Kicks! Quicks | Fresh, fragrant coffee beckons at Conway’s Rivertown Roasters

Roaming around downtown Conway is an adventure and always rewarding, but in the summer, it can quickly turn into a race to find the next air-conditioned building. So when a cooldown is in order, drop by Rivertown Roasters on Main for a calm atmosphere and refreshing coffee.

Rivertown Roasters is the first cafe in Conway to roast its own beans, in case its name wasn’t a giveaway. As such, there probably isn’t a time when customers come through those doors without smelling fresh coffee beans. After the morning rush, the quaint store becomes hushed and calm, allowing time for more beans to be roasted, hot coffee to be pressed and fresh cream to be made.

Even though Rivertown Roasters does everything it can to keep the drinks as authentic as possible through the time-extensive process of roasting, grinding and pressing the beans, it still has an impressive amount of drink variety. The classics are all available, from a simple drip coffee to a latte, and every drink on the menu can also be made into an iced version. For those who prefer tea, check out the chai options, or pick a flavor of tea from the selection, including some from the Charleston Tea Plantation.

The drip coffee, which is delicious by itself but can be enjoyed with homemade cream, is located on the Honor Bar, where customers can help themselves to the coffee and put their payment in a small tin on the counter. The drip coffee on the Honor Bar changes regularly, but no matter what, it becomes free after 4 p.m., and when it’s gone, it’s gone. But if you frequent the cafe, be sure to remember your stamp card to get $3.50 off a drink when you buy 10!

As coffee is the main focus at Rivertown Roasters, the food selection is still rather small, but at the same time, it’s all a cafe needs. Some of the snacks in the display, like the bagels and muffins, come from different places, but there will always be a few treats from Crady’s, the restaurant across the street that has been a local favorite for years. The two businesses have a wonderful friendship going, with Crady’s allowing some of their baked goods to be sold in Rivertown Roasters, while the aforementioned roasters make a blend of coffee that can only be enjoyed in their neighboring bistro.

Rivertown Roasters on Main not only brings quality to coffee in Conway, but a focus on health as well. Everything in the shop has to pass strict qualifications, because these roasters only want organic and non-GMO ingredients to go into each creation. Plus, each bean company they buy from is approved by the Rainforest Alliance Association. It seems in every way it can, Rivertown Roasters is supporting local and global economies while bringing delicious coffee to Conway.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Kicks! Quicks | Fresh, fragrant coffee beckons at Conway’s Rivertown Roasters."