Cocoa Cinnamon

OMG, great coffee recipes that have a rich and unusual flavor. Special treat.

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 café lot, otherwise lots on the street.
Would definitely come back!

Expensive but tasty! Great way to try new coffee ideas and chill outside in nice weather. Gets pretty crowded on the weekends

I love the atmosphere at Cocoa Cinnamon and could spend hours just sitting in the sun at a table outside and people-​watching. One side of the brick building says Cacao Canela in Spanish and the other says Cocoa Cinnamon. When you step inside, you will see a sunny spot with a few retro chairs and big map. The main coffee shop is very eclectic and cozy and you will find lots of people studying or working on their computers. The music playlist took me back to German radio in the 80s with Right Said Fred and Modern Talking. The baristas are pumping out beautiful caffeinated drinks in porcelain cups and you place your order with them on an ipad. I had a latte and it tastes different than other coffee shops and I really go for the atmosphere. Their second location also just opened so congratulations to Cocoa Cinnamon!

I started Unilocaling my way through Durham, solo, while unexpectedly in town for the day. After an afternoon of shopping local and a light lunch I was in the mood for a spot to read a book and sip a hot coffee drink. Cocoa Cinnamon was a ways away from where I was and the melting snow didn’t make my trek any easier. Determined to try this place, I braved a mile walk of un-​shoveled sidewalk.
The See Line Woman — molasses, dark chocolate, vanilla latte — made it all worthwhile. I don’t always do «fancy» coffee but when I do I have high expectations. This warm, sweet, creamy, dream-​drink far exceeded them and the snickerdoodle cookie I paired it with was the perfect accompaniment. I was grateful to find a seat a settle in with my book.
So glad I stopped at this place. It made my day.

I loved the coffee and service before the brick and mortar opened.
I still love it.
The espresso is always delicious, and properly prepared, every single time.
The space is so cool, and my only complaint is the flow of the queue. It’s maddening. It seems, with little effort, that a few pieces of furniture could be arranged differently to accommodate the eager coffee drinkers waiting to be served.

Oh My!
How have I never been here until just the other day?
I had the pour over with the orange blossom infusion. It smelled and tasted soooooo good. It is super strong coffee. (Just how I like it).
I am glad, however, that we got our coffee to go. It was way too crowded with hipsters, in what looks like *could* be a relax and chill environment. But it is wayyyyy too packed in there. Cute spot, though. Excellent service. Even better coffee, Crappy parking.
I was en route to being dropped off at the airport, so I did a «superman» and changed into my uniform (sort of) in the car, so that I could take that delicious coffee with me, without security taking it away. Because I’m pretty sure they would have guzzled it down themselves…

Wow, this place is legit. I stopped in here twice on my two days in durham and was nothing but impressed. The first day I got the hot chocolate with the Caoba. Man talk about a ton of chocolate flavor! The one knock on it was that it wasn’t as hot as I would have liked, as I literally chugged the whole thing in 6 seconds since it was so good (should have gotten a bigger one). The second day I just went with a shot of espresso. I was actually going to try and order some kind of mocha, but the menu isn’t spelled out very well with what they actually offer… One thing I would definitely recommend is work on that, since the menu there looks nothing like the one on their website. This place is definitely awesome, and i’ll definitely be stopping by again to try other things when I’m in town next.

A list of things I love about Cocoa Cinnamon:
* Coffee: the Dr. Durham latte with soy milk is amazing. The black salt sprinkled on top, settles to the bottom while you drink, makes a wonderfully salty, gingery sweet final sip. They also have both soy milk and almond for us vegans and dairy-​free folks.
* Celeb spotting: I saw a certain actress from a TV show called Revenge here once, drinking an espresso. I tried not to stare.
* Seating: comfy couches and chairs inside, and plenty of outside picnic tables.
* Ambiance: no Christmas music during the month of December. Just regular music, played at a relaxed volume, year-​round.
* People: friendly expedient baristas work the counter and friendly, smiling locals patronize this lovely café.
* Dessert: vegan desserts from local vegan baker Joie de Vegan. The date spice cake is my favorite.

Y’all. If you are obsessed with great coffee this is your spot.
The way I describe this place is that it is the only place I’ve ever been to where I would spend $ 10 on 2 drinks and wait 10 minutes after ordering for said coffees and still be SO happy. The coffee is amazing. I enjoyed the Toon Up — a cold brew infused with condensed milk and raw sugar. My husband had the En La Luca — a hot brew with a chocolate house made syrup with just a be of sweetness. I cannot wait to go back to try other coffee options, the delish looking pastries, and chocolate selection.
Yes it’s not the largest place. But there are great seating options, a pup friendly patio, and most importantly amazing coffee. If you want tons of space where you can sit on your laptop for 12 hours go to Panera. If you want amazing coffee in a fun atmosphere where you want to eventually give your table to someone else to enjoy — go here!

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

Great spot for coffee and hanging with friends or studying. Great outdoor seating with some covered areas and indoor seating as well. Of all the places we checked out our couple of days in Durham, Cocoa Cinnamon was one that made the best impression on me! Would definitely go back next time I find myself in Durham!

Very nice café in Durham. I wanted to try it since a lot of time and finally got the chance when sketching group decided to meet there. Love the ambiance, a lot of personality and diverse population. Which means interesting subjects to draw too.
The inside is very comfy with sofas, arm chairs and high tables, the outside offers a lot of tables. I really love the wooden ones as they are all natural and thus shaped as tree was when they cut it.
This is a place of choice when you want to do people watching, work or just hang out with friends.

I was visiting Durham for work and decided to stay there for the weekend. I looked around for a nice coffee shop where I could do some work (which is very normal here in the Bay Area) but I couldn’t find any in downtown Durham. A coworker told me to check out Cocoa Cinnamon and so I did.
I loved the couches and the cozy atmosphere inside the store. It was too cold for me to sit outside (Californian here), and the line was oh my god too long but I decided it was too late to back out. I see the giant menus they have and I try to make my drink decision but there is so much to choose from and I didn’t want to hold the line so I make up my mind and decide to try the Al Mokha. The nice lady behind the counter *(from Tijuana! Yeah paisana como estas!?!) helped me order and chatted with me while processing my payment.
Now, it was time to try to find a seat (it took a while, the place was crowded). There is probably three times the sitting outside compared to what they have inside, but again, too cold for me; so I decide to stare at a guy who packed all his stuff and was getting ready to leave but was just his phone until he realized that people were waiting for him to move and I jumped and took his seat (All of those years studying at FSM in the Berkeley campus are paying off).
Internet was fast. The drink was delicious. The service was fantastic. I will go back again.

To the nay-​sayers: if you don’t like hipsters, why are you hanging out in the DIY district?
For everyone else… you’ll love this spot. If not for the constantly-​crowded working atmosphere (I count 7 MacBooks at any given time), then definitely for the drinks. And I don’t even like coffee. My pick is the drinking chocolate, which is a chocolate bar melted with half and half. It comes in a cup the size of a shot glass, but you will have trouble finishing it — so delicious and rich!

Went in for coffee (and dessert??) after dinner across the street with a friend. Not having been here before, we were a little overwhelmed at the sophisticated drinks on the menu, but were put at ease by the two ladies at the counter that quickly gave us suggestions.
We both decided on a blended hot chocolate. Our drinks were made quickly, and placed in ceramic cups, which I love because it makes me feel like I’m somewhat at home.
The drinks were fantastic. The whipped cream was cold and fluffy and contrasted nicely with the heat of the cocoa. The cocoa itself was thick, creamy, and very rich. I loved every second of it, but it was definitely an indulgence – I could not have one every day.
I’m only frustrated with myself that I didn’t do a better job of noting what I ordered, since next time I will get to go through the confusion of what to order again. Oh well!

Excellent coffee and great atmosphere

Boom boom boom… now let me hear you say wayooo… WAYOOO!!!
There’s nothing like a coffee house named after an exotic dancer.
Ladies and gentlemen… if you’d turn your attention to center java joint. She puts the caffeine in your coffee, the chocolate in your mocha and the soy in your latte… it’s m i i i i i i s Cocoa Cinnamon!!!
)))))))))))))APPLAUSE (((((((((((((
This place is great. The service is awesome and so is their coffee. If you feel out of touch and need to add a bit of hip to your life… don’t fret, this place has you covered. Good luck out-​hipping some of the clientele if you do decide to up your game! For a coffee shop… there’s more PBR and ironic bearded maple syrup sippers… than you can shake a stick at. What?
On the rizzle fo shizzle… the drinks are good… and it’s a comfy place to chat or chill.
Try: Avoiding cuteness and coolness and order some medium roast black
Avoid: Wearing a beret (you know who you are)

First off, I don’t drink coffee. I love the aromatic scent of coffee, as well as coffee-​flavored desserts, but I do not like coffee itself.
With that said, I thought the Dr. Durham latte was good! It’s a vanilla latte with maca root and ginger powder, topped with black lava salt. It’s $ 3.75 for 8oz or $ 4.25 for 12oz. The latte art is beautifully spectacular. It wasn’t too heavy on the coffee, like most lattes. However, it does have a unique rim of salt — not on the cup itself (like a margarita), but in the drink itself. Strange, I know. Do I like it? ummm… no. It’s like being at the beach, then accidentally gulping a mouthful of that awful saltiness because you were unprepared for a wave. Pleasant? I think not. Still, the drink was good overall.
This place has a very hipster vibe to it. Not too much seating (including the outdoor seating), and this place tends to get very crowded with a very long line. High-​tech with the ipad register. Limited parking in the adjacent lot.

I love Cocoa Cinnamon. And so does all of Durham judging by the crowds.
I’ve enjoyed Cocoa Cinnamon so much I’m a regular there and I don’t live in North Carolina!
BuzzFeed named it one of the best independent coffee shops in the US. They are right. They have a number of very funky lattes but I usually just get something simple with almond milk. Speaking of my vegan practices, I can enjoy Joie de Vegan desserts there. They usually have a gluten-​free fruit tart and chocolate cake from Joie de Vegan that are both delicious.
I love to plant myself at Cocoa Cinnamon with my Chromebook, almond milk latte and vegan dessert while getting some work done or watching Nathan for You videos on YouTube.
The only item I did not like from Cocoa Cinnamon was a pomegranate soda and espresso Spring themed drink that I hated. But other than that, Cocoa Cinnamon is one of the very best coffee shops!