A look into Charlotte’s latte speakeasy: The Daily Press
Think of “hip Charlotte” and NoDa is always the first place that comes to mind. With more bars, music venues and shops than ever before, NoDa is finally reaching its potential as the heart of Charlotte arts.
Still, even though institutions such as Smelly Cat and Amelie’s provide the classic coffee concoctions and Ozpresso meets the yuppie espresso fix, there was one thing NoDa lacked: a serious latte art-style cafe.
Enter The Daily Press. If you’re like me, and frequent Cabo Fish Taco and Solstice Tavern for lunch and drinks, chances are you’ve seen their beautifully-decorated sign outside The Evening Muse.
Other than that, though, they’re pretty nondescript; a sort of latte speakeasy tucked inside The Evening Muse that lovingly crafts drinks with names like “The Space-Thyme Continuum” and “The Barista’s Bloody Mary.”
The “Space-Thyme Continuum” at @thedailypressclt #ProbablyTheOnlyTimeIEnjoyCoffee
A photo posted by @itingraphix on Apr 9, 2015 at 1:44pm PDT
I spoke with founder and owner Lindsey Pittman, a Charlotte transplant so dedicated to her craft that she got a full-arm tattoo of a coffee plant. (Fun fact: her tattoo was first on this Buzzfeed list of awesome-themed tattoo sleeves.)
RT @cl_charlotte: Newest NoDa coffee spot The Daily Press pours geeky precision and obsessive care into each cup. http://t.co/08dTE6Ta7o
— Kim Lawson (@kimlawson22) July 30, 2014
Q. What was the moment you realized, “I’m really opening up my own shop?”
Probably when we were cleaning and setting up our space. We have been open for 9 months now and it still feels as new as the first week. Practices get easier and we have grown tremendously as professionals, and yet it still seems surreal. We have worked very hard to revamp our little corner inside this space we share with The Evening Muse.
Q. What’s your favorite drink on the menu?
The amount of time we spend on every drink – dreaming up, dialing in and replicating throughout the day without compromising quality – makes it difficult to decide on one that I favor more than others. Though, generally speaking, I start my mornings with a pour over coffee (Kenyan or Ethiopian most days).
Q. What do you think the future holds for you and The Daily Press?
We intend to actively pursue more community involvement, more education, more space and always more coffee. In March we hosted a regional coffee event called the #BrewTangJam that we plan on making a yearly tradition for the Charlotte Coffee Community. The Good Grief Vintage pop up market that joins us one Sunday a month has become one of our favorite ways to promote other small businesses and the NODA community, and we hope to watch those businesses grown alongside us as we do.
A photo posted by The Daily Press (@thedailypressclt) on Apr 12, 2015 at 6:07am PDT
So many coffee enthusiasts (veteran and new) have attended our monthly coffee education classes, and we are pleased to take a role in making Charlotte a respectable coffee destination by improving our neighborhoods knowledge of what is ‘good coffee.’
Q. What’s been your biggest difficulty?
Exhaustion! I work 15 hours a day 6 days a week. and I use the one day a week that we are closed to catch up on the things I don’t have time to do during the week. Running a business is hard work, and if you neglect any aspect of it, there are more ramifications than I would have ever anticipated.
Also, while sharing a space has its advantages – smaller overhead costs, moving into a flourishing neighborhood with “built-in” customers, etc. – the logistics can be challenging. Change isn’t always graceful, and growth (no matter how positive or necessary) can be painful and frustrating sometimes.
Visit The Daily Press and try out one of their excellent pour-overs or fancy hot and cold drinks Tuesday through Sunday from 8 to 5 at The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St.
This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 2:49 PM with the headline "A look into Charlotte’s latte speakeasy: The Daily Press."