Cocoa Cinnamon

05/24/2026

On this drizzly spring Sunday, I’ve got the Bread and Butter Cortado on the mind.

A collaboration with .asia beverage director and recipe tasted and perfected by ’s It’s made with house made bread syrup, topped with bread toffee dust and a cold salted panna.

To us, “Bread and Butter” is a testament to kind resourcefulness. Similar to bread and butter, the initiatives we take to nourish ourselves and others every day can be simple, yet thoughtful. A few ingredients can create something profoundly abundant. It’s a familiar warmth that we all remember, can melt into, and carry – no matter who or where we are.” – Asia Vo, Loba Pastry + Coffee, Chicago

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05/19/2026

La Frida is a latte with house made mole syrup, .coffee espresso and topped with crushed rose petals...after a Barrera family recipe and named after Frida Kahlo.

Available at CC LKWD! Do you love Frida? Mole? Try our La Frida!

05/14/2026

Happy Birthday to our co-founder Areli!!!

She now mostly oversees green coffee sourcing and leads our roasting arm .coffee. And yet she remains the founding spirit, the color, shape and model of that has attracted a team that is widely comprised of and led by women.

In the week to week, she co-leads deep decisions that guide . Her empathy, thoughtfulness, imprinting, culture and care for the world make up an important part of the life of our little world.

Areli, we’re wishing you the happiest birthday!!

05/08/2026

Such a beautiful teaching garden by beautiful people!

04/27/2026

Durham County Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers have been busy attending the award-winning container garden at Cocoa Cinnamon coffee shop in downtown Durham (420 West Deer Street).

At a recent workday, volunteers re-installed the irrigation system, inserted Ollas (unglazed clay pots used for slow-release irrigation), added some new plants 🌱and fertilized. Earlier this year, we moved our treasured fig tree "Miss Figgy" into the center of her large container, followed by pruning.

🌼 The gardens are a joint project of the Durham Co. Extension Master Gardener Program and Cocoa Cinnamon to create a vibrant green oasis for the community and customers to enjoy while making a space for Master Gardeners to learn and teach about container gardening in an urban environment.

Come visit! 🌸

04/22/2026

Spent the morning on some of the challenging parts of running and managing a business - infrastructure and follow through. Solved by our dear friends of 15 years at Running Water Plumbing Company who’s done the plumbing at all of our shops including the new .coffee . In the middle of that I got to connect with our dear friend .kati to talk the more fun and exciting parts of business and coffee. After the call, our issue was handled, because of dedication of Jeff at Running Water.

Then basking in the relief I stopped over at CC OND and visited with the team and the coffee tree. As I was taking pictures of the ripe coffee cherry on our coffee tree, I ran into who now lives in Houston and whom I haven’t seen in years. Corey’s been coming in since day one in 2013. In the middle of hugs and catching up, I plucked the ripe cherry off the tree and as and were walking by, I “mouth processed” the cherry and let them see the seed, whose mucilage gets removed and dried, then either planted or hulled and roasted to create a new life, or a beautiful drink.

More challenges came that we’re now working on, as that’s part of the behind the scenes equation, but knowing we have the right team and feeling the beauty of having a business that connects people together is a great pleasure. It reminds us why we do what we do and the incredible feeling of being with the people who connect at and around our shops and coffee, the extended partners across the world, and our team.

Feeling grateful for all of them! L

p.s. since I started composing this, the second challenge got worked out!

03/19/2026

Our warm weather 2026 Wonder menu starts tomorrow at our 3 locations!
Minor Miracles Below the Stratosphere

It’s a collaboration with 5 very special .coffee partners:

1. , Asheville, NC
A Little bit Spicy and Feisty and Hopefully Sweet, Kind of Like Us — Rose + pink peppercorn sparkling lemonade topped with basil

2. .lounge, Las Cruces, NM
Ancestral Healing — Pomegranate, clove and vanilla espresso tonic topped with a sweet cold foam

3. , Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Morir Soñando de Chinola — Passion fruit (maracuyá) syrup + evaporated milk , espresso + vanilla cold foam

4. , Chicago, IL
Bread and Butter Latte — Bread syrup, topped with bread toffee dust and a cold salted panna

5. , Durham, NC
Unexpected Little Moments with Miller — Jasmine orange cold brew topped with sweetened condensed milk

This menu is rooted in surviving (and living) alongside volatility, ugliness, and uncertainty, while still choosing to create space for and embrace beauty, connection, awe, and care. We see this every day: in coffee plants growing, in the people in our shops, and in the partners we work with and learn alongside across the world.

At Little Waves and , we believe deeply in the power of expectations and in manifesting decency, love, and intention — especially through the small, repeated details of daily life and business. That spirit is behind our holiday blend Minor Miracles and the phrase we often return to: You Are Marvelous. We know meaningful change is needed in our nation and world, and we actively work toward it — while also finding ways to stay sane, human, and connected.

Link in bio for our blog with full details and collaborator quotes!

Recipes tweaked, tested, and adapted by
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03/15/2026

We’re proud to share that we've been selected by an expert panel of judges to be up for 100 best coffee shops in North America alongside so many shops that we respect! What started on a sleepless night in our mom's kitchen in 2010, then as a coffee bicycle in 2011, to 1, 2, 3, shops and soon a new dedicated roastery building, + .coffee are living dreams.

We've always walked our own unique and layered path, one of constant imperfect striving, envisioning, and connecting. While our name, designs, and menu go, in some ways, against the grain of the trend of the last decade.

Our vision for Cocoa Cinnamon (the retail side of the business) started as an homage to the intermingling of coffee and spice in early coffee brewing and coffee houses, rooted in story, pluralism, beyond third place, wave, and algorithm. We're grateful to each person who has been a participant along the way!

If you love LW/CC, we'd love your vote (under Little Waves Coffee Roasters)! Public voting is 30% of the decision. Vote must be confirmed to count. Link in first comment. TU!

--This list is the result of a journey through North, Central America & The Caribbean’s most exciting coffee scenes, where over 200 expert judges evaluated more than 4,600 coffee shops during this year, representing 70% of the score, and coffee lovers will add their voice from March 9 to 19, contributing the final 30%.--

02/13/2026

All of our shops will have normal hours during this holiday weekend. Come on in!

📸 : Morros de Torros, available at our Lakewood shop.

02/12/2026

Thank you Eater for including CC with great company!!

From classics to newcomers, here’s the best of where to eat in Bull City

02/08/2026

No Tiene Título/ El Abrazo de la Abuelita - hot dark chocolate with cinnamon, orange peel and clove spices topped with crushed Maria’s cookies.

Created by team member, Katherin, this drink represents, "represents comfort away from home." The warmth and spices bring familiarity to the unknown. This drink reminds us of the comforts we need when we're feeling out of place. The kind of drink that brings you back to yourself.

Come in and warm up with a hot chocolate!