First Cast Coffee Roasters: Chesapeake Bay Fishing Guides Who Roast in Pasadena, Maryland

A Roaster Spotlight, first published in our newsletter, What's Brewing, on September 2, 2026.

At a glance

• Roaster: First Cast Coffee Roasters, Pasadena, Maryland (Anne Arundel County)
• Owners: Chuck and Suzi Jones, who also run a fishing guide service on the Chesapeake Bay
• Training: a roasting apprenticeship in Guatemala
• On the shelf: Ethiopian coffees (Wush Wush Guji, Harrar) and two blends, First Cast and First Light
• Where to buy: farmers markets and events around Anne Arundel County, local pickup, and shipping within Maryland

On a charter boat the day does not start when you wake up. It starts on the first cast. Everything before that is loading gear in the dark and drinking whatever is in the thermos. Chuck and Suzi Jones have run a fishing guide service on the Chesapeake Bay for years, which means they have spent a lot of mornings on the wrong side of that line, holding a cup of coffee that was doing a job rather than being enjoyed. First Cast Coffee Roasters is what happened when they decided the coffee should be the good part too.

First light on the Chesapeake, and the first cup of the day.

From fishing guides to coffee roasters

"First Cast really grew out of our background in fishing," Chuck says. "Coffee has always been a big part of those early mornings on the water. I started roasting at home and experimenting with different coffees, and pretty quickly it became an obsession."

The name joins the two halves together. "In fishing, the first cast is when the day really starts. We liked the idea of carrying that same feeling into coffee. That first cup that starts your day."

Neither of them came out of the coffee trade, and they are direct about what that meant: a lot of learning in public. The step that changed things was leaving the country. They spent time in Guatemala doing a roasting apprenticeship, working with people who had been doing it far longer.

"That gave us the opportunity to learn from people who really understand coffee," Chuck says, "and brought a whole new level of appreciation of coffee. From plant to cup and all the people around the world that play a part."

What they chase in the cup

Chuck and Suzi pulling a fresh batch off the roaster.

Ask about the house style and the answer is a refusal to have one. "We're chasing flavor and character. I don't want every coffee to taste the same. If a coffee has blueberry, citrus, floral or tropical characteristics, I want the roast to bring those out rather than roast them away."

The target is not a flavor note. It is a reaction. "Ultimately, I want someone to take a sip and say, I've never tasted coffee like this before."

Why Ethiopia is at the center of the shelf

Ethiopia is where they keep going back to, and where Chuck got hooked in the first place. "They can be incredibly fruity, floral, sweet and sometimes almost wine-like. They're very different from what most people think coffee is supposed to taste like."

The Wush Wush Guji is the one he points at. "It has so much unique fruit character that it makes you stop and pay attention." The Harrar sits next to it as the counterweight, a completely different personality and still unmistakably Ethiopian.

Two blends, two moments on the water

The blends are named after the two best parts of a morning on the water, and the coffees inside them are built to match.

First Cast is the everyday one, an El Salvador blended with the Ethiopian Harrar. Chuck describes it as balanced and approachable, aimed at people who already like a darker cup, with dark fruit underneath it. He rates it as an espresso and says it holds up equally in a French press, a drip pot or cold brew. The moment it is named for is the one before dawn: the first cup while the gear is going onto the boat.

First Light pushes further, Wush Wush blended with Harrar, fruit-forward and built as a way in for people who have never gone light. His notes: chocolaty with fruit, honey sweetness and a bit of brightness. The name is the sun coming up over the horizon and starting to shimmer on the water.

Who it is for

The audience Chuck describes is not the specialty crowd. It is the person standing at the market stall who is curious and slightly wary.

"You don't have to be a coffee expert or know all the terminology. If you drink coffee every day and you're curious enough to say, I wonder what this tastes like, you're our customer. We want to make specialty coffee less intimidating. You don't need to know everything about coffee to enjoy really good coffee."

Ask what he is proudest of so far and he does not name a coffee. "It's probably when someone who didn't know us bought a bag of our coffee, went home, drank it and came back to tell us how much they enjoyed it. Friends and family buying your coffee is great, but when somebody with no connection to you chooses to spend their money on it and comes back because they loved it, that's when it starts feeling like a real business."

Where to buy First Cast coffee

You will most reliably find them at farmers markets and local events around Anne Arundel County, which Chuck says is his favorite part of the whole thing, because it is the only place he gets to watch someone taste it. They also do local pickup and ship within Maryland through their site.

The plan from here is deliberately unglamorous. More markets, a loyal customer base, coffees people cannot easily find elsewhere, and getting better at the roasting itself. "I'm much more interested in becoming really good at what we do than simply growing as fast as possible." The long version is to be a Maryland coffee brand people associate with the Chesapeake Bay, which for two people who make their living on that water is less a marketing position than a description.

Find First Cast Coffee Roasters

First Cast's profile is on Roast Local. For more roasters nearby, see all Maryland roasters, our Maryland coffee scene guide, or the Baltimore roasters guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is First Cast Coffee Roasters located? In Pasadena, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. It is run by Chuck and Suzi Jones, who also operate a fishing guide service on the Chesapeake Bay.

Where can I buy First Cast coffee? At farmers markets and local events around Anne Arundel County, by local pickup, and shipped within Maryland through their website.

What is the difference between the First Cast and First Light blends? First Cast is an El Salvador blended with Ethiopian Harrar, made for people who like a darker cup. First Light is Ethiopian Wush Wush blended with Harrar, fruit-forward and intended as a way into lighter coffee.

Where did the owners of First Cast learn to roast? Chuck Jones started roasting at home, and the couple then did a roasting apprenticeship in Guatemala.