Great coffee doesn’t need bells and whistles—SABO Coffee Roasters is taking it back to the basics.
How do you start your day? Maybe you plop a plastic pod into a machine, or maybe you wait in line at a drive-through for a quadruple-shot espresso. Thanks to Morgantown’s newest maker of specialty coffee, you don’t have to compromise on a good cup of joe.
Last spring, Sara Boltralik and Sebastian Sepúlveda Cartes opened SABO Coffee Roasters to transform the way that Morgantown experiences coffee. All it takes is a few not-so-simple steps—thankfully, Boltralik broke it down for us.
Good Beans
A coffee bean actually isn’t a bean. Rather, it’s a seed from a coffee cherry, the fruit of a coffee plant—but coffee beans are not created equal.
“We love what we do, so we work really hard to deliver a top-notch product. We only source arabica beans of the highest quality. Low-grade coffee is cheap and easy to find, but our arabica beans are specialty beans,” explains Boltralik. “Commercial coffee is made with pesticides and low-quality coffees that will make you feel jittery, and that gives coffee a bad rap. The biggest difference in our coffees is that it’s-high quality beans and it’s fresh.”
Roast, Blend, Grind
The coffee bean’s next step toward its final destination—your favorite coffee mug—can vary.
“We roast the beans based on their densities and origins. We have some single origins, as well as some blends that we created ourselves. Part of our service is grinding coffee—on our website, you can choose the grind for the machine that you have.”
If you’re feeling fancy with a French press, order a coarse grind. If you’re sticking with ol’ reliable, order a medium grind for a drip coffee machine. Or, order whole beans and grind them yourself.
Not sure where to start? Boltralik recommends SABO’s house blend.
“We’re from Latin America, so it’s called the Casa Blend. It is really versatile because you can prepare it any way you want. It would make a great espresso, a French press, a mocha Italiano.”
Brew it Yourself—or Don’t
The best coffee is one shared—since SABO Coffee Roasters is a manufacturer, not a storefront, Boltralik and Cartes have made quick work of connecting with Morgantown’s other coffee aficionados. Visit these cafes around town to order a cup of SABO Coffee Roasters joe or buy a bag to take home and brew it yourself.
As self-described coffee nerds, Boltralik and Cartes are passionate about the craft of coffee roasting, not just the end result—and after trying a cup, you’ll taste and feel the difference.
“We love the ritual of it, and making people’s days better. Almost everybody drinks coffee, but I think a lot of people don’t realize what they’re putting in their body. Instead of getting coffee that was made and shelved years ago, you’re getting something that we roasted right now. People who have had stomach problems for years will say, ‘Wow, I can drink coffee again,’” says Boltralik. “That’s why we do it—to introduce people to something that might make their lives better.”
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