You see, I’ve become an amateur coffee snob in training over the last year.  I used to look for the independent book stores when we travelled to a new town–but now I look for coffee shops.  More specifically, I look for coffee shops with one of these in them…

The first word out of Stephanie’s mouth in the morning is often “coffee?” but she will drink any decent brew from the grocery store.  But I want my coffee fresh roasted, and I want to know when it was roasted and what region it is from.  The baristas at Dynamite are knowledgeable, accessible, and fun to chat with.  They know their stuff without being snobby.  The overall vibe of the shop is mountain cool without any air of pretension.  Notice in the picture above that even the cops in the greater Asheville area like to drink the good stuff.  No Dunkin’ Donuts for them!  Even though they do look like they are hiding behind the roaster…..

The shop itself is cozy and comfortable, and thank goodness, they had a nice variety of whole bean poundage to choose from.  The packaging of the beans was even aesthetically pleasing…

The barista helped me select two pounds to get us through the next stage of our journey.  I brought home the Honduras Los Pinos and the Suplican Clemencia.  Both were excellent.  Stephanie preferred the darker Suplican which had the qualities of a good French Roast, and I preferred the Honduras, which was brighter and fruitier.  Before we leave town I am going to grab a pound of their Summer Blend which is pictured above, on the right side.

Dynamite Roasting Company may just be the perfect little coffee shop.  I’ve tasted coffee from other roasters back in New Jersey that is equally as good, and my hometown shop, Turnstile Coffee Roasters in Belmar has an equally charming space–but I have never been in a coffee shop that has had such an excellent record collection.

If I lived in Swannanoa or Black Mountain I would spend a dangerous amount of time and money at the Dynamite Roasting Company.  As a fan of the coffee and chocolate houses of 18th century England I would probably even try to have my mail delivered to the shop.

But for now I was just happy to have replenished our supply of whole bean and to have discovered a great new place.  I wish I could have lingered for a while on their front porch and contemplated the view….