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Is there any specific reason for this? I thought coffee was oversaturated in virtually any decent-sized city/town in America by now.
I was in the coffee business for about 5 years, the cost of equipment, the mess and infrastructure costs kept me from roasting in house. Roasting beans isn't terribly hard, but is a not the greatest thing to do in the middle of your coffee house. There were plenty of good options close by to get what I wanted roasted the way I wanted roasted. Coffee Works in Matthews was a roaster that I used for a long time. I switched to Stockton and Graham in Raleigh, they roast for several houses in town and own Dilworth. Counter Culture is good and they have a local training office in Charlotte. You can buy their beans at Earth Fare. S&D in Concord, roasts for McDonalds and Dunkin Doughnuts, and use the same beans for both brands, they just roast them differently. The only house that I know right now that is roasting their own is Crossroads in Waxhaw. There may be a house in NoDa, but I haven't been plugged into the business for a while now, so I don't know who is roasting and who isn't.
The other thing is that Charlotte is very brand-centric especially in suburbia. The independents typically do a better job, but have to fight for business by the big brands. Its very hard to compete against Starbucks, Caribou and Dunkin even if you have a better product. People just seem to gravitate to the national brands, at least here in the QC.
Is there any specific reason for this? I thought coffee was oversaturated in virtually any decent-sized city/town in America by now.
Sure, people don't want to spend a lot of money on good coffee. Therefore, the vast majority of people drinking this coffee have to load it down with creamers, sweeteners, and flavors to kill the taste of the horrendous swill being produced by 95% of it.
And in the home most people use brewers that have no hope of even reaching the minimum temperature needed to brew it properly so good coffee beans are a waste of money. You end up with hot mop water. The French Pot, mentioned by the OP, is one option that can overcome this limitation. I once used a vac pot myself for the same reason.
Glad to say, there are independent coffee roasters in Charlotte. You just have to get out and dig to find them.
Uptown has Jackson's Java. The owner has been roasting the best beans in Charlotte for the last 12 years or so that I know of.
The Smelly Cat in NoDa started roasting their own beans about two years ago. Good cup of coffee, reasonable prices on the coffee and the beans. Plus a lot of atmosphere in the shop.
My favorite is Boquette Mountain Coffee in NoDa. Been around for five or six years now, the owner makes regular trips to South America to buy Fair-Trade beans and mixes them for a great set of blends. He is supplying a number of the better restaurants in Charlotte and still sells by the pound at his roaster-shop in NoDa. Look up his website for a list of coffees.
Glad to say, there are independent coffee roasters in Charlotte. You just have to get out and dig to find them.
Uptown has Jackson's Java. The owner has been roasting the best beans in Charlotte for the last 12 years or so that I know of.
The Smelly Cat in NoDa started roasting their own beans about two years ago. Good cup of coffee, reasonable prices on the coffee and the beans. Plus a lot of atmosphere in the shop.
My favorite is Boquette Mountain Coffee in NoDa. Been around for five or six years now, the owner makes regular trips to South America to buy Fair-Trade beans and mixes them for a great set of blends. He is supplying a number of the better restaurants in Charlotte and still sells by the pound at his roaster-shop in NoDa. Look up his website for a list of coffees.
Jackson's is in the lobby of the building I work in and I drink their coffee every morning. The ladies that work there know all the regulars and their coffee is very good.
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