Date of Visit: December 27 & 28, 2011

In many ways, Charleston is a progressive food city, with some of the best chefs and restaurants in the Southeast, an emerging cocktail culture, and some respectable craft beer bars. What’s been missing during my 16 years of visiting the city has been a go-to specialty coffeehouse. That seems to have finally changed with the advent of Hope and Union, which John Vergel de Dios and Harper Poe opened in 2009 in Charleston’s Elliotborough neighborhood, with a name that references cross streets in the couple’s former Brooklyn neighborhood.

Charleston dates to 1670, and the city celebrates history in many forms. Architecturally, the Preservation Society of Charleston awards Cariolopolis medallions to building owners who preserve the historic integrity of their property, and John Vergel de Dios and Harper Poe got pinned for their work in restoring a building that dates to the 1800s.

The coffee bar resides downstairs, at the back of the building, in a room with concrete flooring, and a back bar with reclaimed wood beams the owners painted white. Out front, the coffeehouse has a subdued, library-like vibe, with two-tops, communal tables and wood floors. Upstairs, an airy room emanates in two directions from a well worn fireplace, with wood crossbeams overhead.

Hope and Union touts plenty of olde tyme touches, including shelves of glass milk bottles.

Decorative red lanterns hung from the wall. Luckily, they didn’t provide the room’s only light.

Hope and Union hosts all of the requisite toys necessary for producing premium coffee, including a two-group La Marzocco espresso machine, a four cup pourover bar with Hario V60s and copper piping. They carry Intelligentsia coffee, which was familiar, since that’s my neighborhood coffeehouse in L.A., but still a welcome sight (and sip). They grind and brew all beans to order, as they should.

On my first visit, a barista on a holiday skeleton crew effectively pulled a double shot of Intelligentsia black cat Espresso ($2.80) for me, which displayed sweetness and bright acidity.

They offered three different single origin coffees via 12 or 16 ounce pourover, with each option costing either $3.55 or $3.80. During my visits, the selection consisted of Anjilanaka, Bolivia; Mexico, La Perla de Oaxaca; and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.

My cappuccino (6 oz.) on day two was pretty much spot on, with the Black Cat coming through an appropriate amount of whole milk to deliver an instantly drinkable cup that was just the right temperature. The barista even added some attractive art, which is by no means imperative, but certainly didn’t hurt perception.

Hope and Union was short on hours, since the College of Charleston was on break for the holidays, and their primary clientele was on vacation, but they didn’t skimp on effort, attention to detail, or flavorful coffee, which are all factors that will keep me coming back to St Philip Street.

Related Posts

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2. Kudu Coffee – Charleston, SC – May 17, 2006
3. Food GPS Progressive Eating Tour of Beverly Boulevard
4. Culinary Historian Shares History of Beer and Baseball in Los Angeles
5. Octane Coffee – Atlanta, GA – November 28, 2009

This entry is filed under Coffeehouse, South Carolina, The South.