Amor Ciego Coffee Co. is now open at 178 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, offering everything everything from regular drip coffee and espresso to teas, speciality drinks and baked goods.
Owned by Carolina Leal and her husband, Amor Ciego Coffee Co. will focus on espresso. A native of Colombia, South America, Carolina grew up around coffee. She recalls vacationing in the small mountain town of Acevedo, Colombia as a child where she helped out on her family’s coffee farm.
“My family harvested the coffee plant,” Carolina says. “Opening up a shop is like coffee coming full circle for me.”
Amor Ciego translates to “blind love,” which Carolina describes as “the moment you’re expecting nothing and the unexpected happens.” Amor Ciego Coffee Co. was established in Texas in 2016. When the military moved the Leals to North Carolina, they closed up shop.
Plans for roasting her own beans are in the works for Carolina, but the shop plans to serve coffee made from Buggy Town Coffee’s beans in the mean time.
“There are many regulations you must follow to roast, so we’re excited to have this relationship with Buggy Town until we can get those settled,” she says.
The building, located at 178 W. Pennsylvania Ave. didn’t have the proper setup for a coffee shop. Carolina and her husband began renovating the space in April.
Carolina’s original paintings grace the shop’s walls — coffee plants and quotes that pay homage to her family’s coffee farming roots.
“We’re looking forward to getting this place open, and we’re looking forward to sharing good coffee,” Carolina says. “Coffee is meeting people. It’s connections. It’s sharing a moment.”
Amor Ciego Coffee Co. is open Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.