If you haven’t tried these Augusta coffeehouses that opened in 2023, you don’t know beans
How popular is coffee? In September, the latest data report from the National Coffee Association suggested that more Americans drink coffee daily – 63% – than any other beverage. Even water scored lower.
As coffee skyrockets worldwide from a common beverage to a cultural phenomenon, Augusta has not been spared. In no particular order, here are seven new coffeeshops that opened in the Augusta area in 2023 to help guide caffeine enthusiasts toward the perfectly brewed cup of java.
Relic Coffee Co.
1504 Monte Sano Ave., Augusta
Ecuador produces about 1% of the world’s coffee. It produces 100% of the coffee at Relic. Owner Cesar Schettini is the local ambassador for Ecuadorian coffee culture, which relies on the nation’s biodiversity and favorable growing conditions to produce coffee beans with varying levels of sweetness, aroma and acidity.
Drinks include the Jungla, a fizzy iced coffee sweetened with morada, a South American syrup made from fruits and dried purple corn.
Trellis Coffee Bar
1902 Walton Way, Augusta
Business partners Ross Nicholson and Brent Skelley also had been neighbors in Augusta’s Harrisburg neighborhood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their shared love of quality coffee and local coffeeshops helped hatch a business plan to create a location that serves custom beverages and creates a stronger sense of community.
Drinks include the TCB Delight, mixing espresso, milk, cinnamon, honey and vanilla; and the 1902, infused with lavender and garnished with rose petals.
Goat Kick Coffee Co.
935 Ronald Reagan Dr., Suite 101, Evans
The shop’s name comes from the mythical story of a 9th-century Ethiopian goatherder who noticed increased energy among animals in his flock that nibbled berries off a coffee bush. Goat Kick leases property at 106 N. Belair Rd. as a bean roastery, and in June 2022 was granted permission from Columbia County to place a new coffeeshop with a drive-thru near the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. The shop opened in March.
Drinks include the G.O.A.T. – a latte flavored with white mocha and hazelnut and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon and a caramel drizzle.
Harlem Java House
211-A N. Louisville St., Harlem
The shop isn’t new, but the owners are. Sang and Shanna Lee bought the business earlier this year from Navy veteran Deborah Brawner with the promise of preserving its small-town vibe to complement the coffee. Harlem Java uses locally roasted beans and ground coffees from Augusta's Buona Caffe, one of the early architects of Augusta's rising coffee trend.
Drinks include coffee “flights” – similar to beer flights, where multiple smaller samples of beverages are served to customers who want to sample drinks instead of buying entire servings. If coffee isn't your choice, the Lees also serve hot-cocoa flights.
Bunker Café
284 Meridian Dr., Grovetown
The coffeehouse marks a new concept for Nine Line Apparel, a Savannah-based veteran-owned, pro-patriotic lifestyle brand that sells clothing and other retail products with an emphasis on supporting the military and first responders. The cafe’s slogan is “Coffee & Freedom.”
The menu’s hot, cold and blended drinks are made with Black Rifle Coffee, a veteran-owned roaster of premium, small-batch Colombian beans.
Rooted Coffeehouse
7025 Evans Town Center Blvd., Suite 213, Evans
Mother-daughter team Heather Needles and Ali Kocher wanted to duplicate the tight-knit neighborly atmosphere of their hometown in central Illinois. The result was the first Rooted Coffeehouse, established in 2016 at Riverwood Town Center in Evans. The new Rooted, opened earlier this year, shared retail space with Alumni Cookie Dough before the latter business closed abruptly in November.
Drinks include the Fat Coffee, which mixes drip coffee with organic MCT oil, organic coconut butter, freshly made vanilla bean stevia syrup and organic coconut sugar. MCTs, or medium-chain triglycerides, are fats found in coconut and palm oil. MCTs' reputed health benefits include increased energy and appetite control.
Ubora Coffee
116 N. Belair Rd., Evans
Just a few steps from Goat Kick’s Evans roastery is Ubora’s second location, opened in September in a former Gary’s Hamburgers restaurant. The name is the Swahili word describing quality and excellence, which was the owners’ mission when they started their espresso bar downtown on Jones Street in 2018.
Drinks include the iced Vietnamese coffee, with four espresso shots and subtly sweetened with condensed milk.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Taste the difference: Augusta welcomed these new coffeehouses in 2023
