Cardiac Attack Coffee Co. is a bold and innovative Bradley Beach-based coffee company that has quickly garnered attention for its high-octane brews designed to energize and invigorate the senses. Founders Cameron Lockwood, Sean Salsano and Jim Golden — all born and raised Jersey Shore guys — have perfected the art of brewing strong, no-nonsense coffee beans. Despite the name, the coffee contains standard caffeine levels and there is no greater chance of heart issues by indulging in the products. Read on to learn more about Jersey Shore-born coffee company Cardiac Attack Coffee.
Once You Go Cardiac, You Can’t Go Back
Cardiac Attack’s founders wanted to fuel their adventures — live concerts, surfing, hiking, skating, biking, etc. — with coffee beyond brand names and nationwide chains. The heart pumping, adrenaline-fueled euphoria of catching the perfect wave, taking in a captivating view after a challenging hike, or jumping out of an airplane, is embodied in the flavors, and ethos, of their brand, Cardiac Attack Coffee.
“I took a trip to Costa Rica for a few weeks and I had a chance to try coffee there. Growing up just having the big jug of a grocery store bought coffee and then having tried this real good coffee for the first time I was like ‘Oh, I can’t drink anything else after this,’” founder Cam told The Jersey Shore Girl.
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Co-founder Jim — who practices the art and precision of roasting good quality beans — had a similar experience to Cam. “I worked in the city for years and I would do the coffee chain grab every day. After trying other origins, I got to the point where I was like, ‘No, this isn’t good,’” he said.
Cam and Jim, along with the third co-founder, Sean worked together to try coffee beans from all over the world, tested how to roast it perfectly, and curated the best selection of coffees that provide deliciously bold and captivating flavors. Cam’s trip to Costa Rica and Jim’s growing disdain for the taste and quality of Starbucks and similar chains inspired them to want to make their own, better coffee. They all grew up together in Brick, New Jersey and knew each other from school. Sean and Cam were in local bands together.
“We started with a roaster that literally did eight ounces of coffee at one time. There was so much smoke in our apartments that I thought someone was gonna call the cops,” co-founder Sean shared about the company’s beginning stages. “I’d be sweating in my apartment roasting, like, eight bags of coffee a day.”
The Cardiac crew has since upgraded to a bigger coffee rig to accommodate the production of its single-origin coffee in light, medium, and dark roast varieties as well as cold brew packs. Cardiac Attack’s dark roast, Guatemala, tastes like chocolate-dipped almonds and toasted sugar with a pungent dark cocoa aftertaste. The medium roast, Costa Rica, has blueberry and raspberry notes before cooling to semi-sweet chocolate. Cardiac Attack’s light roast, Ethiopia, tastes like honey and key lime pie. The cold brew packs are an easy and efficient way to indulge in a variety of delicious cold brews at home and on-the-go.
Live Music Fuel
Coffee and music are universally known to stimulate creativity, elevate moods, and bring people together — both on their own and in tandem — and they are two things that Cam, Sean and Jim feel equally passionate about. The guys grew up playing in bands and going to punk shows in basements and venues like The Saint and The Stone Pony, constantly chasing the high of hearing their favorite songs live, tearing up a mosh pit, or getting lifted to crowd surf.
“Sean and I have been friends for a long time now but it was music that brought us together,” Cam told JSG. “We were in a band playing late night sets at bars and we’d be like, ‘We need to stay up.’ Maybe that’s why we’re both obsessed with coffee now?”
When he’s not taste testing and perfecting a new brew for Cardiac Attack, Cam tours the world playing drums for pop artist and Jersey girl Fletcher. Cardiac Attack hosted its first pop-up event at The Stone Pony in 2024 selling a limited edition coffee collaboration at Fletcher + Friends – an annual concert event hosted by Fletcher during Asbury Park’s Pride Weekend.
“Jim drew up artwork of Convention Hall and The Stone Pony and we put Fletcher’s name on the front of the packaging. We sold cold brew at the Pony during the show. We sold out of everything on both nights. It was super exciting,” Cam said.
Cardiac Attack’s team has mad love for its home at the Jersey Shore, so it is no surprise that they’ve already collaborated with some favorite local spots to produce cool coffee creations. The company’s first beer collab was with Heavy Reel Brewing Co., located in Seaside Heights. Together the brands produced a coffee stout that was made available during the holiday season. Cardiac Attack also teamed up with Beach Haus Brewery in Belmar on a lager made with its Ethiopia Bobea and Guatemala Xina coffee beans.
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Get Your Heart Pumpin’
Cardiac Attack’s whole bean and ground coffee, cold brew packs, clothing, glassware, and accessories can be purchased on the website as well as on Walmart.com.
Cardiac Attack’s single-origins can be purchased in-person at Coronato’s Kitchen, a healthy and customizable meal prep kitchen located in the founders’ hometown of Brick, as well as at Pulp, a juice and smoothie bar in Asbury Park.
Stay tuned to Cardiac Attack’s Instagram for upcoming releases, collaborations, new cereal-infused cold brew packs, merch, and more.
