With it being an election year that has been full of pandemic woes, it is often easy to lose track of what makes this country so great – our veterans and the people whose rights they fought to ensure. The best way to celebrate such an important holiday like Veterans Day is to support local veteran owned businesses.
Chatham County has a plethora of businesses that are backed by our military veterans. Service Brewery, Brew Abey, Silver Line Productions and Black Rifle Coffee Company are just a few.
Black Rifle Coffee Company is a premium small-batch specialty coffee roasting business that is focused out of Tennessee and Utah.
The company was founded to combine a love of coffee with a love of supporting our nation and its troops. For every cup or bag of coffee purchased, the veteran owned company gives back to our veterans.
As an everyday coffee drinker, I find there is no better or more convenient way to support those who served our country than buying from them. It is especially easy for Savannahians to drink coffee as a means of backing our troops because Black Rifle has two coffee shops in Savannah – one on River Street and one on Fort Argyle Road. “Black Rifle Coffee Company opened up their first coffee shop here at Nine Line where we offer free coffee to all veterans, and active duty military. They also have expanded to Boerne, TX and Salt Lake City,” Kaila Donaldson, the content manager for Nine Line Apparel, told me.
For the coffee shops themselves, you will conveniently find them attached to a Nine Line Apparel store. Customers can sit and enjoy their hot cup of brew or browse the store while they sip it.
For Black Rifle, the roasting process is just as important as supporting the military.
Donaldson explained, “They roast five days a week at their facilities in Manchester Tennessee, and Salt Lake City.”
As for sourcing the beans, she elaborated, “BRCC’s high-quality coffee beans are sourced from Colombia and Brazil.”
For serious coffee drinkers, like me, it is likely you know your roast, bean, and flavor preferences. If you are just getting started, go online to blackriflecoffee.com and take their easy coffee match quiz. The website breaks down the type of coffee that is ideal for how you brew it at home to how much caffeine you prefer.
My Black Rifle Coffee of choice is the Just Black Coffee Roast. It is nothing crazy. Drinkers will find a well-balanced classic coffee flavor, not the cheap stuff from the supermarket, with a few notes of vanilla and cocoa.
On the more adventurous side is roasts like the Five Alarm, Fit Fuel and Murdered Out. Dark chocolate, cherry, molasses and a hint of smoke are the flavors featured in the Five Alarm Coffee Roast. For the Murdered Out, the name comes from its roast. It is the deepest, darkest roast available from Black Rifle.
Fit Fuel is an ideal blend for a morning workout. The coffee is high in caffeine and mild in flavor that finishes with a bit of malt.
Light roasts include Gunship and Silencer Smooth. By applying a super precise roasting method, Black Rifle is able to achieve a smooth citrus backed Silencer Smooth coffee that goes down easy. Gunship blends Colombian and Central American coffee beans that are perfectly lightly roasted to achieve n velvety cup of brew.
There is decaf, cold brew and even espresso. The company has thought of everything. The list is long and only grows with each season. Currently, Black Rifle has a limited Basic Batch Coffee Roast that features this season’s favorite flavor – pumpkin.
In store, the Black Rifle Coffee Shop takes the premium coffee beans and turns them into something even better. There are signature sips such as the Betsy Ross, a mocha and raspberry latte that can be ordered hot or cold, or the Old Glory, a white mocha and blackberry latte.
A part of the menu is deemed “Next Level” with drinks like an Espresso Mule, which may be my favorite specialty way to order Black Rifle, and a Honey Latte. By combining freshly roasted and brewed express and refreshing and bubbly ginger beer, Black Rifle Coffee Shop is able to turn coffee into a light and crisp drink.
As a way to support another local cause, Savannah Bee, the coffee shop combines its signature espresso with steamed milk and the local honey. Accordingly Black Rifle dubbed it the Honey Latte.
Maybe navigating the crowds of River Street is not your thing. Black Rifle still has your back with their Coffee Club membership which gets you coffee delivered right to your door.
Donaldson broke it down, “Coffee Club membership guarantees discounts off retail pricing, free shipping on all coffee club orders, brewing at home instead of buying from those hipster coffee shops only increases your savings, exclusive deals from companies like Vortex, Camburg Racing, Sig Sauer, Kryptek, Federal -Premium, and Eberlestock. It’s convenient – fresh coffee delivered right to your door as often as you need it, so you never run out. Our dual roasting facilities in Utah and Tennessee mean you always get the freshest coffee -possible, no matter where you live in America, no cancellation or early termination fees, shipping frequency is easily adjusted, and veteran & service member support.”
During the holidays, for every bag of Black Rifle coffee purchases, a bag of the Holiday Roast will be sent to a service member.
