Lowcountry coffee lovers are craving more than just a cup of joe thanks to a growing interest in specialty coffees and more local roasters.
“The breadth of coffee knowledge, classes, events and experiences have grown significantly over the past decade,” said Second State Coffee’s Director of Education and Brand Strategy Brianna Berry. “There are more shops and roasters in the area than ever.”
In fact, group coffee experiences are taking place morning, noon and night across the Holy City.
“These classes are designed for everyone and anyone,” Berry said. “Coffee ties people together from all backgrounds, can be appreciated for many reasons and has played a huge role in communities for centuries.”
Whether you’re interested in tasting the perfect pour or designing a heart with steamed milk, consider this your invitation to join Charleston’s growing coffee community.
Free, informative tastings
Every Friday at 10 a.m., Audre Langebartel opens the doors of the Counter Culture Coffee training center at 85 1/2 Spring St. to welcome in guests for a free cup of coffee.
The weekly event is called Tasting at 10. It includes free samples of Counter Culture coffee and a lesson led by Langebartel, regional manager for the North Carolina-based specialty coffee roaster that set up shop in Charleston in 2015.
“This is a tradition that started over 20 years ago as a way for us to stop working and just be mindful and drink a cup of coffee together,” Langebartel shared one recent Friday.
Each week, Langebartel picks a new coffee to taste and discuss, starting with flavor then diving into details about the farmer who harvested it. The latter part of the lesson mirrors information Counter Culture releases in its annual transparency report.
“We’ve been roasting and sourcing coffee through the lens of sustainability since day one,” Langebartel said. “We established this report to show how much coffee we were bringing in, how much we were paying per pound, how long our relationships were with our farmers and any other details helpful in communicating sustainability.”
On the first Monday of the month, Counter Culture Coffee also hosts what it calls a “catalog cupping” in its training centers.
“This is when we taste each of the coffees on our menu,” Langebartel said. “It started as a way for us to taste coffee at our quality control lab. Now it’s a really, really fun way for guests to get in there and compare our coffees to find a new favorite.”
Coffee know-how
In addition to roasters, independent coffee shops are also sharing java knowledge. Across town on Congress Street, Lillian’s Petite Market and Eatery recently launched “Lillian’s coffee experience,” a class which takes place inside the coffee shop after hours.
“Our in-house guests are increasingly interested in quality and sourcing of ingredients, and they enjoy connecting more deeply with the craft behind their daily coffee ritual,” said Heather Greene, owner of Lillian’s.
Each class is led by Lillian’s head barista. “Guests taste beans and syrups, learn espresso fundamentals, pull their own shots, steam milk and craft drinks,” Greene said.
At Counter Culture, on top of free tastings, the shop also hosts two paid hands-on coffee experiences in the training center taught by instructor Joe Grady. The first, “espresso at home,” covers the basics of how to make the perfect espresso.
“We use our commercial machine to teach the principles of espresso preparation which can be applied to any home machine,” Grady said. He also teaches a latte art class which covers everything from how much milk to steam to getting the right texture. “Then, of course, how to hold the milk pitcher and technique for pouring different designs,” he said.
Expanded coffee experiences
When Berry joined Second State in 2020, the Charleston-based coffee roaster was primarily investing in educational programming to train employees and wholesale partners. Since then, classes have evolved to serve both professionals and novices alike.
For example, Second State’s barista foundation course, which is taught in their West Ashley shop one Sunday per month, is also required for baristas.
“For a beginner class, it’s very hands-on, giving people the perfect mix of approachable, informative and experiential,” Berry said. “But from a skill-based perspective, it’s a class that is also vital for success in high-quality coffee service and product consistency.”
In addition to barista foundations, Second State hosts private classes throughout the month, including latte art and an intro to coffee with a guided tasting course. These are offered based on demand and customized to the group.
As demand continues to grow, Berry admits that she’s struggled to keep up since classes must be capped to a small number of students. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: Second State is slated to open a new roastery and training center in North Charleston’s Navy Yard Industrial Park at the beginning of 2026.
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