Hope and Union Coffee Co

WOW I cannot express how amazing this coffee was! The inside is welcoming, the staff is friendly and the coffee is OUTSTANDING.
.ever.

Great atmosphere to get some work done and hang out! Small neighborhood coffee shop with outdoor seating. Clean and has a friendly staff always willing to serve up some southern hospitality.
Can’t wait to come back. Free (fast!!!) wifi internet access is a huge perk. Definitely tipped the scale for the 5^th star

Ok, so coffee isn’t just a means to an end in my world. It needs to be considered and taken care of, primped and cared for. I’m a bit of a snob, even when searching for a shop outside of Charlotte. I was happy to hear great things about Hope & Union in Chucktown.
First, parking sucks. Just. Plain. Sucks. You might be able to squeeze 5 cars behind the shop down the narrow driveway. Good luck, however. You’ll have to back your car back out and into traffic. You’ll be better off parking on the street or finding a meter. This whole district is residential parking on the street, so be aware of signs that dictate such regulation (s).
The coffee is pricey. If you’re not in the market for an espresso or latte, you’re here for a pour over. Japanese method used with a special filter and ceramic funnel. Each cup is ground fresh and measured/​timed precisely. You’ll pay close to $ 4 for a large coffee but each cup is a single-​origin roast. Incredible flavors. My wife and I tried a brew from Burundi hot and a an iced version as well. It takes some time to make a pour over, so we had a good 10 – 12 minutes of downtime. The iced pour over was served in a mason jar. Loved it. Both roasts were robust and full-​bodied.
We also ordered a chocolate croissant and a banana/​nutella turnover. Both warm and delicious.
The décor and location is very modern. Lots of art and modern design around. Great porch to sit on as well. Great for an early morning book or for answering some emails.
I’m a fan. They are doing something that not a lot of other shops are going for. I appreciate the aesthetic and approach to delivering single-​origin coffees!
Cheers!

Coffee 3.5
Ambiance/​Service — 5 stars
Worth a return visit.

Good $ 4 cup of coffee, but come on, it was a $ 4 cup of coffee.
The staff were friendly, efficient, and helpful, not pretentious for an expensive coffee joint of the calibre.
Pretty small, but pretty hip place, nice indoor and outdoor seating, in a cool upcoming neighbor hood.
I think I will stick to Kudu Coffee, way hipper peeps, a buck cheaper on coffee that is just as good; better overall selection of drink and food.
Anyway, I’m not saying that I wouldn’t return to Hope & Union, but there are other quality places in the hood cheaper and just as good.

We were in town and staying nearby, and found this place while looking for coffee. (Thanks, Unilocal App)
The good:
1. The coffee. Wow. So good. They do it right. Totally worth the price. (Both monetary and to your self-​image — see below.) the espresso was amazing, the brewed coffee was as close to perfect as I think I could get.
2. The shop is beautiful. Every detail is right, down to the glass jars they apparently decant the milk/​cream in to. A little hard to find — there is a small sign that says «Coffee» out by the road and a gravel driveway that is hard to see until you drive past it the first time. (Or the second — gimme a break though, I hadn’t had any coffee yet…)
The bad:
1. Hipster service. There were 3 coffees listed on the board. The guy at the counter asked me what variety I wanted, and not knowing what to pick I said «the darkest roast.» Totally the wrong answer. He looked at me with disbelief, (or disdain) and told me that «we don’t have any dark roast, they are all medium.» He didn’t make any effort to explain the varieties available, just waited. I tried to scan the menu board, but again, not having had any coffee yet, I was at a loss so just picked the first one. No matter, the coffee was amazing, but still, it would have been nice if he had explained, even briefly, the differences, or inquired about what I liked, or offered a suggestion even. (Like, «If you prefer a dark roast, you might like X because…)
2. Hipster service. I went over to wait for the coffee to be made, and a few other people came in. At least one guy was actually greeted by the girl making the coffee. She chatted a little, although she didn’t want to have to go so far as to break a smile. After he left, I asked her a few questions, and she answered so softly I couldn’t hear her with a look on her face that clearly said «talking to you isn’t part of my job description.» I couldn’t blame her in a way. She was about 20 years younger than me and frankly beautiful, so I guess she doesn’t have to make conversation with middle aged people who come in and don’t know the drill.
3. No non-​fat milk. No apologies either. Not like, «so sorry, we are out of that» but just «we don’t have that today.» V. sorry to have asked.
In their defense, I brushed my teeth and left the house with my hair wet, and when I got back with the coffee and went to finish getting ready, I noticed that I had a white streak of toothpaste down the front of my sweater, and my hair was all akimbo and not in a flattering way. Maybe they thought I was homeless and they didn’t want to encourage that kind of clientele?
So. Awesome coffee. A few people said the interior was rustic, but I would have gone with minimalist — lots of clean lines, no clutter, nothing unnecessary. Including smiles or idle chatter. But the coffee. The coffee. Wish I had it that good here at home, I could probably live with the service. I think.

I love coffee. My internal temperature is 90c. Seriously, I piss coffee. Out of my E61 group ‘head’ (hahah).
Anyway, I was in town and checked this place out a few weeks ago. It was a Mon. morning and I drove all the way down from N. Charleston. There I was greeted by a pair of very friendly baristi. I ordered a shot of Black Cat to stay and a medium pour-​over to go. The shot was pulled with great care and produced the best I’ve tasted in the South. I ordered a second, which was just as good. The pour-​over I paid less attention to, but was a tasty Ethiopian. Again, extracted with much love.
This is the best coffee I’ve had in the South. I really hope they do well.

Nicest looking coffee shop i have ever been to, very quaint and southern summer beach décor, light and airy. Wll decorated and food and drink is placed appropriately to lure in the customer; however, it is a whole lot of iamge and little quality. The Coffee is not extraordinary given the extraordinary prices. If you come here, you come for the environment the coffee is nothing special, more like a fancy Starbucks. I paid about $ 5 for my tall latte and ended up throwing half of it away.
Very cute location and creative name though! Give them one point for the décor and one point for the name!

A big eye roll for the $ 3.55 price tag for a pour over coffee and «yes, I will return and hand them $ 3.55 the next time I am in town too,» she says sheepishly.

Four days in Charleston, and three visits to Hope and Union, so to say that we liked this place is an understatement. This is definitely a young persons coffeehouse, with a very casual vibe. The interior is gorgeous, with soft colours and whitewashed wood tables. It was so pretty that i was worried that it was to good to be true. Upon the first sip of my iced latte that was presented in a glass mason jar style glass, it was instant perfection. The first thing you tasted was the robust Intelligentsia espresso, and my vanilla flavour was just right, not too sweet.
Overall, Hope and Union is a great place to come and hang with friends in a beautiful setting or out on the patio while enjoying the vibrant city of Charleston.

We always try and find the best coffee in any particular city we visit. The folks at Bin 152 suggested Hope and Union, and they nailed it. Breri and I each had a latte, and it was among the best I’ve ever had. They use Intelligentsia beans, which always yield an amazing cup. My only regret was not visiting Hope and Union every day I was in Charleston.

It’s nice. Good coffee. Nice style. A little over priced. A little too quiet and Apple Store-​ish.
–R

I know this has more stars than George Patton, but I don’t think H&U has Charleston’s best coffee. As a fan of French press, I thought their made-​to-​order Chemex process (placing a filter in a single cup and pouring hot water over grounds) was a little too painstaking for a minimal taste difference. I tried a Brazilian sourced cup, and it wasn’t the rite of passage I was expecting. For how much you pay for the cup, I’d rather go somewhere else.
The décor is very sharp and modern (but still sort of café cozy) and the water in milk jug carafes is pretty different, but it all seemed a little condescending.
Charleston has several other coffee-​drinking locations that I proudly enjoy and feel comfortable in, but Hope & Union is not worth its pretenses.

I am no coffee master, but I think I can finally tell when a cup of joe tastes like it should. I walked up to this artsy coffee shop, and I knew it was going to be straight forward and relaxed. The location resembles San Francisco joints because the neighborhood is so calm and historic and home-​friendly.
Sure enough, the décor is rustic, the menu is limited, and the coffee and grub is well-​sourced. As expected, you a pay a premium. Normally, I would not be OK with paying $ 7 for a brew and a baked good, but this is the first time that I have had pour-​over coffee made in front of me.
Not only was the coffee prepared with care, but it was delicious. It was some Nicaragua blend that had both a fruity character and the boldness that coffee should have. The cinnamon walnut coffeecake that I had paired well with my black cup. It was sweet, crusty, and crumbly.
This is definitely a must-​drink when you are in Charleston if you are into coffeeshops. Heck, check it out even if you hate coffee. It has a cool vibe, and it is a good place to take it easy.

Holy crap I love this place. Read what everybody else said. The best.

Hands down, THE best Latte I’ve ever had. Yes, I hate to say it, even better than my own. I am a coffee snob, after being a barista for a couple years and being formally trained, but this place passes with flying colors. Everything was perfect, from the temp of the espresso, the thickness of the foam, and the amazing retention of the foam. You’d be hard «pressed» to find anything better in the area. H&U are easily my #1 coffee place, def worth the drive downtown. The barista, didn’t get his name, was very nice, even seemed very happy to be there. Talked to him for a few minutes, he’s been trained several times and even does competitions.

I found this place by accident but wow what a cute coffee shop. The jars for cold drinks. I was even more surprise that they make single cup coffee just like Blue Bottle but I like that they have a good selection of coffee to choose from. I had the perfect Ice Coffee because they made me a simple syrup with brown sugar just for my coffee.

I love this coffee shop because it is elegantly forward while making room for the Old South appeal of Charleston.
The other reason I love it is because John makes the best soy hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my lactose-​intolerant life. Excellent cocoa powder that’s not too sweet, and unsweetened soy milk that doesn’t distract from the flavor. Brilliant.
Good coffee is hard to find. Hope and Union is not!

My wife and I are coffee fanatics who moved to Charleston from LA earlier in the year. One of the very few things we’ve missed since leaving LA (besides all our wonderful friends) is a great hangout with great coffee like the Peet’s on Lake Ave in Pasadena.
Hope and Union, finally, is it.
It’s probably not fair to Peet’s to compare it to a dedicated artisan coffee house like Hope and Union, but of the chains, my wife and I find Peet’s the best and is our gold standard. Frankly, most one-​off coffee houses we’ve tried during our wide travels have dissapointed – greatly: bland, boring, or too sweet the usual outcome.
So here’s the secret recipe to a great coffee house: 1) great beans, 2) a great espresso brewing machine that does HOT, plus 3) great baristas:= great coffee. Throw in a stylish, renovated Charleston Single in a funky area of town, with free parking no less, and an eclectic crowd of all ages, and you end up with coffee heaven.
I also appreciate that Hope and Union is a little quieter than most coffee houses and there are little nooks and crannies you can dig youself into for quiet time, or you can join the common table for a lively conversaton.
The coffee is, to put it simply, fantastic. For the milk-​based drinks, we were told they use organic milk and the smooth, silky taste shows. The coffee itself is good and strong, which is how I like it, and you can taste the complexity of the beans in the mochas and lattes, unlike the sugar-​syrup concoctions at other coffee joints (which shall remain nameless, though even our favorite Peet’s can be guilty of this in some of their drinks).
Yes, the coffee is better than Peet’s, which is almost heresy for my wife and I to admit, though I stil have a thing for Peet’s White Mocha. Sure, Hope and Union’s Vanilla Lattes and Chocolate Mochas are objectively better, but a good white mocha is a thing of pue coffee evil, and sometimes pure evil is the way to go (say, once a week on a splurge).
Forget about Hope and Union as a cheap alternative for lunch. You aren’t going to find wrapped sandwiches and the pastries are a little limited. The coffee is so good, I don’t care. Get some take-​out at nearby Dell’z Deli or truck something in from Earth Fare over the bridge. It’s worth it.
The owners are lovely people, which only sweetens the deal. And they’ve been hiring baristas who, as it turns out, are lovely people too (my wife and I adore Jessica). I admit, getting surly treatment while paying over four dollars for my weekly coffee treat is a turn-​off, as we’ve discovered in LA at a a few places. This doesn’t happen at Hope and Union, though perhaps Charleston is blessed with happy baristas, as we’ve yet to encounter a barista-​jerk anywhere here.

Where do Mad Men go when they have had enough of the big city rat race? They make awesome coffee in a funky café in a chilled out town by the sea!
John is one super barista, who makes awesome espresso coffee. If you are in Charleston and need a fix of really good coffee, seek this place out!