Local coffee roasters and drinkers are expressing some relief after President Donald Trump paused his tariffs against most nations in a surprise announcement Wednesday. Coffee would’ve been one of the first consumer goods to see an increase in price due to new tariffs that were briefly in effect Wednesday morning. According to trade groups, ~99% of the coffee beans consumed in the US are imported from other countries. Recent studies show more than 60% of Americans repot drinking coffee every day, making it the most popular beverage only behind bottled water. "I think we understand the idea of tariffs, I think it makes sense on some things,” says Kahwa Coffee Found and CEO Raphael Perrier, “But if you look at coffee beans, you cannot grow coffee in America.” Over the past 20 years, Perrier and his wife built Kahwa Coffee Roasters from a single café in St. Petersburg to now one with 20+ locations across the Tampa Bay area, employing 150 people. Finding a perfect blend is an art and a passion, Kahwa mainly imports their “green beans” from countries in South America. “Your Brazil's got your body, your Colombians got your acidity, your Guatemala has got a sweetness. So all those things cannot be replaced,” Perrier explained. So local roasters like Perrier were eyeing down a likely 15% cost increase on the beans alone, not to mention the potential cost increase for other goods, cups, lids and more that are manufactured offshore.