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Favorite Upstate Coffee Shops

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RestedTraveler Metropolis

RestedTraveler

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I gave the Caribou Coffee in Ayrsley, NC (just a short drive north of Lake Wylie, SC on HWY 49) another try on Sunday. I got one of their Holiday blends (don't remember the name at the moment). It was very good. I'll have to keep going back there when I'm over near Charlotte.

I asked about whether or not they had plans to open nearer Greenville or Spartanburg. The folks there had heard rumblings but weren't sure if anything definite was planned. They mentioned that a new location is opening over in Pineville, NC (near the Carolina Place Mall), but that's all they were either willing to or able to divulge.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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If you are going to drink chain store coffee, I think Caribou does a nicer job with their beans than Starbucks. (known as CharBucks in coffee circles because they way over roast, this is a trick to hide low quality beans) If you want really good coffee however you have to roast your own beans and use them within a couple of weeks of roasting. Bean roasting is much easier than it sounds and worth the time to do it.

You also have to make sure you have a coffee maker that gets up to 195 degrees which most home models don't, even if you paid a lot of money for it. The worst coffee out there is made from the swill that comes from grocery store coffee.

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  • 1 year later...
Sparkledude85 Unincorporated Area

Sparkledude85

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Hey, well I've lived in Spartanburg for all my life (22 years this June), but I didn't really get into the coffeehouse scene until the summer before my freshman year of college. Some of my friends used to go to the old Java Jive, which I heard had a really neat atmosphere and good coffee/chai/chai shakes. When I started hanging out with them, they invited me to Java Jive for a friend's birthday party...I could not even find the place (and did not know it was next to Sonny's). I also never really hung out at the old Krispy Kreme like I do with the new one (but the old one was really neat). I had my first Barnes & Noble coffee (little did I know it was Starbucks) when I got off of work one night. The summer that year I went over there and saw some friends, and tried my first frappucinno. Next thing I know here I am spending nights out at KK, B&N, Waffle House, Denny's, etc. Then low and behold...two new coffee shops open in downtown Spartanburg, Crossroads and Ishi. I love the different items (and atmospheres) these places offer. Before that I also checked out Little River a couple of times (at the suggestion of friends). It was great coffee with a great atmosphere also! At Crossroads I love the different frappuccinos, shakes, and desserts they offer, and their comfortable atmosphere. It is a great place to socialize, whereas Ishi is my preferred place for more hot coffees and studying (also a neat, though more formal, atmosphere). I have a few questions about the old Java Jive...

Who were their roasters (their beans)?

What did they sell besides coffee?

Was the coffee cheap or overpriced?

Where can I find some of the old furniture/decorations?

What places around downtown/other Spartanburg county does the atmosphere remind you of?

and

Have their been plans about someone else reopening the place (in same or other location)?

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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Java Jive closed because the moron who ran it didn't think paying taxes was important. He was a bit of an ass, to be quite frank. That place was very popular though. It was a real funky sort of cafe, and there isnt really any place thats around today that is even remotely similar- though I'd say Crossroads offers the most potential to be a hangout sort of place. I recall a modified bathtub that they turned into a couch.

Java Jive sold coffee, tea, and other standard coffee shop items. I hink they had fruit smoothies too. I don't recall the prices and what types of coffee they sold. I only went in there a few times, as that wasn't really my thing at the time. So maybe someone else can address that more specifically.

The JJ location on Ezell Street was purchased by the owner of Sonny's Brickoven Pizza, and he's turning it into a sports bar. Ive always thought that if someone could open some sort of place that was similar, it could do well.

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whitehourseview Burg

whitehourseview

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If I'm at a chain coffee store, I'd rank them this way:

1. Caribou

2. Port City

45. or so Starbucks

I order beans from Caribou because of the mild flavor, visit one whenever I can. I only ever go to Starbucks because someone I'm with wants to go there. Port City is fine, and the one on Greenville's Main is a good place to do some quiet work with a laptop.

I think I was introduced in the mid 90's to a Coffee House by Coffee Underground, which had short lived competition from the Coffee Beanary. It still is my standard for what a coffee house should look like, and operate like.

I hope Greenville can get a Caribou sometime, as I think the mountain cabin look of their stores would do well in the Greenville market, especially towards Traveler's Rest. Trivia about them though, they are owned by the Islamic Investment Bank of Kuwait and operate their stores under Sharia law, not that that stops me from ordering a reindeer blend or anything, but I do find that sorta interesting.

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goodbye Metropolitan Area

goodbye

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I am really enjoying all of the new Port City Javas opening up in Greenville. They have a nice cozy, casual, yet "upscale" atmosphere, and a good selection on the menu. My personal favorite there is the Grande Mocha Shake. Good stuff.

Coffee Underground is indeed everything a coffee house should be, in my opinion as well. They offer the best in atmoshpere with Acoustic Seen live music, plus Wit's End poetry slam, The Caleb Group film & literature discussions, etc... Top quality all the way! :shades:

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  • 2 weeks later...
katiebethc Crossroads

katiebethc

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We used to have some really great locally owned coffee shops in Clemson, but a few years ago they pretty much went down because of chains. We had a place called Coffeman's that was awesome, and The Bagel Shop (there is one in Anderson too) that had been there for at least 10 years. Now I think we only have national chains or franchises. I like good coffee, no matter where it comes from, but I do kind've miss the atmosphere of the local shops. As far as chains go, Moe Joe's in Clemson is really good!

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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^There was that local coffee shop on Tiger Blvd that was open less than a year. I forget what it was called, but I heard it was good.... bad location though. I heard that a coffee shop of some sort may go into that new shopping center that they are building on 93 next to NAPA.

Also, Starbucks is on the way to Clemson.

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GE Turbine Man Whistle-Stop

GE Turbine Man

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Its tough for the local places to compete with the chains, just like the Wal-Mart effect. And starbucks just loves to slap them down where ever there may already be a fairly successful local joint, at least up here in Greenville thats what they've been doing <_< I got a feeling that local may win around here though, too many people love PCJ/Spill the Beans/Liquid Highway/coffee Underground.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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The problem in Clemson is that the successful coffee places have to be located downtown if they aren't going to have a drive-thru. With downtown being so small, it really limits the potential coffee shop development here. Also, the coffee place in the Library is pretty popular, and much more convenient to most students.

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goodbye Metropolitan Area

goodbye

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Its tough for the local places to compete with the chains, just like the Wal-Mart effect. And starbucks just loves to slap them down where ever there may already be a fairly successful local joint, at least up here in Greenville thats what they've been doing <_< I got a feeling that local may win around here though, too many people love PCJ/Spill the Beans/Liquid Highway/coffee Underground.
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katiebethc Crossroads

katiebethc

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^There was that local coffee shop on Tiger Blvd that was open less than a year. I forget what it was called, but I heard it was good.... bad location though. I heard that a coffee shop of some sort may go into that new shopping center that they are building on 93 next to NAPA.

Also, Starbucks is on the way to Clemson.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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Yeah, the one on Tiger Blvd was OK...I went there during football season...the major thing was that it was this large store with only 2 or 3 tables and not very much to offer as far as flavors and snacks...We've actually had starbucks for several years now (in the Bi-Lo), but now we get a stand-alone Starbucks...yay for Clemson! :)
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