Bald Guy Brew

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Bald Guy Brew 
Location visited: Blowing Rock, NC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

I never really explored much of North Carolina's mountains save a brief trip to Asheville when I was a teenager. Oddly enough, it took nearly two decades to awaken a desire to revisit, and after a delay due to 2020, I finally made it to a lovely town called Blowing Rock and made a coffee stop at a place called Bald Guy Brew.

Crimson

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Crimson

Location visited: Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Sometimes a company will wish to rebrand or redo their image. This process is one fraught with peril, as the change can confuse people at best and drive them away at worst. Amidst coffee brands, I have seen a few make a change so drastic that they had to do damage control and/or reconnect the dots for the public, but for the wise, the efforts to redevelop or change are usually met with a level of intrigue, such as Crimson Cup of Columbus expanding their brand into a newer arm called simply Crimson.

People's Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: People's Coffee
Location visited: Durham, NC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

When folks look for lodging, typically they either want to be around amenities or they want relative seclusion. The typical unfortunate scenario unfolds in finding a nice hotel in a highly-populated area with little to see or do nearby. Nonetheless, every now and then an occasional match is made. Such was my fortune last time I passed through Durham, North Carolina when I found an affordable Hyatt nearly abutting a coffee shop of repute, People's Coffee. 

The Freedom Cafe

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: The Freedom Cafe
Location visited: Durham, NH
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

It's amazing how ten years can elapse between the first visit of a place and getting there again. Many times it's a matter of distance, other times it's circumstances and most often it is because I have not found a way to make it fit into the schedule.

Jubala Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Jubala Coffee
Location visited: Honeycutt Rd, Raleigh, NC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Ever go to a city and realize you missed a great coffee shop when you were there? For me, invariably after I return from some expeditions, there is occasionally an establishment I managed to miss or overlook. About 8-9 years ago, that was Jubala Coffee in Raleigh. My free time was limited, I poorly budgeted my time and that led to me missing a stop at the then-new Jubala.