Stone Roastery is a mecca for pilgrims who seek outstanding coffee

Choose drip or cold-brew, dark or decaf. Have a cappuccino, a macchiato, a frappe or a foam-decorated latte. Order espresso blonde (medium strong) or brunette (dark); flavor it however you like or have the barista use it as caffeinated hot syrup poured over ice cream to make an affogato.

It all comes from the roaster positioned in a place of honor at the front of the shop. A sign on the wall reports which beans currently are included in which coffees, and where they’re from. It says that a brew called Midnight Run is made with dark-roasted beans from New Guinea, Costa Rica and Guatemala. The sign also tells you what to expect when you drink it: “medium body with cocoa and nougat notes and faint green apple hints.” For cold brew, roastmaster

Brad Stone combines beans from Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Honduras. With these he creates coffee with “super fruity notes” and “complex, crisp acidity.” About a blend of beans called Jalopy, the sign advises, “This coffee changes. We buy small lots from small farms [and] when these run out, we change the profile, so you never know what you might get.” Impressive as the coffee is, there’s something else that puts Stone Roastery on Aiken County’s culinary honor roll: cake. Baked by Brad Stone’s wife and his mother, it goes beyond its purported purpose as a coffee companion. In fact, it is some of the best in the cake-rich CSRA. Buy it by the slice. The inventory changes from day to day. It is a joy just to look at the cakes on display in a glass case next to the coffee bar. The beauty of these large, stately masterworks is not so much a matter of picture-perfect form, but of the bakers’ enthusiasm.

About a blend of beans called Jalopy, the sign advises, “This coffee changes. We buy small lots from small farms [and] when these run out, we change the profile, so you never know what you might get.”

Impressive as the coffee is, there’s something else that puts Stone Roastery on Aiken County’s culinary honor roll: cake. Baked by Brad Stone’s wife and his mother, it goes beyond its purported purpose as a coffee companion. In fact, it is some of the best in the cake-rich CSRA.

Buy it by the slice. The inventory changes from day to day.

It is a joy just to look at the cakes on display in a glass case next to the coffee bar. The beauty of these large, stately masterworks is not so much a matter of picture-perfect form, but of the bakers’ enthusiasm.

Fluffy frosting enrobes cream-rich pineapple cake. Chewy bits of candy bar pair with deep, dark layers of devil’s food in Butterfinger cake. Apple spice cake tastes like autumn on a fork. Some cakes celebrate holidays. To honor law enforcement during National Police Week in May, the bakers came up with “Blue Velvet Cake” that was the cobalt-blue color of a cop’s uniform. As Halloween approaches, you might try “Red ‘Eye’ Velvet Cake,” each serving of which includes a bloodshot marshmallow eyeball stuck to the cream cheese frosting. Portions of “Dirt Cake” (chocolate pudding cake with peanut butter frosting and Oreo crumbs) come with a creepy-crawly toy spider ring. Silly, simple or swanky, every Stone Roastery slice I’ve eaten has been sublime. In Belvedere on a rolling road between U.S. 25 and Palmetto Parkway, this standalone store is an intriguing cultural mix: urban-hip in its coffee selection, country-true in its pastries, car-culture exuberant with automobile memorabilia everywhere, plus reminders of important Bible verses and odes to police, firefighters and military veterans. The seating area is extraordinarily spacious, equally comfortable for groups who gather to gab as well as for singles who want to be alone with their phone.

Some cakes celebrate holidays. To honor law enforcement during National Police Week in May, the bakers came up with “Blue Velvet Cake” that was the cobalt-blue color of a cop’s uniform. As Halloween approaches, you might try “Red ‘Eye’ Velvet Cake,” each serving of which includes a bloodshot marshmallow eyeball stuck to the cream cheese frosting. Portions of “Dirt Cake” (chocolate pudding cake with peanut butter frosting and Oreo crumbs) come with a creepy-crawly toy spider ring.

Silly, simple or swanky, every Stone Roastery slice I’ve eaten has been sublime.

In Belvedere on a rolling road between U.S. 25 and Palmetto Parkway, this standalone store is an intriguing cultural mix: urban-hip in its coffee selection, country-true in its pastries, car-culture exuberant with automobile memorabilia everywhere, plus reminders of important Bible verses and odes to police, firefighters and military veterans.

The seating area is extraordinarily spacious, equally comfortable for groups who gather to gab as well as for singles who want to be alone with their phone.