Springbok Coffee

By Presley Mullinax, @The_Pres_ident / Photos by various members

Brothers, Jason, and Josh Bell are dedicated, hands-on roasters providing the Lowcountry (and beyond) with the perfect morning brew one batch of specialty coffee at a time! The Tastemakers crew was invited to the Springbok Coffee Roasters’ lab for a latte art demo where Jason, a licensed Arábica Q Grader, offered a history lesson on the origin of coffee, the roasting process, and taught us how to access and grade flavor profiles by “cupping.” Imagine wine tasting, but for coffee! 

 Buzzing with excitement, we fueled up Saturday morning with a round of espresso shots for the whole crew! We then elevated our taste buds and settled our stomachs by pairing the Uraga Ethiopia origin lattes with some sweet + savory pastries from The Daily, a Springbok partner, and local Charleston favorite. John, our barista, wowed us with his milk steaming and latte art skills while Jason gave us the low down on their small-batch, artisanal blends + each location for sourcing the Springbok beans. 

Did you know that coffee beans grow on the Coffea plant and originate as the pit inside of a cherry? We didn’t either! Coffee beans are a light shade of green before roasting in the Diedrich IR-12, which roasts 26lbs of beans at a time. Once the roasting process is complete, the beans cool down in the cooling bin and then ground to begin the “cupping” process. 

 We put our coffee knowledge to the test, following the step by step “cupping” process using both the Ethiopian and Costa Rican Springbok coffees. Coffee grindings were placed into two cupping bowls per person. Next, we lowered our noses and carefully took a few whiffs to access the flavor profiles. Josh then poured steaming hot water into our bowls, thoroughly soaking the grounds. We waited 10 minutes then began “breaking the crust.” To “break the crust,” we hovered the spoons above the bowl’s rim and rotated the spoons in a circular motion towards our noses. We then smelled the back of the spoons and repeated this process three times to again access the flavor profiles. Some of us instantly noticed the floral, cherry, roasted, and acidity aromas. For the final step, we removed the crust from the bowls and slurped the coffee. 

 Whether you prefer your coffee light, medium, or dark roasted, Springbok delivers quality and consistency to your mug. We were highly caffeinated and left with a whole new appreciation and understanding of coffee!  To order some Springbok for yourself, visit springbokcoffee.com or try a cup at one of Charleston’s favorite spots like The Daily, Butcher & Bee, Miller’s All Day, Mercantile & Mash and Tidal Grounds.

Photos: Libby Williams Photographs