Black Tap Coffee

If you've spent any time with my family, you'll probably have gathered that they're coffee people. Coffee is a necessary part of the day for all of them. (I somehow didn't catch this coffee fever. I tend to prefer tea or hot chocolate. It's almost as if I received the cumulative loathing for coffee that the rest of them were spared.) Whenever our family has traveled anywhere, we always end up trying a sampling of local coffee shops and trying to find the best coffee in town.

Charleston has a ton of coffee shops to offer its visitors - I've still only been to a small sampling of them - but sometimes you luck out and find one of the amazing ones early in your explorations. My friend Amy was the first person to introduce me to Black Tap, and it has since become a favorite coffee shop of mine. Knowing my family's love of coffee and local coffee shops, I knew it had to make it onto the list.

It became a repeat trip even over the few short days that my family was here, winning my sister's heart over with their descriptions of the coffee and how they served a small glass of sparkling water alongside her espresso - just like she had experienced in Italy over the past several months.

Black Tap made the perfect gathering place for mapping out our adventures for the day, re-energizing ourselves after a busy morning, and just laughing together as we chatted away.

I may not be a coffee drinker, but I can get behind the atmosphere and community culture that coffee often brings with it. Coffee shops make me want to slow down, have a grand conversation, and enjoy the people I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by.

I love this table, I love these people, and I wish that we could gather around coffee tables together more often.

P.S. If you ever find yourself in Black Tap, do yourself a favor and try their lavender latte. Even this coffee-hater had a few sips. It's that good. ;)

What do you look for in a favorite coffee shop?