While water may have been one of the most consumed drinks in 2022, coffee was a close second. Coffee is one of America’s favorite caffeinated drinks, with roughly 146 billion cups and 9 pounds of coffee per capita consumed. Whether it’s homebrewed, bought from a local shop, or purchased from a large chain, over have the population of the United States drinks coffee.
One of the main issues with living in a smaller town is the lack of options for buying coffee. Jefferson county has many local coffee shops like Black Dog, Lost Dog, and Mad Monks Coffee. While this is nice for Jefferson County residents, Berkeley County does not have as many local coffee shops.
Some shops in Berkeley County do not have the highest quality coffee or are the same distance away from shops in Jefferson County. Often, people make the safe choice and choose large coffee chains such as Starbucks or Dunkin’. A problem with large chains is that it supports a corporation instead of a small shop owned by someone within the community.
Over the years, I’ve seen a few coffee shops open in the Martinsburg area; They either closed or were too far of a drive for me to make most days.
Last month, a new coffee shop opened on Moler Ave. in Martinsburg. Burnt Bean Coffee Co. is a small coffee shop started by Lawrence and Jennifer Stottlemyer. The couple had always wanted a place to serve fresh baked goods and coffee. Luckily, they have a brief commute since they turned their garage into their coffee shop.
When asked if Martinsburg was their first location choice, Lawrence said, “Yes, we always knew our shop would be in Martinsburg.” The community in Martinsburg is always good about supporting local businesses, which made it an easy choice. “We wanted to buy a trailer to build our shop. But decided to build it in our garage instead,” said Stottlemyer.
Burnt Bean Coffee Co. has been open since the 15th of October. From start to finish, the project took almost exactly a year. The shop has a wide variety of coffee and baked goods. Popular items include their buttered brew lattes and snickerdoodle cookies, but they have plenty of other options. They have classic drip coffee, espresso drinks, and even Italian sodas. Their baked goods are also popular. Not only do they have sweets, but they have bagels as well.
For those who do not want to buy a cup of coffee every day, they sell bags of coffee too. Burnt Bean Coffee Co. has two coffee collaborations currently; the first is with River Bottom Roasters in Hagerstown, MD, and the second is with Elementary Coffee in Harrisburg, PA. These coffee blends are the same that Burnt Bean uses for their drinks, so you know the quality will be good. The other great thing about these collaborations is that you are supporting other local businesses at the same time.
Burnt Bean Coffee Co. is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day but Sunday. The shop is at 906 1/2 E Moler Ave, Martinsburg, WV. They can be found on Facebook, updating customers on new items and unique opening or closing times. Check them out for great locally roasted and brewed coffee!