Cup-A-Joe — Restaurant in Hillsborough

I stopped in on a rainy day. All the larger tables were occupied by a single person, and all the groups were crowded around the smallest tables in the room. I wasn't really in the mood for coffee, but generally these types of coffee shops make decent cocoa so I ordered that and a muffin.

The cranberry-nut muffin was stale, rubbery, overrun with nuts, and had only 1 cranberry.

The cocoa....This must be the kind of order the barista has to psych themselves up for, because before they started mine, they brewed coffee for the two people who ordered after me. I hoped this meant that a cup of cocoa was something difficult that would taste handmade. Nope. It was made with off-white tasteless powder, that produced an off-white cocoa with most of the powder either floating on top, or sludgy at the bottom.

It wouldn't surprise me if their cocoa is just Swiss Miss powder out of a can instead of a packet. I'm not exaggerating when I say that both McDonald's and Starbucks make a better cocoa...and that's...

It's a quaint place with tables and chairs filling the main area. Also seating outside either side of the entry door. I chose to sit on the bar stools along the front windows for the warm sunshine. It was late morning on a Tuesday, a couple days after Christmas. The place was full of people but they seemed to handle it well. They had several choices for goodies but I do wish they had a lot more bakery items to choose from. The chocolate, chocolate chip muffin I had was wonderfully soft and delicious. I also sprung for a gingerbread latte. I found this to be slightly on the sweet side. Of course that's my taste being that I prefer a little sweetness. I will probably get an extra shot of espresso next time....

Upon returning to Hillsborough after spending several years in DC, one of the first things I had to do was find a local coffee shop. I found CaJ - and haven't left since. It's the quintessential hometown coffee shop - filled with all the local chatter you could want (or not), an excellent selection of rotating beans for us mainly-drip drinkers, and an owner with a Midas touch for baking some seriously addictive creations. Try the rice krispie treats at your own peril...

Both parking and seating can get limited during peak hours, but service is always quick if you need to take one to go. If you spend any time in this area and drink coffee, you really should check...