March 2009
14 posts
Open Eye Coffee, Carborro 3.5.09
Final stop to full caffeination in order to complete this project ( i seriously may not sleep tonight). In the heart of Carrboro lies one of the hippest joints, Open Eye Cafe. Dozens of kids clad with skinny jeans, Mac books and buffalo-check pashminas who look very seriously (yet artistically aloof) through their horn-rimmed glasses can order from a variety of Carrboro Coffee Company roasts at...
3 Cups, Chapel Hill 3.4.09
Project completion is drawing near, but there are a few corners of the Triangle I have not yet explored. Tonight, I ventured to 3 Cups, off of Franklin St in Chapel Hill. 3 Cups is a coffee house/winery. They sell Counter Culture Coffee products and offer a selection of wines that abide by similar philosophies as their beans: Fair Trade, Organics, High Quality.
Another fun aspect of 3 Cups is...
Cup-a-Joe, Raleigh
A few weekends back, my friend Nick moved to town. After a morning of unpacking and returning his moving van, we headed to Hillsborough St in Raleigh, where the ‘cool kids’ come to hang out, at Cup-a-Joe.
This remains one of the last smoker-friendly cafes in this area. On that side of the cafe, a cloud hangs over 20-somethings and a table of gamers who puff and sip to their hearts...
February 2009
23 posts
Brewing in Shame on Lavender Ave 2.28.09
It’s cold and rainy today and while there’s much work to be done, with the quickly approaching deadline of this project, I’ve opted for coffee at home.
If any of the experts that I’ve met and talked about coffee were in my kitchen with me in the morning, they would likely bury their head in their hands, watching the rinky-dink manner in which I brew my morning cup.
Once...
Hockey + Coffee ?!?!!? 2.22.09
Not surprising that a warm beverage would be served at a hockey game. What’s exciting that a major corporate space would serve a local brew like Larry’s Beans! While coffee was not my beverage of choice for this event, I was proud to see local coffee supported.
Daisy Cakes 2.21.09
As a part of our Saturday morning routine, Phil and I often plan on eating our first meal of the day at the Durham Farmer’s Market. While I didn’t intend to research today, there’s no such thing as breakfast or brunch without coffee in my world.
So, we parked at Central Park and started walking when we were pleasently reminded of one of the better additions to Saturday...
Blue Coffee Cafe 2.13.09
While sipping coffee is fun and all, the caffene kick is lacking, as you only get a few slurps. So, after our cupping experience, Phil and I stopped by one of our favorite local spots, Blue Coffee Cafe.
Located in the heart of Durham, and directly across from the bull statue, Blue Coffee is the epitamy of local. During the election, this spot also served somewhere between a headquarters and a...
Counter Culture Cupping 2.13.09
My next stop (yeah for a 1/2 day!) found me at the weekly ‘cupping’ at Counter Culture in Durham. The event is held at their headquarters at 10am every Friday. There were a good 20 people at the cupping this week, including a few folks from a senior center that had arranged for an adventure to the south side of town.
Our visit started with a mini-lesson from one of the employees on...
St. Valentino (Whole Foods 2.14.09)
Just in time for the holiday, Larry’s has released two products. The first of which is a re-issue of an old favorite. Whole Foods has Larry’s St. Valentino blend as their free sample today. I just walked around the store sipping on a small cup…and you better bet I went back for a few refills! It’s a sweet and savory blend with just a hint of chocolate in the aftertaste. You...
Larry's Beans 2.12.09
Now we’re getting serious. Today as a part of my continued study, I went to Raleigh to visit Larry of Larry’s Beans. I was greeted by my friend Joe, who works at Larry’s full-time when he’s not touring with his (and my husband’s) band, Megafaun.
As we walked up to the facility, there were many things to notice…. #1 a bio-diesel pump for the delivery bus. #2...
Bean Traders 2.6.09 7:30 am
Got up bright and early today to get another bit of research in. Phil and I headed to Bean Traders Coffee, which is on 9th St here in Durham. Originally, when I started this project, I was placing my focus on the three local roasters: Counter Culture, Larry’s and Joe Van Gogh. However, this morning, I was surprised to learn that BT also has their own local roaster, David Chapman. Like the...
January 2009
6 posts
Watts Grocery 1.31.09 11am
Next stop was Watts Grocery (1116 Broad St. 27705). Now, Watts is not a coffee shop, it is a restaurant. However, the creator and owner of Watts, Amy Tornquist is a firm believer in the “shop local” motto and built her business around it. Watts serves almost exclusively local fare from the pea shoots to a pint of beer. So, while there is much more to choose from than a simple stop java...
Joe Van Gogh 1.31.09 10am
I realize that by starting this blog, I’m allowing some insight into the “pre-coffee” portion of my day (a site often seen by people who have life-long connections or commitments to me). This morning, we headed to Broad Street in Durham, NC. In a two-block section there are three locations that carry all three of the triangle’s local beans.
Stop one was Joe Van Gogh...
Project Based Learning
The school that I teach at believes in project-based learning. This relies on the philosophy that humans inherently want to learn. We, as teachers are able to spend time encouraging and fostering this inquisitive nature in our young learners by providing them with experiences, resources and artifacts on self-selected topics.
Some of my friends ask me if I just sit around with my shoes off,...