Black Mountain Birdie

I heard that they were soon having a big celebration (free coffee all day and live music..see flyer below!) for their 2nd year anniversary so I stop in to have a chat. I breathe in the earthy smell of freshly roasted coffee beans, Andy (one of the owners and roasters) carefully watches the beans as they slowly darken into that rich roasted brown. We talk about the process, the coffee, and their story.

The Coffee: Their beans come from farms all over the world, each farm unique, producing beans with inherently different qualities. The owners have developed specific recipes for each coffee to bring out its distinct flavor. The final product is rich and smooth which has ultimately led to a increasingly popular name that you can find in grocery stores from Greenlife to Fresh Market and in loads of local restaurants such as Sugar Beet Cafe in Fairview and many here in Black Mountain. Pisgah Brewing Co. even makes a beer with their coffee.

Their Story: Andy Gibbons and Josh Gibbs, the owners, first found their common ground playing together as musicians in a band. Now their common ground is actually in their "grounds." One night, after a gig, as they were driving home wanting a great cup of coffee an idea began to brew (ok...I'll stop with the puns). Andy had been roasting his own beans for a while at home and had a passion for the flavors. Josh had the graphics and marketing creativity. Their friendly charisma, coupled with a lot of follow through, a great location in Black Mountain, and a reputation for being the friendliest gig in town has given way to a business that is now 2 years old and thriving.

They have said that they have taken a lot of clues from local microbreweries in the area, taking that same artistic approach to roasting their beans. So I guess you could say that Dynamite Roasting Co. is to coffee what a microbrewery like Pisgah Brewery is to beer.

What is the deal with wireless you ask? Well, I also wondered this until I heard their take...

To them creating a great coffee shop was not solely about the coffee...the atmosphere was important. Without wireless they see families interact, neighbors chat, people read and listen to records (as they have a great selection)...folks engaging rather than poring over their computers...living in the moment, the real world...rather than a virtual world. I have to say it was refreshing for me to be able to just sit, observe, and drink my delicious cup of joe. It was as Josh said, "a vacation for your mind." So, more power to them for resisting the pressure to join the thousands of coffee shops that boldly advertise free wireless. I hope this never changes!