You’ve probably seen the words “micro-lot” on a bag of coffee and thought, Okay…but what does that actually mean? A micro-lot is a small batch of coffee that has been kept separate because there is something distinctive about it. It might come from one section of a farm, one particular elevation, a specific coffee variety, or even a single harvest. Basically, instead of mixing it with the rest of the farm’s coffee, the producer says, “This one is special. Let’s keep it separate.” Why keep...

Looking for a quiet coffee shop to work or study in downtown Charleston? Tracer Coffee offers comfortable seating, charging stations, Wi-Fi, and thoughtfully prepared Colombian coffee—all just a short walk from the College of Charleston.

A lot of us grew up believing coffee was supposed to be bitter. You poured a cup, added sugar, added cream, and maybe added even more sugar because the first spoonful didn’t do enough. That was just coffee. Dark, harsh, smoky and strong. At some point, we started treating bitterness like proof that coffee was good. But coffee doesn’t naturally have to taste burnt. For years, large coffee companies were focused on producing huge amounts of coffee that tasted the same everywhere. The same bag...