Aerís Roasting Co

Aer's Roasting Co sits about ten miles from a hunting shack, which is exactly how regulars locate it. Iroquois, South Dakota is not on anyone's specialty coffee map, and that is part of the appeal. Brandon, the owner, will meet you at the shop and answer questions about the beans, the roast schedule, or whatever the customer brings to the counter. The space is a small coffee hut with cute decorations and what customers consistently call good vibes. A little gem off the beaten path, as one regular put it, and the description fits the geography and the operation both. The roasting happens locally. Beans go out by monthly subscription, including a Guatemala Ayarza Natural Process that anchors the program for home brewers on the subscription. On the bar there is a Nitro Cold Brew on tap alongside Kombucha, which is an unusual pairing this far from the coasts and a sign Brandon is paying attention to what specialty coffee people are drinking now. Espresso drinks come out of the same small operation, run by the person who roasted the beans that morning. The customer who fits here is the rural traveler, the hunter passing through eastern South Dakota in the off-season, or the subscription buyer willing to commit to a tiny roastery they will probably never visit. There is no pretending this is convenient. The drive in is the point. If you want a serious cup of coffee somewhere far outside the usual map, and you want to know the name of the person who roasted it, Aer's is built for exactly that arrangement. The Guatemala subscription is the place to start if you are buying beans by mail. If you happen to be driving through, the hut is worth the detour for the espresso, the Nitro pour, the Kombucha if that is your move, and a conversation with Brandon that you will not get at a chain stop on the interstate.