A new roastery brings high-end coffees to town.
➼ Morgantown’s coffeeholics can now indulge their obsession and do a little good for WVU students at the same time with beans from Mountaineer Roasting.
As a student, Rusty Isaacs expressed his passion for coffee through jobs in cafes around town. When he became a co-owner of Mountaineer Roasting, he learned the craft with roaster David Morris of Nashville, Tennessee’s 1910 Roasting Co.
But great coffee is not only about the roasting technique—it’s also about the beans. Mountaineer Roasting’s importer, Cafe Imports, works to bring small growers to the international market and to give small roasters access to specialty beans.
“We wanted to bring a higher quality of coffee to West Virginia,” Isaacs says. “So our house coffee and our espresso are sweet and approachable without that dark bitterness that some people might be used to. And then we have several single-origin coffees that push the boundaries with a little more of the fruity, floral, and citrusy character that can be fun to dive into if you’re into coffee.”
Mountaineer Roasting is founded on a strong commitment to WVU. Later this year, the company will take a group of Business and Economics students to Guatemala to experience the supply chain of coffee from the source. As the company grows, Isaacs plans to expand the international educational experience and fund scholarships.
Mountaineer Roasting is selling wholesale across the state to coffee shops and restaurants and is just getting into grocery stores. You can taste the coffee at The Grind, Panini Pete’s, Pies & Pints, and Sargasso. Isaacs invites people to stop by the roastery on the 5th floor of Evansdale Crossing—or order online. mountaineerroasting.com
written by Pam Kasey
photo courtesy of Mountaineer Roasting