Cafe-Cocktail Bar Hybrid Opening In Ardmore March 21

ARDMORE, PA — Whether you're looking for a good cup of coffee or a cocktail, a new spot in Ardmore has just what you need.

Char & Stave Coffee is planning to open on Monday next week and will serve as an all-day café as well as a cocktail bar.

Founder and Master Distiller of acclaimed Phoenixville's Bluebird Distilling Jared Adkins and master distiller Scott Gilbert are branching out for a more public-facing business with Char & Stave Coffee.

Located at 21 Rittenhouse Place in Ardmore, Char & Stave will feature five signature coffee roasts in addition to the flagship Four Grain Bourbon Aged Blend, as well as specialty roasts.

Drinks included Char & Stave’s signature barrel aged espresso, Nitro Cold Brew, Nitro Draft Lattes and a Whiskey Smash Latte.

And what's coffee without something to munch on? Char & Stave will also have pastries and baked goods from local purveyors.

It will also offer a selection of cocktails and mocktails using the roasts and Bluebird Distilling’s spirits.

Char and Stave has a 42-person lounge inside, letting those looking for a coffee or cocktail relax while they sip in the 1,400-square-foot space.

For those on the go, Char & Stave will be selling bags of whole/ground coffee beans, Bluebird Distilling spirits, such as the Four Grain Bourbon, Juniperus Gin and Straight Rye Whiskey and select branded merchandise.

"The name ‘Char & Stave’ comes from the barrels we use for aging our bourbon and now, coffee," Adkins said. "The stave is one of the 21 pieces of oak that make up a barrel and the char is the inside layer of the barrel which holds the residual vanilla, bourbon and spice notes. I’m beyond excited to take the methodology of Bluebird Distilling and apply those processes to the coffee world, specifically with our signature barrel-aged roasts."

Coffee beans will be aged, barreled, roasted and packaged on-site at the Phoenixville distillery and transported to Ardmore.

To make the barrel-aged roasts, Adkins and his team place green (unaged and unroasted) beans, sourced from small collective farms from around the world, including Columbia, Peru, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Papua, New Guinea, and others, into Bluebird Distilling Four Grain Bourbon 30 and 53-gallon barrels where they are aged at least one month (up to six).

The key to aging coffee correctly is the moisture content of the barrel – not too wet and not too dry – and because Adkins is using his own whiskey barrels, he’s able to calculate the moisture levels perfectly and pick the best barrels for aging beans.

The coffee beans are imparted with the familiar flavors and spices in whiskey left in the wooden barrels, such as vanilla, toffee, and cedar. And like whiskey, the coffee beans in the barrels get better with age.

Char & Stave will be open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.