ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s something most people do every morning. Drink coffee.
There’s nothing like waking up to a fresh brew. The coffee you drink all originated from Africa, according to the National Coffee Association USA.
Most coffee companies today can take simple coffee beans and roast them, even changing the flavors. And, more small-batch coffee companies are becoming common, even right here in the Tampa Bay area.
This means now is a perfect time to expand your coffee horizons while supporting small businesses. And not a moment too soon, because Small Business Saturday is Nov. 27.
One Black-owned company in St. Petersburg called Hogg Batch Barrel Aged Coffee is taking coffee flavors to the next level.
Twin brothers Duan and David Hogg say they focused on creating unique coffee experiences that inspire creativity, adventure, freedom and excellence.
“I think there's definitely this sort of opportunity to introduce coffee to the African American communities since coffee comes from Africa,” the Hogg brothers say.
The twin brothers infuse their coffee beans with different spirits such as whiskey, bourbon, rum, and more to get that unique note.
They start with the pairing process and then they take the coffee beans and brew them. Once they’ve sampled it, they collect empty barrels that once aged alcohol and let the beans sit inside those fresh barrels. That’s where the beans age anywhere from 30 to 60 days.
So with the barrels, you still get some traditional notes from the coffee but you're also going to get that very upfront notes from the spirit.
The flavors range from rum, whiskey, bourbon, cognac, and the brothers are constantly trying out new flavors!