Summit Coffee Co.

Summit Coffee Co. | Ethically Sourced Coffee Roasted Fresh
Local Expert's Rating:
4.5 / 5
The Bottom Line:

Summit Coffee Co. serves up great coffee that you can feel good about drinking. With a focus on premium-quality coffees that are ethically sourced, there’s a selection for every person’s preference. Many of the coffees are direct trade, Fair Trade Certified and/or Certified Organic, and they’re all freshly roasted.

- The SmokyMountains.com Local Expert Team

Summit Coffee Co. is the premium coffee roaster that you can feel good about purchasing from. Their beans are ethically sourced and expertly roasted, and there’s a single-origin or blend profile for every taste preference.

Since its founding in 1998, Summit Coffee Co. has been committed to pursuing good within the international coffee industry. Today, many of the roaster’s coffees come from direct trade relationships, are Fair Trade Certified and/or are Certified Organic.

The commitment to goodness also fully extends to the quality of coffee that Summit offers, as is evident in every cup and bag. All coffees are freshly roasted in small batches, which ensures the beans retain their full flavor when brewing. Additionally, the staff is continually developing relationships with growers and producers in origin countries so they can offer the best selections available.

At the Asheville cafe, these excellent coffees are combined with milk from nearby Mills River Creamery into classic coffee beverages. The cappuccinos, lattes and mochas all are silky smooth and feature elegant designs, and there are drip, pour-over and americano options if you’d prefer to try the coffee unadulterated by milk. Of course, your favorite selections are available in bags to take and brew at home.

For food, the Asheville cafe offers various snacks like toast, bagels, yogurt and chocolate. Almost everything comes from a nearby supplier who uses only high-end ingredients, so the quality of the snacks matches the quality of the coffees.

A few of our menu favorites at Summit Coffee Co. include:

Cold Brew
Smooth and caffeinated, cold-brew coffee always is refreshing on a hot day. Here, you can find out exactly what beans are used in the cold brew and try to pick up their notes.

Pour-Over
For a great cup of coffee with an artisanal show, go with a manual pour-over. The brew method perfectly showcases a bean’s terroir and roast characteristics, and you’ll get to watch the barista make your coffee fresh.

Cappuccino
The cappuccino is a coffee house staple for good reason. The combination of silky-smooth steamed milk and pulled espresso is hard to beat. When the milk’s fresh from a nearby source and the espresso is this good, the classic beverage is almost heavenly.

Bagels
Asheville might not be New York City, but you wouldn’t know that by biting into one of the bagels from The Rhu. These yeasted rings can hold their own with the best in the world.

Loose Leaf Tea
While there are several organic tea bag selections from Rishi, the real stand-out teas are served loose leaf and blended by Asheville’s own Dobra Tea. Choose from a plethora of options, including both caffeinated and non-caffeinated choices, and indulge your senses with something other than coffee.

Insider Tips:
– If you have a favorite coffee that you’d like to take home, pick up a bag before you order your beverage. You can get a free cup with the purchase of a bag of beans.
– The downstairs can be busy with people ordering coffee and congregating, but upstairs you’ll find a quieter space. It’s a more comfortable atmosphere for an intimate conversation or getting some work done.