Location: 1215 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC
How did they Look:
Café Driade was everything I wanted and expected when I traveling to a coffee house in the
Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. I felt transported by this quiet, wooded, and hidden away forest. Sitting outside with this unbelievable view you would not know we were on E. Franklin Street. Caffe Driade is just enough pulled-away from the main street that traffic noises and car smells are silenced. My son, Wayne (10) and I met-up with Brittany (the Coffee Whisperer) and Roxie along with her son, Shane (9). Wayne and Shane loved the stone and wooded paths and folks who brought their dogs. Along with it being staffed with some of the top baristas in the area it is easy to see, this place is quite special.
How did they Taste:
The girls and I ordered 7 beverages from Caffe Driade’s menu. Each of us had a few small empty cups in which to poor out a small portion from each beverage and sample. Thurman, our spectacular barista studied under Tim Morris, a gentleman that manages 42 & Lawrence (another great coffee house). Brittany, my Coffee Whisperer knows Tim very well and so was not surprised by Thurman’s skill.
We ordered the following:
Iced Oat Milk Cortado- bit of a bite to it.
Hot Oat Milk Cortado-creamy and luxurious.
Single origin shot of espresso- this shot smelled great. Look was bright. Taste starts bright and citrusy and finishes sour (in a pleasant way).
Iced Macchiato- creamy and smooth
Affogato- where has this been all my life!
Imagine a scoop of vanilla gelato, drowned with a shot of hot espresso, then topped with honey, all nestled on a bed of cinnamon and other spices. May have sipped the other beverages, but I ate my entire portion of this divine dessert.
Cold Brew-bright and smooth. Packed with caffeine.
Sparkling Cold Brew- Not at all like nitro cold brew, Caffe Driade’s sparkling cold brew is a combination of cold brew and seltzer water. I did not mind it and so enjoyed it. Because Roxie does not like seltzer water in any shape or form, this beverage was not for her. She sampled and immediately found it unfit for her palate.
Whose Beans are They Using: Carrboro Coffee Roasters
This roaster is twenty feet from Caffe Driade. Scott Conary owns both Caffe Driade and Carrboro Coffee Roasters. Scott uses the Farm Direct Coffee Relationship method. This means Scott (at his own expense) travels to a coffee farm to see firsthand the beans being offered. Brittany, Roxie, and myself insist on drinking from coffee houses and cafes that use locally roasted coffee beans exclusively. For us, localy roasted means the beans were roasted anywhere in the state of North Carolina.