Iowa City, Iowa · Specialty Coffee Brand Deep Dive

Brass Ring Coffee

IndependentRoasts its own coffeeSourcing: Origin / region level

TagsBrass Ring Coffee Iowa coffee roasters Zambia El Salvador Colombia Independent Origin / region level Roasts in-house

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Brass Ring Coffee is a small-batch roaster based in Iowa City that focuses on providing freshly roasted coffee through local delivery and farmers' market pop-ups. The brand emphasizes a hands-on approach to roasting and offers a rotating selection of single-origin beans and signature blends. Their business model prioritizes direct-to-consumer sales and community engagement within the Iowa City area.

Ownership

Brass Ring Coffee is an independent, family-owned business founded by Sam Caster and his wife, Emma.

Founded

2014

Roasting

Reported to roast in-house.

What it's known for

The brand is known for its small-batch, locally roasted coffee and its 'Skeleton Key' series, which features experimental or unique single-origin offerings.

Sourcing countries

Zambia · El Salvador · Colombia

Farm-level sourcing

The brand sources single-origin coffees and blends from various global regions. While they highlight specific processing methods and varieties for their 'Skeleton Key' series, they generally do not publish specific farm or producer names for their offerings.

Notable coffees

— Brass Knuckle Blend
— Zambia
— El Salvador

Sources used in this deep dive

Research disclosure — this profile was compiled from public online sources on 2026-10-23. This company overview is not a tasting review. Original tasting reviews are labeled separately when they exist. Ownership, roasting and sourcing details are attributed to documented sources. While the brand's website indicates it is 'permanently closed' in some search results, it remains active on social media and continues to list products, making its current operational status ambiguous.

Brass Ring Coffee

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