Common Questions

Every bag is roasted within 7 days of when it ships. We roast in small batches every Monday in Goose Creek, ship Tuesday–Friday, and print the roast date on the bag so you can see for yourself.

Match the grind to your brewer:

• Whole Bean — if you have a grinder at home (best flavor)
• Coarse — French press, cold brew
• Medium — drip coffee maker, pour-over, Chemex
• Fine — espresso machines only

When in doubt, pick Medium. It works in almost every brewer.

Not currently. Decaf roasting is its own discipline and we’d rather not do it badly. If demand picks up, we’ll source a good Swiss Water Process decaf and add it.

We roast medium to medium-dark across the lineup so the origin flavors come through. We don’t do dark roasts (the kind where the bean is shiny with oil) — they tend to taste more like roasting than like coffee.

Airtight container, cool dark cabinet, room temperature. Don’t refrigerate, don’t freeze (unless you’re storing for over a month). Don’t store next to spices. Most importantly — keep it as whole bean and grind right before brewing.

Whole bean: 4–6 weeks at peak flavor, drinkable for about 2 months. Pre-ground: 2–3 weeks. We mark the roast date on every bag so you always know where you are.

A rotating, limited-release coffee. Each month, Stew picks something unusual or experimental from the cupping table — could be a natural-processed Ethiopian one month, a honey-processed Costa Rican the next. Only about 30 bags per release. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

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About a week on the counter wrapped in foil, or 2–3 weeks in the freezer (slice first, freeze the slices individually). Our cakes are vacuum-sealed at packing, so they arrive fresh and the clock doesn’t really start until you open the bag.

Not at this time — all of our pound cakes contain wheat, butter, and eggs. We’re working on a gluten-free recipe but won’t put it on the shelf until it tastes as good as the originals.

All cakes contain wheat, dairy, and eggs. The Brown Butter Chocolate Chip also contains soy (from the dark chocolate). We bake in a kitchen that also handles tree nuts, so we can’t guarantee a nut-free environment.

For birthdays, holidays, or special occasions, email us with at least 48 hours’ notice. Tell us the occasion, the size you need, and any allergies or preferences. We can do simple variations on our base recipes (different glazes, mix-ins, sheet vs loaf).

Bring it to room temperature first — at least 20 minutes on the counter out of the bag. Cold pound cake tastes like 70% of itself. Slice thick (3/4 inch minimum) and serve with strong coffee, whipped cream, or fresh berries.

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Coffee ships Tuesday through Friday so your beans aren’t sitting in a warehouse over the weekend. Pound cakes ship Fridays (baked Thursdays) so they arrive Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

USPS Priority Mail averages 1–3 business days within the continental US. Pound cake orders ship 2-day Priority — usually arriving the Monday or Tuesday after we bake.

In our resealable, foil-lined Stew’s Brews & Chews bags with a one-way valve so the beans can release CO2 without letting oxygen in. Bags ship in a sturdy box (and we recycle yours if you bring it back).

Each cake is vacuum-sealed in food-safe plastic to lock in moisture, then nested in a corrugated box with crinkle paper for cushion. The vacuum seal also keeps the cake from oxidizing during transit — they arrive tasting freshly baked.

Not currently — only the continental US (lower 48). If you’re in Hawaii, Alaska, or a US territory, email us and we’ll work something out manually.

Email a photo to sbandc@proton.me within 5 days of delivery and we’ll replace or refund — no hassle. We pack carefully but USPS is rough on the boxes sometimes.

First, check with neighbors and your building manager (it happens more than you’d think). If it still doesn’t turn up after 48 hours, email us and we’ll file a claim with USPS and either resend or refund.

Yes, on orders over $50. Below that, we charge actual USPS rates (usually $7–10 for a coffee order, $12–15 for a cake).

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Select “Local Pickup — Stew’s Roastery” at checkout. We’ll text you when your order is bagged and ready. Most coffee orders are same-day; cake orders are ready Friday morning. Pickup is free.

Yes. At checkout, you’ll see a dropdown of all the farmers markets we’ll be attending in the next few weeks. Pick the one that works for you, we’ll bring your order to that market, and you collect it from our tent.

Our full schedule lives on the Calendar page — it updates as we add markets. We’re regulars at a few in the Charleston metro plus occasional pop-ups.

For coffee, usually yes — if you order before 2pm we can have it bagged by 4pm. Cakes need at least 24 hours’ notice, sometimes 48 if we’re booked up.

Of course. We bring extra bags and slices to every market, so feel free to buy on the spot. If you placed an online pickup order, we just hand it over — no fuss.

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All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay. At in-person markets we also take Venmo and cash.

Sales tax is calculated automatically at checkout based on your shipping address. South Carolina customers see SC state and local rates; orders to other states are taxed only where the law requires us to collect.

If anything’s wrong with your order — stale, damaged, wrong item, didn’t arrive — email us within 30 days and we’ll make it right with a refund or a replacement. We don’t take returns of perishable food for safety reasons.

Subscriptions are coming soon. If you’d like to be notified when we launch them, drop your email at the bottom of any page and we’ll let you know.

Yes — physical and digital. Look for “Gift Cards” in the Shop. Any denomination from $10 to $200.

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Yes. We work with cafes, restaurants, and offices in the Charleston area. Email us with how much coffee you go through per week and we’ll set up a recurring invoice with a wholesale discount.

We do regular office orders for a handful of companies in Goose Creek and North Charleston. Standing weekly delivery, automatic billing — email us with how many bags a week you’d need.

For coffee bars at weddings, corporate events, and farmers markets, yes. We bring the equipment, the beans, and a barista. Email us at least 3 weeks out with the date, location, and headcount.

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We do informal tours Saturday mornings — show up between 9 and 11 and someone will walk you through the process and probably hand you a cup. For groups of 5 or more, email ahead so we can have enough hands.

The whole story is on the About page — short version is: a popcorn-maker on a back porch, a family pound cake recipe, and an inability to stop saying yes when friends asked for “just one more bag.”

Always. Email us at sbandc@proton.me or fill out the form on the Contact page. We read everything, even if we take a few days to reply.