Day 4: Coffee Domination in the Greater Charlotte Area

Today, I met up with Jason from Dilworth. As the espresso specialist (among other things), Jason knew of all the best shops to visit. He even drove us in his Mini Cooper S. I want one when I graduate: fun to drive, fuel efficient, and comfy.

At the Dilworth roastery, we got a tour of the equipment, met Sandy, the President, and got to try their SO espresso. Jason had to dial in all of the grinders, which was fun to watch, but probably not much fun for him. After dialing in the grind, we had a couple of lattes, and tried Jason's signature drink; it was Great. I can't wait to start working on my green tea and chocolate espresso signature drink.

After the roastery, we visited nearby JavaPassage. The owner was very friendly, and had a nice La Marzocco that would match my Taurus wagon. However, the store did not have ceramic cups and my double of Tuscano was on the thin side. I worry that the shop is not grinding fresh for each shot.

Following JavaPassage, we hit up the Dilworth CoffeeHouse on East Broadway, the store I grew up going to. I had a double ristretto wet macchiato, the Picolo, my mom had a Mocha Bananas Foster, and Jason had Lemon Green Tea.

From there, it was on to Cupps, a place in Rock Hill, serving Intelligentsia. I had a double of Black Cat, and finally realized that I haven't been pulling such bad shot at home until just recently. I will now order new burrs for the Virtuoso, and see if that doesn't make things better.

From Cupps, we went to visit Brady at The Coffee Garden. Brady graciouly served up a double with a glass of water. He must be on his way to competitions. The shop was beautiful with a nicely-restored Astoria 3-group.

Lastly, for the day, we visited another Dilworth CoffeeHouse, but I can remember its name. The guy there knew Isiah from the DoubleShot, though. More proof of a small world in the coffee industry. I'll update the post with location of the shop and at least one photo.

Good night.