Sweet Carolina Cupcakes

That was the reply from Phillip Brown at PERC Coffee when we first approached him about selling his locally roasted coffee at our little Cupcake Bakery in Hilton Head.  We have been searching for a locally roasted coffee for some time.  Something created by hand from the Lowcountry’s artisan community.

Sweet Carolina Cupcakes is now serving PERC Coffee.

Now, if you’re like my Dad ( hi Dad!) you think coffee simply is hot, black and comes in a can that says “Mountain Grown”…and that’s all you need, right?  Or if you’re like soooo many other folks coffee means a 64oz Green and White cup with silly names like Iced Raspberry Mocha Frappa-Venti-Cinno.  Whoa! Not so fast, there’s more to coffee than International franchises and factory produced products.  In fact,  the last 10 years have seen a quiet revolution.  Small craft roasters, like PERC, are popping up all over the place.  Locally roasted in small batches, this is artfully prepared coffee.  The raw beans are typically purchased directly from small farmers or cooperatives in Africa, Asia and South America.  This coffee is like wine, only better because you can drink it with breakfast!

After a recent chat with Jake Hodesh at Creative Coast we were put on the trail of PERC.  Last week we took a break from baking and made the journey over to Savannah to meet Phillip and find out a bit more about how he roasts his brew.  Little did we know that we were slated for quite the coffee education.

Phillip took us on a journey around the Coffee-sphere, telling us about proper brewing techniques, grinding, off-gassing (what?) and a variety of other interesting java-related tid-bits.  What struck us most about our conversation was not the coffee education, but rather the entire time we talked ( well over an hour, mind you..) he never once tried to “sell” his coffee.  He just shared his passion, which is in fact, Coffee.  Nice.

Like us, Phillip at PERC is passionate about his craft and that’s exactly what we have been looking for.  A great product, made by a local artisan who cares as much about the quality and experience as the profit.  As a result we were sold.

So, starting today Sweet Carolina Cupcakes is proudly serving PERC coffee to our wonderful customers.  We will have rotating varieties of coffee thoughout the year, changing every week or so…Our first batch is Ethiopian Sidama Guji. Grown at a high elevation ( it’s ‘Mountain Grown’, Dad…), this is a smooth, sweet coffee with a hint of blueberry and a mild nutty finish.  I’m having a cold-brewed iced one as I type.  We are serving it Hot or Iced and like Phillip said “What goes better with a Cupcake than coffee…?”

You should come in and find out for yourself.