Be Your Own Barista

With more than two decades’ experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Dave Turchetta has a good eye for opportunities. So, when he took a closer look at the longtime TLC Coffee Roasters, a cafe conveniently bookended between the Kingston Train Station and the University of Rhode Island, he decided it was the perfect place to indulge his passion for friendly service, gourmet coffee and espresso drinks, and savory bites. His first order of business since taking the helm in 2015 was to renovate the space inside and out, making it more welcoming and community-oriented while maintaining its small town charm. Next, indulging South County java-addicts and beyond, TLC grew their coffee selection, roasting all their equitably sourced coffee beans from across the globe on site every day to guarantee the freshest brew. The “secret sauce” may just be Ken, the cafe’s roaster in chief, who developed a variegated roasting process that accentuates both the lighter and heavier notes of each bean. 

The positive response was palpable and customers wanted to have TLC at their fingertips. In addition to the selection of  blends and single origin coffee beans available to go by the pound, Dave developed a way TLC fanatics could have their coffee the most convenient way possible: K-Cups. “We are the only roaster in Rhode Island making our own custom K-Cups with our coffee onsite,” says Dave, who invested in a specialized machine that can prep, pack and process K-Cup orders. “We usually have a medium and dark roast available anytime and then we do custom K-Cups from any of our beans,” he explains. They do need about a day’s notice for custom K-Cups but they ship directly to your doorstep, if it’s not an order for pick-up. But first, coffee. 3362 Kingstown Road, West Kingston.