Sunday, October 30, 2022

Sleeping Bird Coffee


Subject: Sleeping Bird Coffee
Location visited: Wilmington, DE
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I remember the first time I saw a coffee truck back some ten or so years ago. It was like a fresh, new horizon rising before me, and I thought it would never get old.

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Cocoa Cinnamon / Little Waves Coffee Roasters


Subject: Cocoa Cinnamon / Little Waves Coffee Roastery
Location visited: Chapel Hill Rd (Lakewood), Durham, NC
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The worst time to get to a coffee shop is the last 15 minutes. The baristas are starting the closing process, most baked goods are gone and the general atmosphere can be sometimes hostile. But one near-closing experience proved to be the perfect stop for a long day in Durham.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

K Brew


Subject: K Brew
Location visited: Ebenezer Rd, Knoxville, TN
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have been to Tennessee a dozen times in my younger days, but in that count, for some reason I never stopped in Knoxville. This mostly resulted from a ridiculous time table and compatriots that did not enjoy multiple stops, but fortunately those days sit largely in the past. Thus on my most recent trek from east to west through the Volunteer State, I made a point to hit Knoxville.

Friday, September 30, 2022

Bald Guy Brew


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.

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Crimson



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.