Local couple Micah and Joanna Hanks have wanted to open their own coffee shop for several years, but a good coffee shop has to start with a great, freshly roasted coffee. That is what Double Shot Espresso Company has dedicated its business to: producing a line of high-quality products made from locally slow-roasted beans.
What started with a home coffee roaster has grown into a small Roastery with two roasting machines, one for small batches of 5 lbs at a time and a newer large roaster that will produce up to 39 pounds at a time. Every step of the process is handled with precision, creating roasted beans unlike others on the market.
Double Shot coffee is slow-roasted to allow the moisture in the green bean to slowly evaporate.
“Whenever you roast it hot and fast, it evaporates so quickly that it actually damages the inside of the bean. And that’s the acidity and bitterness that you’re tasting in the cup of coffee,” Micah stated. “By us slowing down the roasting process and being able to make the coffee, the water does not evaporate so quickly, all of our coffee is smooth. All of our coffee is low-acidity. You can drink cups and cups and cups without it hurting your stomach.”
Additionally, Double Shot grinds the beans to match a customer’s preferred brewing method.
“What I like to try to talk to customers about is if you match up the grind with your coffee brewer, you’re going to have a better cup of coffee,” explained Micah. “For instance, espresso. If you grind for a French press and then you take that French press and try to put it in an espresso machine, it’s not going to work. The coffee’s going to taste nasty. So it doesn’t matter if the beans are fresh and nice and all those types of things. The grind matters just as much as the freshness of the coffee.”
On the way to having the Roastery fully functioning, Double Shot worked with local non-profit, Foodworks Alliance, to get started on bottling their product.
“Amy at Foodworks was nice, flexible, and encouraging. Her goal is to springboard your business forward,” Micah said.
Now, with the packaging being done under one roof at the Roastery, Double Shot prepares bags of coffee to be purchased online and locally, as well as bottles of concentrated cold brew and ready-to-drink cold brew blends.
For the holidays, Double Shot has created a 12 Days of Coffee box set ($65). The set includes 12 pouches of coffee, each of which is enough for one pot of coffee a day for 12 days. A four-bag variety pack ($20) is another great gift option; the bundle features 4-ounce bags consisting of Light Roast Brazil, Medium Roast Guatemala, Medium Roast Honduras, and Dark Roast Mexico. A bag of Kona Coffee ($35) is a contender when thinking about that perfect gift for the coffee lover on your list. This limited-time product is best described as having smooth buttery hazelnut notes.
“Arguably, Kona is one of the top two best coffees in the world. Kona is the only America-grown coffee in Hawaii, in the Kona Islands. And it’s expensive because there’s a small amount of real estate that they can grow coffee in. But it’s amazing with the volcanic soil,” explained Micah.
Double Shot mugs are also available to purchase for $25. They are dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe up to 600 degrees.
12oz cold brew drinks are currently available in three flavors: Pumpkin Cream, Peppermint Mocha Cream, and Vanilla Cream. Each bottle is $5, and a pack of six can be purchased for $28. Cold brew bottles are only available at the Roastery, the Farmers Market, and at some partner retail locations.
Bags of Brazil, Wake Me Up, Columbia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Sumatra, Espresso Shot, or Decaf Espresso Shot can be purchased in 8oz ($10), 16oz ($20), and 5lb ($90) bags.
Online, a monthly subscription to receive up to six of Double Shot Espresso’s signature 16oz bags every month can be purchased. Subscriptions start at $20 for one bag.
Double Shot Espresso Company products can be purchased directly from their Roastery, 1667 Superior Ave, Zanesville, during operating hours (the last official roastery day for the season will be November 20), on their website doubleshotespressocompany.com, or from one of their retail partners, Philips Meats, Rittberger North Market, Donald’s Donuts, and Zanesville Farmers Market. For brewed and ready-to-enjoy coffee on the go, Kingdom Coffee (a mobile coffee shop) and Playgrounds Coffee & Play Cafe both use Double Shot coffee.
Roastery hours are typically Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 to noon; however, hours may vary, so be sure to follow Double Shot Espresso Company on Facebook to stay up-to-date on hours of operation, new products, and more.
CAPTION: Owners of Double Shot Espresso Company Micah and Joanna Hanks. PHOTO: DRESDEN BUZZ