Of all the places that I've visited and reviewed this year, POUR cafe was the most warm of them all... and I'm not just speaking of the temperature inside. Sure, they have heating indoors but it's the owner and overall atmosphere I speak of.
Upon entering, I was immediately greeted and welcomed by Mr. William Furches III who stood behind the counter hard-at-work, preparing beverages for customers already inside before I arrived. Without missing a beat, he called me over to the "bar" (stool seating) area and gave me a detailed description of what his establishment had to offer on their menu. Regardless of Jack Frost just waiting outside POUR's doors to dropkick my Winter-despising Black behind the instant I left, I opted for an ice, cold TITAN (green apple/ginger/pineapple/etc.) smoothie which was tart and tasty upon my tongue! Mr. Furches also packed a strawberry muffin for me that I gifted to another later on that day who absolutely loved how moist and decadent it was. Now, if you think that this is just another coffee shop, smack your own wrist right now because you've assumed incorrectly! POUR is a proudly Black-owned coffee, desserts, tea cafe that offers up even so much more for the community! From multi-layered cakes and fresh baked treats with flavors such as salted caramel, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla to a variety of herbal, infused teas and flavored coffees galore, POUR doesn't stop there with only edible products! They have their own merchandise such as travel mugs, thermoses, homemade, scented candles of all sorts, cellulite-reducing coffee scrubs (which I received a complimentary sample of), homemade soaps and so much more!! Since their February 2022 grand opening during Black History Month, POUR owner William Furches has created a variety of upcoming events to occur within the downtown Winston-Salem location such as spoken word/poetry nights, face/body paintings, book readings, and (my personal favorite because, being a licensed massage therapist, I intend to become a part of it very soon) MASSAGE PARTIES! William and I spoke on everything from his background in catering - which is how he got his start to flourish into the entrepreneur that he is today - to Winston-Salem's history, WSSU's history, other local occurrences as well as the gruesome untold story that lies deep beneath Winston-Salem's massive yet infamous Belews Lake; simply Google "Little Egypt" and "Belews Lake," and you'll be just as stunned as I was as he unfolded such a shocking story! William will tell you that he doesn't even like to talk yet he truly was the most conversational businessman that I've met all year long.
As southern as the hospitality remains within POUR cafe, it made me reminisce of the various cafes throughout my hometown (Brooklyn, New York) where the shop is more than just a shop, it's a meet & greet melting pot for its community. With that said, get off of Yelp and go visit William's brand new spot so that he can POUR you something soothing for your soul! read more