Carrboro Coffee’s New Direct Relationship Coffee

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We are excited to announce Carrboro Coffee Roaster’s new direct relationship with farmer Nancy Hernandez. Open Eye will offer coffee from Nancy’s own farms’ – Finca El Jazmin in Honduras.

This coffee is amazingly balanced. The care that went into its growth and processing is teased out by Carrboro Coffee’s careful and expert roasting. It shows in its amazing tropical fruit sweetness and lovely floral and brown sugar qualities.

Carrboro Coffee buyer, Scott Conary, began working with Nancy long ago. Over 10 years ago, Nancy Hernandez left her country for the first time and was sponsored by Carrboro Coffee Roasters to learn her trade; beyond coffee growing. She wanted to learn all she could in the 10 days she was in USA about coffee roasting, espresso preparation and coffee brewing, and any other retail experience she could take home to Marcala in order to open her very own Cafe. Soft spoken but knowledgeable Nancy (who spoke no English) also shared her viewpoint with area residents and staff so they could put the pieces together for what really needs to happen in the farming/processing side of coffee, before it gets to us as green coffee to roast.

Now, 10 years later, Nancy has 3 coffee shops and is actively selling an amazing, high quality coffee from her farm, derived form years of hard work, to select roasters around the world. This year marked the first time she could return to visit the place of her coffee education beginnings at Carrboro Coffee Roasters! Even more amazing was she visited along with her daughter, who at 12 is already starting to be an amazing coffee professional herself!

We are thrilled to share Nancy’s coffee with our customers after hearing about her story and long friendship with our coffee suppliers, Carrboro Coffee Roasters!

Now Serving NITRObrew!

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This past weekend, Carrboro Coffee Roasters installed a keg and tap into Open Eye Cafe to serve both their cold-brew & the first NITRObrew coffee in Carrboro, available to the public Tuesday, September 5th.

‘NITRO brew’ or Nitrogen infused coffee is cold-brewed and stored in a pressurized keg. The coffee infused with Nitrogen as it is poured from the tap, a bit like draft beer. The Nitro coffee brew process is comparable to stouts and porters that also may use Nitrogen, which produces a creamy body and cascading effect.

Carrboro Coffee’s NITRObrew coffee is silky smooth and creamy, with a velvety finish that enhances the character of the specific coffee used. It is traditionally served with no additives to appreciate the unique texture and flavors, and in smaller volumes as it is a concentrated beverage.

“After many months of effort, we are particularly excited to introduce our NITRObrew, a truly unique nitrogen and coffee combo working together to bring you smoother, silkier coffee with a luscious creaminess,”  says Carrboro Coffee Roasters owner Scott Conary. “The distinct flavor of each coffee from our Farmer Direct Relationships is pronounced, and there is a much more complex aroma and flavor gained through the micro-bubbles in each sip. The nitrogen and the live pour ensures the sweetest and smoothest nitro coffee you have ever tasted. We guarantee you have never had Nitro coffee this sweet and unique before.”

Carrboro Coffee’s NITRObrew is currently available at Open Eye Cafe Monday–Thursday 7am-11pm, Friday & Saturday 7am- Midnight and Sunday 8am-11pm at 101 S. Greensboro Street in Downtown Carrboro. The roaster plans to offer NITRObrew in additional cafes in the coming year.

August 26th Jordyn Pepper Performance!

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Saturday, August 26th Jordyn Pepper will be performing at Open Eye from 8-11pm.

She is the perfect blend of organic, deep-mountain roots, folk (with a little splash of soft blues), rock and country.  Put it all together and you have the makings of an Americana artist.  Her name is Jordyn Pepper, and she has something to sing about. Recently signed to Howlin’ Dog Records Jordyn just released her first single “Back to My Roots” which is from her freshman album Mountain Rain that will be released later this year.

This Nashville based singer/songwriter is described by many as a breath of fresh air, with crystal-clear vocals and a uniqueness that only says, “That’s Jordyn Pepper.” “We here at Howlin’ Dog hear shades of Loretta Lynn, Natalie Maines, Stevie Nicks and others in the lineage of great female singers, but most of all we hear Jordyn Pepper, weaving all of these threads into a seamless expression of a young woman venturing out into the world,” Don Richmond, engineer/producer at Howlin’ Dog, said. Originally from Monte Vista, Colorado, Jordyn says growing up in a small town on a potato and barley farm with not much music influence was hard for a girl trying to find her voice.

Check out her music here

Closed Labor Day

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Open Eye Cafe will be CLOSED this Labor Day to finish our renovations! We’ve been working on an exciting new project with Carrboro Coffee Roasters, so be sure to stop back by on September 5th to check it out! Stay tuned for more details.

Chapel Hill Magazine’s “Best of 2017” Results

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Chapel Hill Magazine has announced this year’s “Best of 2017” winners, and we are excited to announce we won “Favorite Coffee Shop” alongside our sister cafe, Caffe Driade. We couldn’t do it without the support of all our customers, thank you for everything! It is an honor to receive this recognition, and we will continue to work hard to bring you great coffee here at Open Eye Cafe.

New Espresso Lip Balm!

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We’re excited to announce Carrboro Coffee Roasters have collaborated with Durham handmade body care company, Lo & Behold,  to produce an all natural espresso lip balm. The product is now available at retail outlets throughout the Triangle including Open Eye Café.

Carrboro Coffee Espresso Lip Balm is handmade by infusing freshly ground Carrboro Coffee Roasters coffee in certified organic coconut oil for over 6 hours. This rich, coffee infused coconut oil is then blended with certified organic jojoba oil, mango butter, beeswax, castor oil and vitamin E and hand poured into recyclable .25 oz. tins (plastic free!). The lip balm doubles as an aromatherapy balm, rubbing a small amount on your forehead increases energy. Keeping everything local, the label was designed by Carrboro designer and artist Suzy Porterfield of Davie Paper Co.

Carrboro Coffee Espresso Lip Balm is available at over 30 retail outlets throughout the state. For a complete list of where to find it, visit http://www.loandbeholdnaturals.com/stockists.

Indy Week Best of 2017

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We’re excited to announce that our very own Ryann Giorgi has been voted Best Barista in Orange/Chatham Counties for Indy Week’s Best of the Triangle! We’re so proud of you, and we love having you on our team. Congrats, Ryann!

Cardinal Directions Beer Festival

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We’re excited to join Steel String Brewery at the Cardinal Directions Beer Festival on May 21st at 1pm. We’ll be serving our Direct Relationship coffees alongside the other brews at Carrboro Town Commons. Purchase your tickets here.

Farm to Fork 2017

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We’re excited to be participating in this year’s Farm to Fork weekend! Join us at Fearrington Village where we’ll be serving all of your favorite Direct Relationship coffees. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets!

Local Art : Deborah Russell

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We’re proud to have local artist Deborah Russell on our walls. Her paintings are inspired by her dreams and wakeful observation of people, animal, and plants.

For more information, visit www.olivebrush.biz.