CC: Caffe Driade

Subject: Caffe Driade
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


When wandering the woods like an avid jogger or naturalist, it's not typical to find a coffee house on the side of a hill along the trail. While it sounds like something out of the script of Hoodwinked or a a Dr. Suess story, it's indeed a reality in Chapel Hill. Of all the coffeehouses I've visited, none of them have been hedged into the forest as nicely as Caffe Driade.

Of course, the first time visitor finds them (if they can spot it) off the side of a major roadway, not easily visible in the back of their shared gravel parking lot. But after finding a spot, you walk into the pleasant jungle of their large patio system that surrounds the cafe on multiple levels (the bottom level leading to the Bolin Creek Trail). The ambiance is somewhat swanky and somewhat treehouse, with lots of vegetation looming in on every side of nice patio furniture. Compared to the patios, the actual building itself is comparatively small, with only enough interior room to sit a handful of patrons. But they make due with the space they have, with the counter greeting you as you first arrive, serving a host of options including beer and wine.

As far as coffee they offer Carrboro Coffee Roasters, a local roaster picking up popularity around the triangle. I ordered a drip of their Brazil and an espresso of their espresso blend. The espresso, pulled short with brown crema, held notes of cocoa, lime, shortbread, a bit of ginger ale and salt; a good pull and a great tasting extraction. The Brazil proved a bit on the darker side, with flavors of cloves, soft pretzel, pear, dandelion greens and blood orange within a heavy body. Though I'm not one who has much love for darker roasts, this brew actually grew on me and proved overall delicious.

Caffe Driade is definitely at the top of my list as far as unique cafes, pairing a woodsy escape with a good cup of coffee. If you're in the Chapel Hill area, definitely make a stop.

Mugged: Jamaica Blue Mt [C&C Specialty]

Subject: C&C Specialty Coffee
Mugged: Jamaica Blue Mountain
Rating: 3+ [see key]


While there are a lot of coffees that seem to come and go in the coffee market, Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the constants. As I've said through the years, there's nothing intrinsically amazing about the region per say; I've had great coffee from Jamaica and I've had horrible. What separates the two are a lot of factors and sometimes it's risky to spend the money as a consumer to try and make the guess.

But if you're like me, taking an occasional gamble on a new coffee company elicits a slight thrill. The newest coffee purveyor of JBM to meet my acquaintance was from C&C Specialty Coffee. Intrigued as usual, I gave their coffee a whirl via drip, french press and siphon.

The drip produced notes of nuts, peanut chaff, caramel, croissant, fig and prune with a slight flavor of paper and aspartame. A medium bodied brew with a fair profile.

The french press demonstrated a similar nutty prominence (this time a little like pumpkin seeds) in a medium body with paper on the back end, but it also popped with some further flavor of corn chip, Life cereal and cola. 

The siphon followed suit with the nuttiness along with deep flavors of cola, wheat, a little nutmeg and a bit of paper on the back. An amply sweet and agreeable brew.

I found this Jamaica Blue Mountain a decent deep-flavored coffee with a lot of positive flavors perfect for a morning brew. The only detraction was the slight papery off-taste on the very back end of all the brews (possibly a stale batch, which happens to the best of roasters). Thus, if you're looking for a decent Jamaica Blue Mountain, give C&C Specialty Coffee a go.


note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.

CC: Panadero Bakery

Subject: Panadero Bakery
Location: Burlington, VT
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]


Every town should have a great bakery. While I'm sure many dieticians would disagree, in my opinion a local operation that makes quality baked goods is a must for any enclave. And of course you can't have a great cookie/muffin/croissant/bear claw without a great cup of coffee. It's that simple folks: great baked goods and great coffee.

Sadly, few towns have what I would call a great bakery. But when I do happen upon one in my travels, I get worked up like a little kid on Christmas morning. Such was the case as I giddily trekked from downtown Burlington to the off-the-beaten-path and well-reputed Panadero Bakery. The building is impossible to miss with it's mustard yellow exterior accented by a patriotic red and blue. Inside, the interior is much less loud, with a demure collection of woods, soft colors and a vast parade of available pastries.

Looking to their coffee, they offer Vermont Artisan Coffee and Tea Co. and that fine day I ordered an espresso (blend unspecified) and a Sumatra Gayo via drip. The espresso, with a medium pull and marbled crema, extolled lemon, apple, buttermilk biscuit, cocoa and a velvety texture with a tingle of salt mixed in with the sweetness. The drip delivered notes of honey, maple syrup, traditional Italian bread, Dr. Pepper and some malt, providing a sweet with a few deep notes.

Overall, both infusions proved utterly delectable and well worth the visit. And while the quality of a venue's baked goods really doesn't factor into my rating, the cherry on the proverbial cake was their pastries, which gave the final confirmation that Panadero is indeed a great bakery. If you happen to be in town, definitely stop by.

Slight Renovation

We're restructuring the blog. What you see now is phase 1 of several phases in the coming days.

I love hearing from ye, so if you have any feedback or questions, please email bill.purecoffee@gmail.com .

Mugged: Craft Coffee

Subject: Craft Coffee
Mugged:
- Ethiopia Teklu Dembel of Lone Pine Coffee Roasters
- Guatemala Xeucalvitz of Coava Coffee Roasters
- El Salvador Manzano Natural Process of Topeca Coffee
Rating: 5+ for all [see key]


One of the larger growing trends this past year has been the concept of the 3rd party coffee subscription. The concept of having sommeliers send out top coffees to your door each month appears alluring, but the questions that nagged me were queries of freshness, trust and value. 

Of course the only way to be satisfied in my curiosity was to try out some subscriptions and the folks over at Craft Coffee were splendid enough to kick it off by sending out their October disbursement a few weeks back (...in October). Within the box were three coffees: Lone Pine Coffee Roasters' Ethiopia Teklu Dembel, Coava Coffee Roasters' Guatemala Xeucalvitz and Topeca Coffee's El Salvador Manzano Natural Process. Since each coffee comes in 4 oz. disbursements, I was only able to try each out via pourover and french press. 

The pourover of El Salvador from Topeca imprinted flavors of cocoa, pink lemonade, blueberry, maple, malt, muffin and a dash of oregano. The french press held similar bright flavors of blueberry, pink lemonade, maple, corn muffin, cocoa and oregano. A delicious coffee with bright, sweet notes.

The Ethiopian of Lone Pine also demonstrated a beautiful juicy succulence. The pourover blasted notes of blueberry, pancake, black tea, a little vanilla and gingerbread within a light body and smooth texture. The french press held very similar notes, with a slight nuance resembling soy sauce.

Coava's Guatemalan finished the series strong. The pourover blasted the flavors of sassafras, biscuit, corn, brazil nut and pear amidst a medium body. The french press proved similar, with more of a cashew quality that complimented the sassafras and corn well. A nutty and sweet brew.

With three fine coffees with little to dislike, I would have to say that Craft Coffee offers a great service for the money, especially if you're someone always on the hunt for a new coffee. Give Craft a go.
 

note: coffee was provided free of charge and the above review is objective feedback.