtle conservation and uses our native loggerhead turtle designed from a coffee bean as a logo. They partner with the South Carolina Sea Turtle Rescue Program and local aquarium to support the cause. The business is predominantly wholesale, sold at Costco, Target, Ingles, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods locations across the country. Because <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters is such a large operation, beans are purchased from distributors who act as the middlemen between sustainable farmers and roasters. <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters purchases beans in 2,000-pound bags from six main regions: Columbia, Mexico, Sumatra, Guatemala, Peru and Honduras. However, current micro-blends include beans from Papa New Guinea, Costa Rica, Tanzania and an Ethiopian Yirgach- <strong>Charleston</strong> Coffee Roasters <strong>Nov</strong>ember/<strong>Dec</strong>ember <strong>2023</strong> | 85