TOP IT OFF Coffee, tea and smoothies

COFFEE, TEA AND SMOOTHIES

FAREWELL

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAREWELL

BY THOMAS CALDER

For many, coffee is more than a mere pick-me-up. It’s a lifestyle, if not a lifeline. Comedian David Letterman once said, “If it wasn’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality.”

No matter your relationship to the beverage, Asheville’s got you covered. And if coffee isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other options, too.

• Two of the city’s Best of WNC coffeehouse winners — High

Five Coffee and PennyCup Coffee Co. — have multiple locations. The former has shops in downtown, North Asheville and slightly farther north in Woodfin. Meanwhile, PennyCup has spots in the River Arts District, North Asheville, Haw

Creek and The Block (downtown Asheville’s historic African

American business district).

• If you’re an Anglophile, you won’t want to miss Double D’s

Coffee & Desserts. The shop, which operates out of a 1963

Bristol Lodekka double-decker bus, provides guests with indoor and patio seating. The unique experience, one could say, is a jolly good time.

• Other popular downtown coffee destinations include Izzy’s Coffee Den (voted No. 2 coffeehouse in the 2020 Best of WNC)

• Looking to get away from downtown? Head to the River Arts

District and check out Grind AVL, Asheville’s first Blackowned coffee shop, which opened in the Pink Dog Creative space at 346 Depot St. in September 2020. Along with its menus of coffee drinks and pastries, the venue also hosts

Black Wall Street Marketplace every Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., supporting other locally owned Black businesses.

• If you’re a regular visitor to the city and feel as if you’ve tried it all, consider checking out Farewell. The café and wine bar, which opened on the South Slope in January, offers a rotating, seasonal menu.

• Don’t fret, noncoffee drinkers! We haven’t forgotten about you! Those hankering to steep some leaves can check out

Dobrá Tea in downtown Asheville or its sister shop in West

Asheville. Serving over 100 varieties of fresh, loose-leaf tea, the business also frequently hosts workshops and classes.

• Another option is High Climate Tea Co. Established in 2019, the downtown spot offers a wide range of traditional

Chinese teas.

• Of course, if it’s a hot summer day or you simply want a little more zest in your life, a smoothie might be more your speed.

In this case, some popular options include Pulp + Sprout

Juice Bar and Vegan Cafe in North Asheville and Simple

Cafe & Juice Bar in West Asheville.

Fun Fact

Electric streetcars once ruled these streets. On Feb. 1, 1889, the city introduced the transportation system. Its final run occurred on Sept. 6, 1934. Buses replaced the trolleys.

Family owned & operated

Broadway / Rankin 7am-6pm everyday HIGH FIVE Riverside 8am-6pm everyday COFFEE