Tucked away in the Taylors Mill Properties, Due South Coffee Roasters specializes in the process of creating artisan coffee, taking it from the tree to your cup.
Co-owners Ricardo Pereira, a BJU graduate and long-time green coffee importer, and Patrick McInerney, who is in charge of marketing, opened the café at 250 Mill St. in Taylors, S.C., about one month ago. Their goal was to transition from wholesale into a way to showcase their products.
“We want to [make] excellent coffee and provide a good place for people to hang out and really elevate coffee as a beverage,” said Micah Sherer, a barista at Due South who has been working with the owners since they began roasting coffee beans about a year ago.
Due South obtains its coffee directly from the original source of the coffee bean: growers in countries such as El Salvador and Ethiopia. After the coffee beans are transported to the United States, the staff of Due South personally roasts the beans.
The café doesn’t use artificial flavorings or sweeteners in its drinks, ranging from cappuccinos, lattes and macchiatos to teas and hot chocolate made with chocolate that’s made in-house. Each drink is topped with drinkable art made by the creative pouring of milk or foam, and each drink has a rich, bold flavor that leaves you craving more after each sip.
Each month, a specialty drink crafted by one of the Due South baristas is featured. February featured the Southern Hemisphere, a drink made of espresso poured over ice with rosemary-infused milk and grapefruit extract. The sweet and citrus flavors and smells of the rosemary and grapefruit nicely balance the bitter espresso taste for a blend you cannot put down.
“Thirty percent of eating is experiencing the aroma of the food or drink, so we want to make sure that we don’t neglect that either,” Sherer said.
Other specialty drinks include the Affogato, created by Sherer, which is a shot of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream.
“It’s delicious,” Sherer said. “People go nuts for it.”
The calming atmosphere of the space provides a good hangout or homework space. Décor is a mixture of vintage and industrial influences, featuring a couch area, tables made of metal barrels, treasure chests and a vintage Coca-Cola vending machine. Wi-Fi is available to customers; the barista at the counter will be more than happy to give the network password when asked for it.
“We have really great coffee done the right way,” Sherer said.
If you’re looking for a new place and a great cup of coffee, head north to Taylors and find Due South.
