DINING TASTE
Your Community Coffeeshop
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By Tom Worgo Photography by Stephen Buchanan
hristie Coster worked at The Big Bean in Severna Park for five years, but it was more than just a job. It was part of her life. She missed it when she moved out of state. “I always wanted to come back,” says Coster, who lived in New Mexico for a decade. “When I left here, I felt part of me was missing. When I moved back, the owner and a close friend let me work for a few days a week.”
In 2010, during her second stint at the shop, she met Greg Coster, a customer, and they started dating. Two years later, they got married and eventually ended up buying The Big Bean in January of 2019. “Customers don’t believe it, but they love it,” says Christie, referring to this fortuitous turn of events. “For me, it’s a fairy tale. It was unfinished business.”
THE BIG BEAN
558 Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard, Severna Park | 410-384-7744
thebigbean.com
888 Bestgate Road, Ste. 110, Annapolis | 410-216-2911
Many times during the day, the shop is packed, which offers about 35 different coffees as well as smoothies, and superfood lattes among other drinks. The breakfast cookie with cranberries and walnuts is the most popular food item.
We recently talked to the Costers about what makes The Big Bean standout from the competition, what their top-selling coffees are, and their approach to hiring staff.
“The original owner and her husband were ready to retire,” Christie says. “We felt we could continue their 20-year tradition. I always dreamed about buying this place.”
We offer everything from single origins, which is from one place. We sell Ethiopian, Columbian, Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Sumatran. All our coffees are called certified specialty coffee. It’s the highest grade of coffee you can buy. They are all certified organic as well.
One of the first things the Costers did was double the seating capacity on the back deck, add a fire pit, and they now offer live music mostly year-round on Saturdays in the late-fall and winter. With the success of the Severna Park store, the Costers decided to open an Annapolis location off of Bestgate Road in June of 2020.
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What’s Up? Annapolis | June 2022 | whatsupmag.com
Greg, tell us about the type of coffee you sell?
What about blended coffees?
We also get involved with coffees that are blended. Say a Brazilian coffee is blended with an Ethiopian. We put our stamp on those blends and give them names unique to our business. One thing we
