Where Buy Whole Bean Coffee In Charlotte?

[mrwaterslide]

Well, the South board seems to have the Triangle covered, but there's nothing about Charlotte.
I need to buy some coffee, and I'd prefer to not get it at a grocery store. Is there a decent coffee shop that sells a variety of beans?

[Riverman1]

I've found a local roasting company called Notorious Coffee roasting Co. They have delicious coffee at resonale prices, but they only sell online. You can find them at www.notoriouscoffee.com. I think they also sell at Luna's Living Kitchen on South Blvd.

[narenking]

The wife and I just gave Notorious Coffee a shot and we're pretty satisfied. We put our online order in on a Monday night and got our coffee on Wednesday afternoon. Prices are excellent and shipping cost was also very reasonable (USPS).

[barefootcoffeegeek]

Julia's Coffee on Wendover is getting much better, and the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity.

[Nocturnalbill]

They are getting better, but I definitely think we still go for crazy decor and feeling good about where my money is going.

[GogglesPaisano]

Another vote for Counter Culture. They have a great online mail-order service. Fresh beans are the best beans and I've found that at some grocery stores if the stock does not rotate quickly enough you can end up with some pretty old beans. Counter Culture stamps the roast date on their bags. I mail ordered my beans from them for years before I lived close enough to a ready supply of fresh ones.

[kenyakaye]

Healthy Home Market, formerly known as Home Economist, sells bulk coffee beans. They carry Counter Culture along with a low acid coffee bean there. There is a corner of the store with nothing but bulk coffee beans. You may want to try there.

[billyjack]

I prefer Counter Culture over Stone Cup, so try both and decide for yourself. Dilworth is good but you have to ask when it was roasted. Thats whats hard about Charlotte, we used to have a couple of shops that roasted in-store. Now you have to rely on someone telling you the truth about how old the coffee is. I still like buying green beans and roasting my own occasionally.

[GodfatherofLunch]

Just curious, where did you try the coffee you had made from Stone Cup beans?

[billyjack]

The place in South End. I frequently work near that block. It is good coffee, I should probably buy some for myself to try.

[GodfatherofLunch]

When I prepare coffee for myself at home I use a french press and it makes a great cup of coffee. If you don't have one pick one up, not expensive or hard to use and the results are fantastic.

[billyjack]

I agree, french press is the way to go.

[GodfatherofLunch]

And a french press made with the beans from Cluck N Cup kicks my day into gear very nicely.

[billyjack]

I noticed they have a sign hanging now, hopefully that will help bring some traffic. Honestly I didn't know what the name was until you mentioned it. This spot has been tough for the last couple of tenants.

[GodfatherofLunch]

The coffee roaster that Cluck N Cup uses is Stone Cup Roasters out of Chattanooga, TN.
I have had coffee brewed from beans from Counter Culture and Dilworth Coffee. I have sipped coffee at Dilworth Coffee, Caribou, and Starbucks. INHO the coffee at Cluck N Cup beats them all. Bottom line it's all about the beans and Stone Cup has the real deal. To my knowledge the only two places in town that get beans from Stone Cup Roasters are Cluck N Cup and Zada Janes. To me the house blend at Cluck N Cup is the peak of coffee pleasure. Rich, bold, complex without being overstated. Yeah, I like it!

[mikebmassey]

Godfather,

I can't find Cluck N Cup anywhere online. I know exactly where you're talking about, but I had no idea there was even a coffee shop there. Can you give me some more detail about the place? I'll go check it out tomorrow (I live 4 blocks away...)

Thanks

[GodfatherofLunch]

It used to be called Estelles. It is now under new ownership but they kept the same great coffee. I live near by as well. From South Blvd. just turn onto Magnolia and make a quick left into the parking lot of the the condos. I'll be the at the bar drinking coffee.

[kathleen purvis]

You also can get excellent whole beans through Counter Culture Coffee at Earth Fare. And if you're interested, you should go to one of the Friday morning coffee cuppings at the Counter Culture office in Charlotte. Not only is it enlightening, but you often meet people from the local green coffee bean club, a group that bands together to buy green beans in quantity.

[mrwaterslide]

Where is the Counter Culture office in Charlotte? It sounds kind of fun to go to the cupping, rank amateur that I am. I ended up getting some good answers, and more flak than I had anticipated, but I like flak, so what the heh.
Thanks everyone.

[kathleen purvis]

Here's what we ran about it last year. Schedules get erratic in summer, so call to make sure they're doing it:

Friday mornings at Counter Culture's regional sales center. Every Friday at 10 a.m., all employees of Durham-based Counter Culture stop what they're doing and taste coffees. And any coffee fan is welcome to join them. Lessons are free, discussion is free-wheeling. Stop by some Friday and try it.

1435 W. Morehead St. (Grinnell Water Works building), 704-299-2574

[mrwaterslide]

Thank you.

[barefootcoffeegeek]

Hey...just throwing in more info here. I'm the rep for CCC in the area. We are still holding cupping every Friday starting at 10 AM sharp. It can be a bit tricky to find...here are the directions http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=747&Itemid=

If there is time, we also do some tasting of espresso after the cupping, and do some espresso free play. We also have a blog from the parent website now as well. http://charlotte.counterculturecoffee... check the event calendar for more info.

[GodfatherofLunch]

When it comes to coffee I don't play. Morning caffeine delivery is serious business. The finest cup of coffee is available at a hidden gem of a place called Cluck N Cup. The address is 2135 Southend Drive, at corner of Southend Drive and Magnolia Ave, less than a block off South Blvd. They get their beans from an exceptional roaster; I believe only two establishments in Charlotte use this roaster. It is just the best cup of coffee available period. They are serving some nice breakfast and lunch items that are just a bit different from the rest of the pack. Oh and yes you can get some beans whole or ground.

[beanryboy]

Well, in trying to help, and being open about what I do, and how much I get excited to see people excited about coffee, my previous post was deleted. I head up training and knowledge for Dilworth Coffee, and was just trying to be a good community player. I wasn't trying to use chowhound for "spin control" or customer service. I just saw the previous posts as requiring an explanation, and inviting understanding, as well as a coffee event we do for the general public each month, many culinary fans.

So, hopefully this doesn't get deleted. Each Dilworth Coffee is independently owned by people in those communities, and will be different, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your experience.) They are not a franchises. The coffee is all roasted here in the SouthEnd of Charlotte daily, and is only fresh.

(Hope that explains without violating any guidelines, and yes, I did look them over before posting this to see what I did to have my last post deleted. If I have goofed on another guideline, please do me the honor of at least letting me know why the post is being deleted, so I know for next time. I want to be respectful of the coolness and objectivity that the site is.)

[winedup]

Really now, do you want pizzazz or good whole bean coffee. You best choices are Dilworth Coffee, Caribou, or Starbucks. Dilworth coffee is the best non-national-chain option around.

[mrwaterslide]

I will try to this out if I'm ever down that way. Am up here in Concord, unfortunately.

[kathleen purvis]

If you're in Concord, wouldn't Summit Coffee in Davidson be a reasonably close trip for you?

[mrwaterslide]

I will try that. Thank you. Still going to have to check out the Counter Culture cupping.

[mikebmassey]

I'm interested in learning this too. Dilworth is the only place I have found that is reasonable fresh, but I am not totally impressed with their coffee either.

[Hapy]

Have you tried Dilworth Coffee House? Web site list different locations.

http://www.dilworthcoffee.com/

[mrwaterslide]

I've been to the Dilworth Coffeehouse in Matthews. To be honest, if they're all like that, I'd rather hold out for something with a little more pizzazz.