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Permalink Reply by will frith on January 2, 2011 at 8:35am

You're lucky to be in an area with more than a few choices.  As local as possible is always good, especially when it comes to service benefits (training, consultation, support of all sorts...).  It's just improbable for a Northwest or Hawaiian roaster to give you the level of attention you are entitled to from so far away.  Also, a more-local roaster can help with the things we don't plan for - running out of coffee, etc.  Touring roasting facilities is a great learning experience, which is hard to do if it's a 7-hour flight away.  If you're near the roastery, some roasters will have on-site training where you can send employees to ensure they're getting their info straight from the people who are responsible for the coffee (the ones who know it best).

 

Definitely not a definitive list, but some come to mind:

Batdorf & Bronson in Atlanta, GA

Wrecking Ball Roasters in Washington, DC

Counter Culture in Durham, NC

1000 Faces in Athens, GA

 

so many more yummy coffees out there, have fun choosing!

 

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Permalink Reply by Paul Yates on January 2, 2011 at 11:18am

Will's list is a good one. I would also add:

Cup to Cup Coffee Roasters, Savannah, GA. Operated by fellow BX'er James Spano
Carrboro Coffee Roasters, out of Carrboro, NC. Operated by Scott Conary, WBC Judge.
Dilworth Coffee, out of Charlotte, NC
Old Wwworld Coffee Roasters, Spartanburg, NC
Mtn. Air Roasting, Asheville, NC. Fellow BX'er Jared Rutledge uses these beans in his shop, Waking Life Espresso.

Despite the fact that I'm from VA, I don't know any roasters in the state. Not to say there aren't any. Oh, and I think that Wrecking Ball has actually moved to California recently.

Hope these help.

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Permalink Reply by Shadow on January 2, 2011 at 2:02pm

I've sampled beans from many nationally known roasters, some I really liked and some I had to throw away, which is a rarity for me as I like to waste NOTHING. My vote is for Stockton Graham in Raleigh, NC as that is who we currently use and have absolutely no intention of changing. They offer outstanding bean quality/selection and are totally in-tune with everything they offer as well as having customer service that rivals the best I've witnessed yet.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on January 2, 2011 at 4:01pm

You guys have covered most of the bases.

 

I'll add Larry's Beans from the Raleigh NC area and Joe Van Gogh from Hillsboro NC, plus another vote for Stockton, Counter Culture, Batdorf, 1000 Faces, and Cup to Cup.

 

Sadly, you can drop Dilworth Coffee from that list as they are no longer roasting here in Charlotte.

Paul Yates said:

Will's list is a good one. I would also add:

Cup to Cup Coffee Roasters, Savannah, GA. Operated by fellow BX'er James Spano
Carrboro Coffee Roasters, out of Carrboro, NC. Operated by Scott Conary, WBC Judge.
Dilworth Coffee, out of Charlotte, NC
Old Wwworld Coffee Roasters, Spartanburg, NC
Mtn. Air Roasting, Asheville, NC. Fellow BX'er Jared Rutledge uses these beans in his shop, Waking Life Espresso.

Despite the fact that I'm from VA, I don't know any roasters in the state. Not to say there aren't any. Oh, and I think that Wrecking Ball has actually moved to California recently.

Hope these help.

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Permalink Reply by Bj Davis on January 2, 2011 at 6:44pm

I'm going to add bald guy in Boone, NC.  He is a smaller roaster than many of the others listed, but I had the opportunity to meet him and enjoyed some of his coffee.  Bald Guy

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Permalink Reply by James Tooill on January 2, 2011 at 7:33pm

Counter Culture Coffee

Dynamite Coffee Roasters

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Permalink Reply by Paul Yates on January 2, 2011 at 7:59pm

Wow, Brady, I hadn't heard that about Dilworth. I see now that their website shows Raleigh.

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