Sitting at the cozy, sun-bathed Kestrel Coffee Roasters location on Pine Street in Burlington, I watched a woman tell Johnny Steverson, the shop’s co-owner, that she desperately needed coffee on this warm morning. Johnny suggested iced coffee, which she readily agreed to. She took one sip, smiled, and said now she could begin her day.
This is the kind of coffee experience that Johnny and his wife and co-owner, Charlotte, want their customers to have, and, in many ways, Johnny and Charlotte are the perfect pair to make it happen. Johnny knows coffee, having been what could be described as the “coffee sommelier” at an upscale restaurant in New York State. There, he met Charlotte, the dining room captain and hospitality specialist who always dreamed of owning a coffee shop. When it was time for a change, they came to Vermont to turn their knowledge and wishes into a coffee experience new to them.
Later that day when I visited Kestrel Coffee Roasters in Tech Park in South Burlington, I was delighted by the colorful, bright café space and amazed by the massive coffee roaster, displayed so people can see the process that creates what they crave. “It was really important for us to have the manufacturing vibe alongside the café,” Charlotte says.
When I visited Kestrel Coffee Roasters, I was delighted by the colorful, bright café space and amazed by the massive coffee roaster, displayed so people can see the process that creates what they crave.
Johnny and Charlotte Steverson, co-owners of Kestrel Coffee Roasters. Photo Courtesy Kestrel Coffee Roasters
After Johnny gave me a tour of the roaster, he, Charlotte, and I enjoyed shots of espresso made with a blend they call Faster Than Light—a sci-fi reference that may seem random but also fits a coffee perfected for a drink that will deliver a quick pick-me-up. Faster Than Light is on the medium side, and the taste notes are complex and layered. As we drank, I detected a fruity overtone and a richness beneath it that finished the flavor. Even at home in my machine, Faster Than Light delivered similar, complex espresso.
Faster Than Light is only one of many coffee beans that Kestrel offers. Customers, Charlotte notes, are curious and excited about the rotating selection of coffees Kestrel roasts and serves. “They trust us to make the great buying decision and we trust Johnny to buy really great coffee every single time.”
For Johnny, this never gets old. Ask him what his favorite coffee is and he responds, “The most recent one I got in!”
Once the coffee is roasted, it’s delivered to the Kestrel locations on Pine Street, where Johnny helped his customer have a great coffee experience, and Maple Street. With art on the walls, delightfully creaky floors, and high ceilings, the Maple Street café is the perfect place to enjoy your favorite coffee and to get your creative juices flowing.
However you experience Kestrel, Charlotte says, their customers “should leave happier than when they arrived,” That sounds obvious, Charlotte admits, but it does come down to “having a wonderful conversation with a smiling barista and a delicious cup of coffee.” That’s an experience anyone can enjoy.
