Tin Cup Joe brings new meaning to coffee on the go

When Chris Jordan was a child, he loved drinking hot Dr Pepper. From there, the idea of a Dr Pepper latte was born.

Jordan has been making coffee for four years and opened up his own coffee business, Tin Cup Joe, about a month ago at 102 S. Merritt Mill Road in Carrboro. 

"It's probably the only place you can try a Dr Pepper latte," Jordan said. 

The soda latte isn't the only unconventional thing about Tin Cup Joe. 

Instead of renting out a conventional space for his coffee shop, he converted a trailer into a coffee bar. He built the trailer himself in his driveway over the course of the year. 

Jordan said the decision to convert an old trailer into a coffee bar was mainly based on price.

“This was the only way I was going to ever own the building,” Jordan said.

He added that if rent gets too high where he is, he can easily move the trailer and take everything with him to a new location.

UNC first-year Rachel Yuan said the detail work on the cart is amazing, from the counter made of pennies to the trinkets sitting on the bar. 

“It’s very quaint,” Yuan said.

But Yuan said the location was a bit of an issue. She said the coffee was good, but it was hard to find for people who had never been there before.

“It might be a little bit out of the way because it’s hard to see from the road,” Yuan said.

UNC first-year Dennis Sun also agreed that the coffee shop was quaint. He said all the drinks Jordan made looked delicious. 

“The cappuccino looked pretty high quality,” Sun said.

Jordan said he enjoys creating lattes and cappuccinos, especially working with steamed milk. 

“Pretty much if I can get something exactly right, that’s my favorite drink for me to make,” Jordan said.

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