Port City Java

As a newbie to Raleigh, I’d never heard of Port City Java. One of my co-​workers was kind enough to make the introductions. As coffee shops go, it has the usual suspects on the menu. Any coffee drink with varying amounts of expresso shots, maybe some whip maybe not, maybe some caramel, etc. you get the picture. They have a short list of sweets like cookies, muffins and brownies. Again, all pretty pedestrian.
However, what makes Port City Java a favorite stop for me is the Carmello Leche and the Mochacinno. Not sure why I love these but I do. And the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are pretty awesome. The atmosphere is very quiet with students studying or others lost in thought staring out the window. The service is okay. I haven’t had an order messed up or any curt words on my morning visits so I count that as okay.

Port City Java might not be the best place when I need a serious cup of java, but they have the advantage of being nearby, having a better than average selection of coffee drinks, and pricing that isn’t too far out of line. It’s an open space coffee shop with a comfortable chair or two and a few tables strategically placed to allow patrons to either hide or look out the window. Except around lunch, it’s pretty quiet and I can see why some like to study here.
For the most part, I like it. The coffee is a hit or miss, though. Timing is everything.
Dear Port City: I usually make the trek to your shop mid-​morning a couple of times a week. While the workers are efficient and generally polite, they aren’t going to win any smiling personality awards. But that’s okay. I need caffeine, not a best friend, and neither one of us has won the lottery yet. So here we are. .. me trying to make it through the next meeting and you trying to pay tuition and have some green for the off campus party later. So what do you say we just try to make this money-​for-​coffee transaction as painless as possible?
And when I say as painless as possible, I don’t mean colored hot water in a cup with a ha-​ha-​gotcha look. For the most part, you do a good job as long as there isn’t a line of people at the counter or one of your friends on the premises to distract you.
In all fairness, when the staff’s service is «on» I get a good latte or espresso or even a mocha shake. Just when I think I’ve spent enough money here on the last cup of bilge water I can tolerate, PCJ knocks the wind out of my righteous frustration by making a latte so good I think I’ve won the lottery. Some days, that’s good enough for me.