Ryan Brosmer of Staunton is a self-described coffee nerd, not a coffee snob.
While you may not see him cradling a cup at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, the aroma of Cat Nap Coffee Roasting at Art Hive in Staunton.
“What I’m trying to do is really highlight the bean,” Brosmer, who also organizes the semi-annual Staunton Underground Comics and Zine Fest, said. He considers how the bean is grown and how it is processed.
In small batches since November, Brosmer roasts single-origin coffees at Art Hive with the help of technology. His laptop communicates through Bluetooth to his coffee roaster. On his laptop, he instructs the roaster what to do, monitors temperature and the roasting process. Cat Nap Coffee is named for the fact that Blosmer and his wife have four cats.
Despite a “Death before decaf” tattoo on his leg, Brosmer does offer a decaf coffee.
“This is like the first decaf that I truly enjoy and it’s the one that I roast, it’s one of my best sellers,” Brosmer said.
His coffee won 2nd place out of 10 roasters at the 2023 Cold Brew Throwdown in Harrisonburg sponsored by Merge Coffee Roasters.
His subscriber’s list of 10 are coffee lovers mostly on the East Coast and growing, as well as his buyers list, thanks to social media.
“My love of coffee goes back almost 15 years,” Brosmer said of attending college at Virginia Commonwealth University and discovering the joys of specialty coffee.
Roasting coffee is similar to popping popcorn, but heat is applied to coffee beans and moisture in the beans evaporates. The process of roasting is also similar to harvesting grapes to make wine.
“It’s all a bit of science, a bit of art.”
While roasting, coffee beans do not have the pleasant aroma that customers are addicted to until after the process is completed and the beans are brewed for drinking.
Moving to Staunton four years ago, Brosmer began to become encouraged by the local coffee scene and began roasting his own beans.
Brosmer’s coffee will soon be the drip coffee at Spuntini Bakery in Newport News and he will provide a dark roast and decaf for Brewing Bliss, a mobile coffee truck in Staunton and Augusta County.
Brosmer sells Cat Nap Coffee at the Saturday indoor market at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Staunton through March.
Cat Nap Coffee will also be available February 22 and 23, 2025 at Second Cafe in Roanoke for the Star City Zine Fest. On Sunday, Brosmer will hold a presentation and tasting. 
In spring 2025, he plans to begin to sell Cat Nap Coffee at a Richmond toy store, coinciding with the sell of a cat-shaped toy for children.
Brosmer’s favorite roast is a light roast, especially from Kenya, Ethiopia or Colombia.
Cat Nap Coffee is available for sale at Art Hive, 835 Spring Hill Rd., Staunton. Brosmer will offer coffee roasting classes at Art Hive.
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Rebecca Barnabi
