Charleston Living Magazine Nov-Dec 2023

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 Charleston and now
include Charleston 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 Charleston 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.
Charleston Coffee Roasters
Lowell Grosse founded Charleston Coffee Roasters in 2005 on a mission
to roast coffee that reflects Charleston’s originality, concern for
the environment and attention to quality. Charleston 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 Charleston Coffee Roasters is such a large operation, beans
are purchased from distributors who act as the middlemen between
sustainable farmers and roasters.
Charleston 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-
Charleston Coffee
Roasters
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