coffee in wilmington, nc

[Tom Philpott]

thanks, wilmington hounds, for the restaurant tips. I will try them all out.
Now, on to coffee. What's the best coffee in the downtown area? Any place serving counter culture coffee, pride of Durham, NC.

[wineandcheese]

Tom,
I did notice at NOFO yesterday they serve the counter culture coffee and offer it for bulk sale. I reccommend Java Estate. They roast their beans in Hampstead. Much of there buisness comes from phone orders. They do sell their beans at Temtations and Everyday gourmet. It is a local buisness and I believe in supporting the locals when possible.

[Andiereid]

Definitely give Port City a whirl. They roast the beans right around the corner from our house - you can smell it on the days they're doing it. They have locations everywhere and a nice variety of roasts.

[OrganicGal]

I am a big fan of Counter Culture, but have you tried Port City Java yet? They roast their beans right there in Wilmington. PCJ has an extensive training program for anyone that sells their coffees; the training center is on Market near downtown. I think they make an excellent cup.

Really, North Carolina is very, very lucky when it comes to bean roasting. There are so many excellent roasters in the state (the aforementioned PCJ and Counter Culture, 8th Sin, Tradewinds, Joe Van Gogh, Larry's Beans, Stockton Graham, Java Estate, Dilworth Coffee, to name a few). Yes, Counter Culture is excellent, but do think about trying PCJ, they really do a nice roast.