The Gourmez

Red Star Coffee
53 Hillsboro St, Pittsboro
Website
Coffee: $1.59—$2.10
Espresso drinks: $2.10—-4.85

There was no way I could get a good picture with the reflections on this storefront!

I heard that this coffee shop was opening about a month ago, and thus, I decided a trip to Pittsboro was in order, as I love trying a new place. There will be posts on S&T’s Soda Shoppe and Starrlight Meadery coming up from this afternoon soon, too. I hadn’t been to Pittsboro for a few years, and their downtown is looking quite nice! Probably about 4 different eateries within five blocks of each other, lots of gift shops and hair salons, but no dedicated purveyors of the caffeinated brew until Red Star Coffee opened three weeks ago.

The atmosphere is fine, if too empty on a Saturday likely because the shop’s so new. Bean Traders supplies their beans and the drink list was much the same as what BT’s offers with cold and hot coffee and espresso options, smoothies, juices, and Mighty Leaf teas. A limited pastry selection was available. I dug the deep-sky-blue coloring of the place. They have a small book exchange in the front of the store, too.

My husband was happy with his iced coffee, and I opted to try a special drink option: sea salt and caramel hot chocolate. Of course, I’d come out there for coffee, so I asked the barista to make it a mocha instead, and he was happy to oblige. First off, the milk was steamed exquisitely. The texture was luscious and made my decision to forgo whipped cream seem like wisdom in hindsight. I enjoyed the drink until halfway through, when I realized that the caramel and salt weren’t as strong of elements as I’d like. As I drank on, I realized why: the drink had divided itself into layers. Espresso was first, then the smooth hot chocolate, followed by velvety caramel, and finally the sea salt. If I’d stuck with a small, it probably wouldn’t have divided by the time I reached the bottom of my cup; as it was, I loved the few sips where caramel, hot chocolate, and salt mingled perfectly then laughed as I drank a gulp of salt-heavy liquid. It’s great that they were offering fun combinations, but perhaps that one was a bit too adventurous.

Stop by Red Star Coffee if you need a fix in Pittsboro!

Reviewed 2.12.11.

Posted: Monday, February 21st, 2011 @ 12:11 pm
Categories: Coffee Shop.
Tags: bean traders, book exchange, downtown pittsboro, pittsboro, red star coffee, salt caramel hot chocolate, smoothies, tea.
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