Pro: Cozy ambiance, wonderful hot chocolate and cocoa drinks. Nice selection of loose-leaf teas Con: Somewhat cramped, might have trouble finding a seat. Bottom Line: Do yourself a favor and try one of their chocolate or cocoa drinks. You won't regret it. I was looking for a coffee shop to get some work done when I stumbled onto this little gem. What immediately caught my eye was their unique 'cocoa drinks'. Although I was really in the mood for some of their Yunnan tea, I decided to take the plunge after hearing the barista rave about the drink. Boy was it certainly unique! The cocoa drink had a pleasant grainy texture that was reminiscent of small chocolate chips and had a taste that was somewhat bitter and somewhat sweat. My friend got a hot chocolate which both embodied creaminess and warm chocolatey goodness. Unfortunately there were no seats nor tables available; so while I didn't find a suitable study spot I certainly found a great drink location! read more

One of the coolest coffee shops I've ever been to! The thing I love most about it is the look...it's almost entirely outside! Huge covered seating area outside with large picnic benches. The inside is adorable as well with a few tables/couches. The large wall to wall windows also open up for more outside love! That being said, I can't study here because it's all outside but that's just my preference. Plenty of people study here though...I just prefer to come and enjoy the atmosphere and catch up with friends. I'm not a coffee drinker but I've heard it's good. I do enjoy their freshly brewed teas! Come and enjoy a drink and a dessert! Hopefully on a nice sunny day :) read more

Awesome little place. Authentic churros and cool drinks. Not too many wall plugs available if you were planning to plug your devices in, though. read more

One of my favorite coffee shops that I have ever been to. The drinks are incredible and original and the service is consistently great. The staff is extremely friendly and always have a smile on their face. Be sure to try the KokyTu (an iced coffee drink mixed with mexican coke) and the Simon Bolivar (a yerba mate latte). The interior decor is lovely, and the brick exterior along with the unique garage door near the front door makes the shop a great aesthetic addition to the area. The outdoor seating is ideal for a spring day, whether you're just stopping for a quick drink or posting up for the day to do some work. My only qualm about Cocoa Cinnamon is that the indoor seating is very limited. read more

It was 6 dollars for really subpar watery hot cocoa, and the staff wasn't in a good mood. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but it seemed like the effort wasn't there read more

I was intrigued to visit this place because Food Network on Snapchat said it was one of ten or fourteen coffee shops to visit in the country. It had a peaceful ambiance and it was a plus visiting on national coffee day. Staff was friendly and I ordered the Tower of Babel latte which was absolutely delicious. Sweet and beautiful latte art. Typically I am not a coffee person, but this coffee was delicious and had the slight bitter taste of espresso, but was not bad. Even after the shop closed and there was someone collecting the cups, the staff asked for feedback and wanted to see if there was any way to improve. Now I understand why Food Network featured this coffee shop, not only for their unique coffees, but also their service that seeks to improve. Definitely want to go back soon. read more

I'm not saying it was bad, but I'm not saying its good either. The flow of the cafe is super weird and inefficient. It took FOREVER to get an extremely simple drink. I'll give some props because my coffee was good, but worth the wait? Not at all. I spent 6 years working as a barista, I know what's complicated and what's not. If you're into overpriced coffee and waiting 7 minutes for one simple drink than check this place out!! Otherwise just go literally anywhere else that serves espresso and steamed milk. read more

When I was in Durham, I spent a LOT of time studying in the newly opened Cocoa Cinnamon. I have to say, they have some of the best coffee around--always a choice of what beans you want. This is the type of place that can be intimidating to those of us who aren't coffee connoisseurs. The indoor setting can be cramped and crowded, which makes it a suboptimal place to camp out with your laptop. But, I think that that adds to the overall atmosphere--one that's much more eclectic than a Starbucks. When there aren't people sitting silently in a coffee shop for hours, it has more of a community feel. The outside patio is awesome though. I could sit there for hours, doing work at one of the picnic tables. It's near a school, so during a week day you'll see rows of children parading by. There's also a local bubble maker who will hang out outside, making giant bubbles--I know, sounds like it's straight out of Portlandia, right? Anyway, the outdoor part fits the neighborhood very well, and I look back fondly of the hours that I've spent there. Update: The lobby area used to be uncomfortable--all of the seating was at high counters, but management has made improvements so the area is better for working/studying. Hooray!! (see comment below.) read more

I'm giving Cocoa four stars because I am a HUGE fan of their hot chocolate. It is by far the best hot chocolate in town. I am not a coffee drinker so can't comment on that one. My experience was pretty much in line with everyone else. If there is a line it can take awhile for your turn to come up. Then it takes awhile to get your drink made. Be prepared to wait. I don't see this as a negative as the hot chocolate is worth the wait. So why four stars and not five? The price is not right on this one. I get that they use high quality ingredients, but I paid almost five dollars for an 8oz cup of hot chocolate. That's insane. When I lived within walking distance of Cocoa, I only went twice because of the price. Now that I live a good 15 minutes away I will probably not be back. I'm not making a special drive for a tiny amount of expensive coco no matter how delicious. If I am in the area for some other reason I MIGHT go, but I'd have to be super psyched up to spend five dollars on a small cup of chocolate. So it's not likely that I will return. But if you go, just know that the hot chocolate is definitely worth a try even if you only do it once. read more

I love when all the elements of a great place come together: Product, ambience, neighborhood, people, philosophy...etc. Such is the case at Cocoa Cinnamon. Product: Incredible espresso and chocolate drinks. Bold, flavorful and made with pride - top tier stuff. The gluten free vegan date cake rivaled any gluten-heavy carrot cake I've ever had. Ambience: Keeping with one of Durham's great attributes, this establishment is repurposing an older building. The garage doors and outdoor patio add a great element when the sun is shining. Neighborhood: Just a stones throw from downtown and across the street from Motorco, this is a great little nook of Durham. Plenty of art, food, music venues right here. People: Friendly baristas, students and young pros working away on their laptops, reading and conversing. Truly a community-centric public house. Philosophy: It's always nice when a local business is involved in and cares about what's going in the community. They also serve up fare from other quality, local vendors. If you're just passing through Durham, this is a must-stop for coffee freaks. If you live here, you already know about it. read more

I worked as a barista for ten years and this place definitely rises to the top of the pile of coffee houses in the Triangle area. The See-Line Woman is fantastic if you like the dark complexity of molasses. I only wish they had a location in Cary to save the town from the dearth of crappy coffee. Ideally next to the Trader Joe's so I can walk to it ;) At least I get to enjoy it on my way of work! Word of warning: Avoid the area around 4pm on school days. The carpool line for the neighboring school turns the streets into a total cluster. I made the mistake one afternoon, now I know to come 30 minutes earlier or later! read more

The Dr Durham latte is life changing. Creamy salty mysterious but also very familiar, it's like a long lost cousin of caramel or something read more

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This is my favorite place to get coffee in Durham. They have so many great options and it's a great place to get some work done. The drinks definitely aren't cheap but are very comparable to other coffee shops in Durham. I love it here. read more

Pros: Most creative and quality caffeine confections in Durham, relaxing ambiance, good price:quality ratio. Cons: Extremely limited indoor seating To state it plainly, the best coffee place in Durham Their selection of beverages (coffee, tea, and hot chocolate) are as delicious as they are inventive and they boast some top notch pastries and confections to boot. The ambiance is relaxing and they've got great outdoor seating. If for some reason you're a tourist in Durham this is a must visit spot. If you want a perfect description of this place read Liz W.'s review below. It's the review I'm neither clever nor ambitious enough to write. read more

Great googly-moogly. This place is great. Coffee is excellent. Pourover, sweet espresso. The grapefruit soda/espresso drink isn't regrettable, but I wouldn't do it again. It's a nice, eclectic little place. Good for working or hanging out. Lots of open laptops around. Wardrobes and (facial) hairstyles dripping with irony. Other than that one guy who always jumps into conversation and expounds on the existentialist play that he's writing on the implications of Jesus' parables in a clearly godless world. You know the guy, that guy that always finds the best coffee shops. As a matter of fact I might start following that guy around, he manages to be at every decent coffee shop or bar I go to. Wait a second. Am I that guy? I mean, I wander all over the place and try new places. I find great bars and coffee shops. I like to talk about Jesus. I have an unusually full beard. Tattoos that need to be explained. Shoot. I... um... Give me a second... God, are you still there? This espresso is really good. read more

I really enjoy Cocoa Cinnamon. I have been here at least 5 times. I've been looking for a quality coffee shop since I moved to Durham and have not found anything nearly as good as CC. They individually brew coffee in a Clever brewing system. If you love coffee, definitely check them out. The reason for not giving 5 stars: -There is always a really long wait. I know that this isn't Starbucks. I know that good coffee takes time. However, every time I go in there is only one person at the register and one person at the bar. When you add in the time to brew the coffee in the Clever system you can be waiting up to 15 minutes to get your coffee on a busy day. -It's a small building. They need more seating. I feel like CC is so good that it immediately grew out of the size of its building. read more

A favorite spot for me. I cannot survive without my occasional Caoba fix. Even iced, it is a beverage that delivers. read more

Went in a bit before 9am and it was already busy. They usually have their fresh pastry coming in around 10am. Very nice coffee and good place to hang out. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Al mocha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Love my new neighborhood coffee house! If you are a fan of drip coffee, you must try the individual drip coffees that they offer from a variety of places. You will not be disappointed. They are still growing in their business, so it seems like every week there is something new and I cannot wait for the warm days of Spring when they will open the garage doors! Come to Geer St and check them out! Parking may be a challenge, so prepare to walk a bit during happy hour and weekend prime time. read more

Relaxed atmosphere and good coffee! AC inside is on in the summer time and good amount of seating outside. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I was in Durham for a weekend and my friend and I decided to try this place out because of the cool hipster ambiance it has. I ordered the latte with the cayenne pepper - of course I've already forgotten the name. The latte was delicious! Like nothing I've ever tried before, and not too sweet. The only negative I have with regard to this place is that they put my latte in a paper cup even after I explicitly ordered it "for here." Maybe I'm crazy but I find pleasure in sitting in a coffee shop and sipping my beautiful latte out of a mug instead of a paper cup I would get to go -- makes all the coffee art so much more worth it. My friend says that they regularly don't put "for here" lattes in mugs and she also gets frustrated about that. Bottom line, I would recommend this place, but advise anyone who enjoys sipping out of mugs to be very explicit with their order. read more

I love the vibe at Cocoa Cinnamon. It can get very crowded inside but there's plenty of patio seating when the weather is gorgeous. The staff is very friendly and happy to provide recommendations if you just can't decide (like me). They certainly have a large selection of teas, coffee and sipping chocolate. Their pastries have gluten free options as well. Their Dr. Durham is heavenly. The flavors of ginger root, black lava salt and vanilla doing the happy dance on your taste buds. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I walked 7km to get here and it was totally worth it! The barista (watermelon earrings, very smiley) was very friendly and helped me choose the Dr. Durham as a must-try for my visit to Durham. It was wonderful. Like wow. Seriously wonderful! I love how creative the menu is and how much thought goes into every drink - there's a story behind everything. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Dr. Durham - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Wonderful, chill, trendy atmosphere. Low-key and cozy. Drinks are the best I've had in Durham. The sipping dark chocolate is especially good! There's always great music playing and the staff is super friendly. I only wish it were bigger inside, but it has about 4 couches and additional armchairs. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Hot milk chocolate. But try the sipping dark chocolate too. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

My friend and I met up to catch up and the volume was perfect, not too loud. I think their variety of sitting areas did the trick. We each ordered a specialty latte. They weren't served together and we had to ask about mine after they sent about 8 other drinks out, and then mine was made cold instead of hot. I just took it because I didn't care. I had a caramel latte and was missing both the coffee and caramel flavors. It wasn't very sweat though, which was nice. My friend enjoyed her coffee. I did really like the atmosphere, so I would go again. read more

Espresso: 5 Ambiance: 3 Stopped by for a quick morning pick-me-up. The cappuccino was delicious, properly made, captured the flavor and complexity of the bean. Milk was frothy and creamy. This is hipster central. There's an anteroom with window "shades" of vintage classroom maps (gets very hot in there, it's essentially a greenhouse), and the main space has a bunch of retro/mid century diner-y chairs and low tables. There's plenty of outdoor seating and tables, though would have liked more shade. There's plenty of parking in the cafe lot, otherwise lots on the street. Would definitely come back! read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Refreshing mint lemonade (though this is imported, not made in house) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Another place I'm going to miss a lot. Many happy memories of studying here and sipping coffee and pleasure reading here and sipping hot chocolate. All of the drinks are very top notch and the pastries are a steal if they still have any of yesterday's on super discount. read more

Lots of coffee selection. All very good. Deserts are from guglhupf. Nice pleasant outdoor seating area. Good looking building. Great to have it downtown Durham. read more

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My favorite coffee shop in Durham. They have great drinks, a creative menu (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, with all kinds of spices and flavorings-- you name it), friendly staff, and a cool vibe. During the pandemic it has been a breeze to do online ordering and pickup. Love their pre-made latte batches and I order their beans (from their roastery, Little Waves) to brew at home. Pre-pandemic I loved reading and writing in their indoor and outdoor seating areas. Delicious! read more

This place is amazing! My mom took me here while visiting. I got the chai latte iced with oat milk. They have amazing milk alternatives! It was an amazing chai. We shared the Cocao Canela drinking chocolate with whip, literally one of the best drinks I've ever had. Their lemon loaf was also delicious. Service was amazing and I love the atmosphere :) read more

Normally a great coffee shop with wonderful drinks, but this morning I ordered two chai lattes, one dirty and they were both absolutely disgusting. I basically had 2 cups of iced milk with minimal other flavor; I ended up pouring both out. If i hadn't gotten then to go i would have returned them, I will still continue to frequent coco cinnamon, but now I know not to order the chai. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Iced milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The amount of disrespect and rudeness from the staff on 8/31/19 in the morning was astounding. Being our first time to Cocoa Cinnamon, this is NOT a welcoming atmosphere. All of this makes the quality of the coffee mute. We will NEVER be back! read more

The coffee is good but the place can get really crowded. Not sure if it's really worth the wait. I like coffee shops where I can do work and this one has too many people sometimes so it's hit or miss (if you like outdoor seating though it's wonderful). read more

Really good coffee and pastries. Being from California I'm not familiar with the 4th Dimension coffees, however, they're full bodied and have a distinct nuttiness to them..assuming that was the brand used to make my latte. It was strong and flavorful. Staff was pleasant and prices fair. Wish there were more establishments like this shop instead of Starbucks. read more

This place has great coffee and an awesome selection of coffee drinks. They had live jazz musicians filling the air with their magical tunes. I had the Mexican mocha latte which was wonderfully spiced with a good balance of chocolate. Will be back. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Mexican mocha latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Nice spot...listening to the cracks as the Durham Bulls practice. This a small, quaint, hipster-style joint...that I really enjoyed visiting. Were talking hand-crafted, artisan chocolates, from all over the world...used in creating custom and traditional international drinks. This isn't Hershey guys... more like going back to the natives and their choco days. So if you're into extraordinary flavor experiences...you've gotta stop here... read more

I've come here way too many times in proportion to the actual length of time in which I've been living in Chapel Hill. Cocoa Cinnamon has the ideal set-up for a coffee shop, in my opinion. It's ultra-hipster and doesn't apologize for it: there are plenty of indie advert cards lying on the counter, a bulletin board chock-full of upcoming concerts and other events, cozy squashy coffee chairs and tables, with huge windows looking out into the outside seating (!). Apparently, the side wall can also be rolled up, garage-door style... I'm not sure if this is a converted station or what, but it's amazing. The baristas are quite nice and not at all aloof, which is always appreciated. The outdoor patio is my favorite and I've passed a lot of afternoons here either reading or semi-working on my laptop. (They have an outlet outside!) It's covered, so there's no burn from the sun above, but perfectly open and the picnic style tables are really comfortable and ideal for people-watching. I will say that the coffee here is good but it's certainly not inexpensive... nor is the tea. The menu is very extensive (it feels like you've grabbed two by accident) and will take some pondering before you'll be able to narrow in on a choice! If it's cold, apparently their hot chocolate is the real treat... but it's still the peak of summer, so I sadly have a few more months to go! Will probably be coming back way too much than my wallet would like, but it's a necessity to keep this caffeine surge going! read more

Small coffee shop with delicious chocolate crosssaints and coffee. We enjoyed every sip and every bit. read more

Cocoa Cinnamon - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

There are not a ton of coffee shops and cafes in the area, and this place definitely makes some VERY tasty coffee drinks! It is not a cheap place to grab coffee, but really these days, any trendy coffee spot is going to set you back more than you plan ha ha This location (they just opened a second one which I haven't been to yet), does not have the biggest interior for seat selections. I am a person who likes to do work for a bit at a coffee shop, but if you want to sit inside, definitely don't come here during peak hours, since it can be a little tricky. There is a large nice outdoor patio though. So if it isn't hot and sweaty and humid out, this is definitely a great place to do a little work or meet up with friends and whatnot. A very laid back vibe here, the coffee drinks can take a little while to make, but they are all so inventive it is clear that a lot of thought goes into them! And their attention to chocolate is just amazing, for any chocolate lovers out there. They were at the Science of Wine event recently and their hot chocolate samples are just so rich and silky and tasty. So I know I should start saving money for getting drinks from here more often! read more

Love the Tower of Babel coffee drink iced! I take a lot of friends here because it is also good for people who don't like coffee since their sipping chocolates/hot chocolates are good and unique. read more