Black Lotus Coffee is a small-batch micro-roastery, founded in 2025 by Tyler and Natalie Kondrla of Barrington.
Tyler & Natalie Kondrla were once just your average coffee drinkers, but they dove headfirst into the world of coffee bean sourcing and coffee roasting. Their journey led them to explore beans from all over the world, experiment with various processing methods and roast curves, and test brewing techniques to understand what brought out the best in every cup.
Initially, they began with a small air roaster that could only handle 6 oz at a time; but have since upgraded to an 8-lb electric air roaster. More about air roasting in a bit.
After countless hours of research, trial, and (delicious) error, they launched Black Lotus Coffee, where they roast every batch to order, ensuring maximum freshness. You heard that right, they roast the coffee when someone orders it. They roast just two days a week, and only for confirmed orders. That means no inventory of beans sitting in bags, losing flavor and aroma over time. Black Lotus ensures you’re getting it at peak freshness—so your brews are vibrant, fragrant, and balanced.
Because quality matters, they exclusively use single-origin beans that score 80 or higher on the Specialty Coffee Association scale. By working only with specialty-grade beans, Black Lotus supports better farming practices and offers a noticeably better coffee experience.
By roasting the coffee on an air roaster, it delivers a cleaner-tasting cup compared to traditional drum roasting. According to the Black Lotus website, air roasting is a coffee roasting method that utilizes a stream of hot air to roast the beans, thereby eliminating direct contact with hot surfaces. Unlike traditional drum roasting, where beans tumble inside a heated drum, air roasting suspends the beans in a chamber of circulating hot air, ensuring they roast evenly on all sides. This method enables each bean to roast evenly and consistently, thereby enhancing flavor, aroma, and overall quality.
Tyler and Natalie were kind enough to send me some samples to enjoy. As someone who needs coffee to function, coffee is a daily must. However, not all coffee is created equal, and I enjoy high-quality coffees not only for the caffeine boost, but also for its good flavor. Smooth, medium-roast coffees are usually the sweet spot for me. Luckily, Black Lotus offers many medium-roast coffees in their current line-up.
Black Lotus Coffee offers whole bean or ground coffee (drip – if you don’t want to grind your own beans) in 12 oz. or 5 lbs. bags. I use a French Press to brew my coffee and the drip coffee works just fine. You can also purchase single-serve coffee pods of the Guatemala and Colombia varieties.
Their tagline “Intentionally Sourced, Mindfully Roasted” truly embodies their ethos: a focus on quality without pretension. Try Black Lotus Coffee, and you can feel good about supporting a small, local business.
They are so eager for South Jerseyans to try the coffee that they are offering SJFS readers 15% off using the promo code “SJFS15” when you order online for quick delivery right to your door at https://blacklotuscoffeenj.com/.
You can also find Black Lotus Coffee to purchase locally at Decadent Desserts in Glendora, Rowdy Brothers Homestand in Newfield/Franklinville, and Crystal Hive in Mays Landing. More wholesale locations are coming soon. If you’d like to carry this coffee at your coffee shop or retail store, get in touch; they’d love to hear from you.
Get behind-the-scenes peeks and new drop alerts by following them on Instagram.
Support local and enjoy!
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