Local roasting company PERC Coffee is making its first foray into bottling with the launch of a new single-origin cold brewed coffee.
PERC Cold Brew will be available in select stores and restaurants beginning Saturday, according to owner and roaster Philip Brown.
Brown said it took about a year to develop the brew after much experimentation, as well as building out their warehouse to accommodate a new four-row bottling line. He said he never cared much for cold brewed coffee until he tried to make it himself.
“Most of the ones I tried weren’t great, and some of them were pretty bad,” said Brown. “And I’d been experimenting with different methods of doing iced coffee.”
Brown’s method involves steeping coarsely ground coffee in room temperature water for 24 hours, then diluting it with water. Distinguishing PERC Cold Brew is that it will be single-origin, using coffee beans from a single farm instead of a blend.
“Each coffee has its own story to tell,” said Brown. “With one sip of the bottle, they’ll get to taste a place and actually experience a product that traveled a long way to get here and took a lot of effort to make.”
Brown launched PERC Coffee in 2010 after moving from Athens, where he first learned the craft of coffee roasting. Starting out in a small space in the old Starland Dairy, Brown moved to a 2,300-square-foot facility on East Broad Street last fall — adding a second roaster that can handle 55 pounds at a time.
He said business has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to the many local coffee shops, restaurants and stores that now carry his specialty beans. PERC is also available at seven Whole Foods stores across Georgia and South Carolina.
The new glass-bottled brew will be available at Brighter Day Natural Foods, Savannah Food Co-op, Department 7 East, King of Pops, Zunzi’s, Farmbag and Whole Foods, which will have it on tap.
“This idea we have is a little different style of roasting, and our hope is to bring out that sweetness and cut out some of that bitterness or burnt flavors you get with other coffee,” said Brown.
While the cold brew won’t come sweetened, Brown said, he encourages drinkers to try a sip first — not that he’ll judge if you do add some cream.
“I like to say I take coffee seriously, but I’m not a snob,” he said.
ON THE WEB
For more information, go to perccoffee.com.