Tag Archives: Sola Coffee & Cafe

August 15, 2013 · 12:06 pm

Weekend Picks! August 16-18th

Fullsteam Brewery Anniversary Celebration this Weekend!

So the cooler weather this week has a lot of people thinking of Fall, but it is still summer in the Triangle and there are plenty of fun things going on this weekend. My picks this week range from a late summer baseball game, to live music, classic cars, and a gluten free food expo. Honestly, there is so much going on the next few days you shouldn’t have a trouble keeping busy. Here are my picks for things to check out. Have fun exploring!

Friday August 16h
Beauty Operators at Casbah Bar in Durham
Great music and fun with an all ladies band playing rock, blues, and funk this Friday at the Casbah in Durham.
Info: website

“Art in the Evening” NCMA Museum
Experience the NCMA after dark. Share small plates with friends. Wander the galleries. Relax with a glass of wine and live music. Lobby-turned-lounge in the new West Building is a great place to kick off the weekend!
Info: website

Comedy Show at Sola Coffee
Looking for a clean comedy show the entire family can enjoy? Check out the Sola Coffee this Friday night at 7pm for Mick McKenna’s All Clean Comedy Club. Sola has also rolled out a new weekend evening menu featuring Neapolitan Pizza, cheese plates, bruschetta, and now offers select local craft beers and Italian wines Thur-Sat after 5pm.
Info: website

Carolina Mudcats Baseball and Friday Night Fireworks
Mudcats vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Catch some fun minor league baseball at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. Free Fireworks show after the game on Fridays!
Info: website

Saturday August 17th
Gluten & Allergen Free & Wellness Event
The second annual Raleigh/Durham Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event at the Durham Convention Center is this Saturday from 10am-4pm. Event is open to the community, and caters to those who avoid multiple allergens, such as gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, grains, etc. Admission is $10 per adult; kids 13 and under are free, and college students receive $3 off admission with student identification.
Info: website

Fullsteam Brewery 3rd Anniversary Party
Fullsteam is turning three and they are celebrating with the community. Expect music, food trucks, costume contests, featured NC food products, and of course great beer! Celebration runs from noon-2am. Check their facebook page below for more details & updates!
Info: website

Wrecked Raleigh w/ Author & Blogger Jeff Goins
Well known author and blogger Jeff Goins gives a two part talk for aspiring writers. “Startin from scratch: How to build a powerful platform with words, passion, and people” and “How your story can change the workd”. Event is being hosted by Help OneNow. Registration still open. Space is limited.
Info: website

Mordecai Market Downtown Raleigh
Mordecai Market features handpicked local artists and artisans presenting handmade arts and crafts as well as food trucks. The Market takes place in the Person Street area off Pace Street as well as in front of the Anson Howard Hair Salon at 711 North Person Street in Raleigh from 9:00 am to 1:00pm one Saturday a month beginning in June.
Info: website

Live Music w/ Chris Titchner at Sola Coffee
Chris Titchner returns to Sola Coffee this Saturday night at 7:30 with his acoustic guitar & lyric-driven tunes. Yes, I have Sola on my pick list twice, but that’s because it is such a great place & Chris is a fantastic local musician. I highly recommend you catch him perform.
Info: website

Sunday August 18th
Ackland Art Museum – Outside Music
This Sunday, enjoy music outside the galleries, on the steps of the Ackland Art Museum. Local rock trio Supercollider will share their signature “gnarl-pop” sound through a mix of original tunes and cover songs. Supercollider is Chris Reali (guitar, vocals), John Brackett (drums), and Allison Portnow (bass–but better known as the Ackland’s Public Programs Manager).
Info: website

Ornamentea PopUp Market
POP-UP Sunday is a monthly event that gives local businesses, artists and the community a chance to mingle. This Sunday’s market will feature several artist vendors, Aviator Beer, Food Trucks, and Down To Earth Aerials for an aerial silks demonstration that will leave you breathless.
Info: website

Carolina Classics Car Show (Saturday & Sunday)
The Fourth Annual Carolina Classics at the Capital runs Saturday through Sunday at the Raleigh Convention Center. Featuring the Southeast’s largest indoor car show. Activities will include Ford Model T assembly demonstrations, Capital Auto Group’s “Modern Muscle” display, dozens of vendors, and more.
Info: website

Chirba Chirba Food Truck at Cliff’s Meat Market in Carrboro
Sunday is Dumpling Day in Carrboro! You don’t need to wait until the next food truck rodeo to try these amazing dumplings from one of the Triangle’s most popular food trucks. You can find the Chirba Chirba truck parked at Cliff’s Meat Market on Main Street in Carrboro this Sunday from noon-8pm! Make it a Sunday tradition!
Info: website

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Filed under Weekend Picks

Tagged as Ackland Art Museum, Art in the Evening, Beauty Operators, Carolina Classics Car Show, Carolina Mudcats, Casbah, Chris Titchner, Clean Comedy, Fullsteam Brewery, Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event, Mordecai Market, NCMA Museum, North Carolina Museum of Art, Ornamentea, Popup Sunday at Ornamentea, Sola Coffee & Cafe, Weekend Picks, Wrecked Raleigh

April 2, 2013 · 12:14 pm

Sola Coffee Café 1st Anniversary Celebration April 5-6th!

Sola Coffee Cafe in North Raleigh

Sola Coffee Café is one of my favorite places to hang out in North Raleigh. It is a great community oriented coffee bar and cafe’ that serves locally roasted Counter Culture Coffee, has a great food menu and regularly features live music on weekends. This weekend marks their one year anniversary and Sola is celebrating this milestone by donating $1.00 from every sale of a dozen of their famous hot mini donuts the weekend of April 6^thto Note in the Pocket, a children’s clothing resource based in Raleigh, NC serving students in Wake County.

Sola’s Famous Hot Mini Donuts

In addition to raising funds for this great local charity, Sola will also be giving away a dozen free Hot Mini Donuts a day for a year to two lucky winners this weekend. The promotion runs all day Friday and Saturday (April 5^th and 6^th) with Live music both nights and during the day on Saturday. Counter Culture Coffee guru, Lem Butler, will also be on hand to oversee a “Coffees from Around the World” tasting on Friday afternoon from 1-3pm. See the full schedule of events below!

Inside Sola

Schedule of Events!

Friday
– “Tasting a World of Coffee” Free Coffee Tasting ~ 1-3 pm
– Live Music by Dublin Down (Celtic Music) ~ 7:30 pm

Saturday
– Live Music w/ Gabe Trace (Jazz Pianist) ~ 10:15 am
– Live Music w/ Mac Brown (Acoustic Covers) ~ 11:30 am
– Live Music w/ Smith & Leonhardt (Acoustic Covers) ~ 7:30 pm
– NCAA Michigan v. Syracuse Game (In TV Meeting Room)
– Drawing for Hot Mini Donuts for a year (2 winners) ~ 8:30 pm

About Sola Coffee Café

Sola opened in March 2012, selling Counter Culture Coffee and gourmet sandwiches, salads, bakery and our signature Hot Minis. Coffee and Teas are procured from small sustainable farms. Emphasis is placed on supporting NC locally owned businesses (Counter Culture Coffee, New York Bagels, Great Harvest Breads, Spice Shop, Harrington Bank, Homeland Creamery, others). Presently, they employ 15 staff and anticipate hiring throughout the balance of the year as the business expands.

Counter Culture Coffee

They have sought to create a unique boutique style coffee shop that emphasizes hospitality and community with a European flavor.

Coffee and Tea– We serve single-origin organic coffees and teas. Trained baristas create delicious drinks with art and homemade syrups in the tradition of Italy.

Sandwiches and Salads- We create sandwiches and salads with organic meats, some local and organic vegetables, and homemade dressings.

Bakery– We bake daily in-house or receive from local businesses.

Hot Mini Donuts (254,546 and counting)- We make our Hot Minis, rolled in cinnamon/sugar, and serve them hot all day long.

Catering- We cater events onsite and off. Groups of 10-200. Recent events include a Tea Party at Wake Tech and Hot Minis (144 dozen) for a training event at a local business.

Live Music– Weekly, the community gathers on Friday and Saturday evenings for live music from local musicians, and out-of-towners from Nashville (even San Francisco this summer).

Sola resides in an old Pioneer Bank building (vault included) that has been renovated with up-cycled materials. Its unique décor captures the old and the new. Come join the festivities at 7705 Lead Mine Road Raleigh, NC 27615 (Map).

Website: www.solacoffee.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SolaCoffeeCafe
Twitter: @SolaCoffee

The Cortado!

About Note in the Pocket

Note in the Pocket is a children’s clothing resource based in Raleigh, NC serving students in Wake County. Note in the Pocket provides volunteer opportunities that generate donated clothing that is made available to students through relationships with schools in Wake County. These donations are made directly available to the children and families through the schools and social service agencies rather than through a general storefront or external location. Note in the Pocket works with Communities in Schools (a national drop-out prevention program) as well as programs that assist the homeless and other organizations that identify students in need of clothing. To learn more about note in the Pocket, visit us at www.noteinthepocket.org.

Recap of the August Counter Culture Coffee “TNT” Latte Art Competition at Sola Coffee & Cafe’

September Latte Art Throwdown at Sola Coffee

Sola Coffee & Cafe’ in North Raleigh was the host for the August Counter Culture Coffee latte art competition, lovingly known as the Thursday Night Throwdown or “TNT” for short. As shared in my July TNT recap post, the purpose of these friendly competitions is to cultivate a coffee culture that respects presentation and quality coffee drinks and provides an opportunity for the local coffee community to come together and have some fun!

Spectators at Sola Coffee watching the throwdown unfold

Sola Coffee & Cafe is relatively new to the local coffee scene being open for only a little over 6 months, but they dove in head first and did a fantastic job of hosting their first TNT competition. The pool of baristas competing was the largest I have ever seen (there were a total of 28) and the crowd of spectators gathered was pretty darn big too.

Barista from Cafe Helios prepares his latte

As always, Lem Butler of Counter Culture did an awesome job of MCing the competition and keeping things moving along seamlessly. Things got kicked off shorlty after 7pm with the first two baristas going head to head to create their latte art to be presented and scored by a panel of three judges.

“Tulip” design latte art

Latte art is typically judged based on four criteria: balance and symmetry, use of space, color contrast and definition, and overall impression. The judges compare the appearance of the two drinks based on these factors and decide which barista will move on to the next round.

Baristas working at the espresso machine

As the competition advances, baristas will sometimes be asked to pour their drinks blindfolded or will willingly choose to use increasingly smaller cups to present their drinks. These variations make creating latte art more difficult and can cause for some interesting results from even the most experienced baristas.

The crowd waiting for the final results

After several rounds of competition, the field was narrowed down to two baristas to face off in the final round. It was a fun evening that saw a plethora of great pours from the many great local baristas, but it all came down to Austin Oliver of Jubala Village Coffee and Michael Harwood of Open Eye Cafe in the final round.

August 2012 TNT Winner
Michael Harwood of Open Eye Cafe in Carrboro

Both Austin & Mike did a great job, but in the end Mike of Open Eye Cafe was crowned the August TNT champion. With that, he won some prizes and bragging rights for a month before being called on to return to help judge the next throwdown. The details for the next TNT competition are provided below. You can visit my flickr photo album for more of my pictures from the August 2012 TNT Latte Art Throwdown at Sola.

September TNT event Details
– Date/Time: Thursday September 27th, 7-9:30pm
– Location: Scratch Bakery – 111 Orange Street – Downtown Durham
– Free & Open to the public to watch
– $5 for baristas to enter the competition

Recap of the July Counter Culture Coffee “TNT” Latte Art Competition at Jubala Village Coffee

As many of you know I love to cover the local coffee scene on my blog. So I was honored to be asked to help judge the July Counter Culture Coffee Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT) latte art competition at Jubala Village Coffee in North Raleigh. I had a great time watching all my favorite local baristas battle it out in this friendly competition.

The purpose of these friendly throwdowns is to cultivate a coffee culture that respects presentation and quality and it is great opportunity for the local coffee community to come together and have a fun! Below are a few quick pictures from that the July throwdown at Jubala and a recap of the results.

Setting up the brackets!

At the start of the competition, the large chalk board at Jubala was converted into the throwdown bracket where each barista was listed against their competitor for the first round. Baristas had to battle through three rounds of head-to-head competition to make it to the final championship round.

Austin & Kyle of Jubala at the Espresso Machine

Soon after the event started the first names were called and the first two baristas took their places behind the espresso maker to start their “battle”. While the shots are pulled for them by the house barista, each competing barista is responsible for steaming their own milk. This is a crucial step in preparing to pour the best latte art possible.

Daniel of Jubala & Michael of Open Eye Cafe go head to head

Baristas free-pour the steamed frothed milk combining it with the espresso shot to create a swirled design in the cup which can feature hearts, tulips, rosettas, or the birdlike phoenix design.

Lem Butler of Counter Culture carefully sets a latte under the projector

Once the baristas have completed their work, Lem Butler of Counter Culture positions the art under a mounted digital camera set up to a projector so the images can be projected onto the cafe’ wall for the audience to see.

Example of Rosetta Poured at TNT July 2012

The barista’s creations are presented to the crowd and judges where they are evaluated on several criteria including balance and symmetry, use of space, color contrast and definition, and overall impression. The entire score is based solely on appearance, not taste. Above is a nice example of a tulip poured back in July.

The Judges (from left to right: John Huisman, Scott Conary, & Andrew Cash)

Back in July I was humbled to judge alongside Andrew Cash, the owner of Jubala Village Coffee, and Scott Conary, the president of Carrboro Coffee. Both of these guys know way more about coffee and the intricacies of latte art than I do. Scott actually judges espresso on the international stage at such events like the WBC (World Barista Competition). However, despite my lack of experience they were both awesome and taught me a lot about espresso techniques and what to look for in a latte pour.

The crowd watches the battel unfold

These events draw large crowds to cheer on their favorite local baristas and see the designs they create. After the art is judged the drinks are handed out to a few lucky customers to enjoy, so finding a spot close to the action along the bar can be a little tricky!

UNC-TV filming customer competing

Even customers can get in on the action at these throwdowns. The events are open to the public and anyone can compete. All you need to enter is $5 and the courage to step behind the espresso machine!

Daniel of Jubala has a steady pouring hand under the watchful eye of others

Of course, it can be a little stressful with the talented competition and so many people watching over you as you pour, but that didn’t seem to be an issue for Daniel of Jubala Coffee (pictured above).

More difficult pours in the smaller demitasse cups

As the competition ramps up and baristas are slowly eliminated the remaining competitors begin to take things up a notch by pouring their latte art into increasingly smaller and smaller cups. You see, the smaller the vessel, the more difficult it is to pour so creating a nice piece of latte art in a smaller cup will beat out of good poor in a bigger cup.

Blindfold Round

The baristas are also thrown a few curve balls by the event organizers along the way. Like having to pour their lattes while wearing a blindfold or pouring “goofy style” meaning they have to pour the steamed milk using their non-dominate hand (like using your left instead of your right and vice versa). These extra challenges can make for some interesting latte art creations!

Kyle & Katie of Jubala - 1st & 2nd Place!

Kyle & Katie of Jubala Village Coffee

In the end, barista Kyle Ramage of Jubala was the victor of the July 2012 TNT. He had some very stiff competition from Katie, a fellow barista at Jubala. Katie poured some incredible designs and is sure to be a strong contender for the title at the next TNT in August.

Final Results

The July TNT champion had t0 maneuver their way through a sea of talented baristas to claim the title that night. The rest must now wait another month for the next challenge to showcase their skills once again. Fortunately for them, the next latte art throwdown will be tonight (August 30, 2012) at Sola Coffee & Cafe at 7705 Lead Mine Road North Raleigh. The competition begins around 7pm.

I had an absolute blast helping to judge the throwdown. If you haven’t been to one of these before you should definitely check one out, they are a lot of fun. Hope to see you there! Visit my flickr photo album for more of my pictures from the July 2012 TNT Latte Art Throwdown at Jubala.

August TNT event Details
– Date/Time: Thursday August 30th, 7-9pm
– Location: Sola Coffee – 7705 Lead Mine Road – Raleigh, NC
– Free admission
– Open to the public
– $5 for baristas to enter the competition

7 Comments

Filed under Coffee, Raleigh

Tagged as Barista, Coffee, Counter Culture Coffee, Jubala Village Coffee, Latte Art Throwdown, Sola Coffee & Cafe, Thursday Night Throwdown, TNT

May 7, 2012 · 4:26 pm

Sola Coffee & Café in North Raleigh

Sola Coffee & Cafe

I love coffee and buying local so it should come as no surprise that I was excited to hear that a new neighborhood coffee shop serving locally roasted Counter Culture Coffee was opening in North Raleigh. Sola Coffee & Café opened its doors a little over four weeks ago and I have been by several times to check it out and try different items from their food and drink menu and think Sola is a fantastic addition to the growing Triangle coffee scene.

Pour-Over Coffee

Sola breathes new life into a re-purposed building that use to be a small bank branch in the Greystone Village on Lead Mine Road (Google map). The interior has been completely transformed into a community oriented space that provides an inviting environment with earth tone colored walls decorated with artwork, and warm and natural lighting. The cafe has ample indoor & outdoor seating perfect for individuals or larger groups. The exterior of the building has a unique look with large river stone masonry along the main entrance wall, while the focal point of the interior is the rustic looking coffee bar built with reclaimed wood from a 107 year old barn.

Indoor Seating

The open atmosphere of Sola makes it a great space to relax or hangout to do work while enjoying your coffee or a bite to eat. I particularly enjoy the natural light that pours into the space from the numerous floor to ceiling windows. I also appreciate the multiple electrical outlets strategically placed in the seating areas and the free WiFi making it easy to use a laptop. The seating options range from stools at the coffee bar and cozy booths to both small & large tables for groups. They even have a nice red couch and comfy chairs by the corner a windows if you are looking for a good spot to spread out and relax with your coffee.

My first cappuccino at Sola!

Speaking of coffee, Sola serves coffee made from some of the best coffee beans around. They serve locally roasted coffee from Counter Culture Coffee out of Durham and use milk from Homeland Creamery in Julian, NC. They offer coffee by both drip and the pour-over method and feature a full range of espresso and signature drinks and teas. In addition to hot beverages they also serve fruit smoothies and absolutely delicious specialty shake called the “Sola Shake” which is made with espresso and ice cream.

Espresso Machine at Sola

So far I have enjoyed several great cappuccinos and iced lattes at Sola. On my most recent visit it was quite hot out so I had the Sola shake and my wife had a strawberry smoothie. Both of these cool treats were excellent and really hit the spot on such a warm day. The baristas at Sola are very friendly and knowledgeable about the drinks they make and the counter is always well staffed keeping things running smoothly.

Mini Donuts

With regard to the food, if you stop in for breakfast they have everything from breakfast sandwiches to croissants, bagels (from Raleigh’s own New York Bagel), and muffins. Their “soon to be famous” cinnamon mini donuts are my favorite and are available all day and made to order in house. You can get an order by the 1/2 dozen, baker’s dozen, or double dozen. They are served on a small metal tray lined with a paper coffee filter which is a neat idea presentation wise.

Sola’s Mixed Green Salad

Sola also offers various sandwiches and salads that use many locally sourced ingredients. My wife and I recently stopped in on a Friday night for a late dinner and tried a sandwich salad combo together. We started by sharing the Mixed Greens salad with fresh mixed greens, cherry tomato, garbanzo beans, almonds, red onion, cucumbers, parmesan cheese. The dressing homemade from a secret recipe and is amazing! In addition to the salad we had they also offer a Southwest salad and a Spinach Strawberry salad that was just added to the menu.

Sola’s Southwestern Chicken Sandwich

We also ordered the Southwestern Chicken sandwich made with Boar’s Head oven roasted chicken stacked between locally baked bread from the Great Harvest Bread Co. in Raleigh. The sandwich was topped with a generous helping of mixed greens, tomato, red onion, pepper jack, avocado and salsa sour cream spread and served with a side of tortilla chips and homemade salsa. You also have the option to get a side of arugula salad. Additional sandwiches on the menu are the Sola Turkey, Roast Beef, Sola Veggie, Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, and the recently added Pimento Cheese sandwich.

Sola’s Inviting Interior

Another unique aspect about Sola is that the building has a drive-through window (from its previous use as a bank) and will be in operation later next month to offer service to customers on the go. Also, in keeping with the re-use theme, the baristas at Sola bag up the used coffee grounds daily and neatly stack the bags by the entrance where customers can grab a bag for free to add to their gardens or compost piles at home.

Outdoor Seating at Sola

On our last visit, my wife and I took advantage of the outdoor seating and enjoyed the nice weather as we sipped our drinks. As we watched the customers come and go stop and greet each other we got a real sense of the strong community vibe of Sola and could tell it has already become a welcome member of the neighborhood. Sola is a great addition to the Triangle coffee culture and I highly recommend you check them out whether it be for a quick cup of coffee or a great bite to eat. I know we are already looking forward to our next visit!

To view more pictures from my visit to Sola please check out my Sola photo album on flickr. To learn more about Sola and to view their food and drink menus visit their website and facebook page and follow them on twitter at @SolaCoffee

Sola Coffee & Cafe
7705 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, NC 27815 (Google Map)

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Filed under Businesses, Coffee

Tagged as Buy Local, Coffee, Counter Culture, Great Harvest Company, Homeland Creamery, Sola Coffee & Cafe, Tea

Tag Archives: Sola Coffee & Cafe

Sola Coffee Café 1st Anniversary Celebration April 5-6th!

Recap of the August Counter Culture Coffee “TNT” Latte Art Competition at Sola Coffee & Cafe’

Recap of the July Counter Culture Coffee “TNT” Latte Art Competition at Jubala Village Coffee

Sola Coffee & Café in North Raleigh

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