13 Rankin Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

Oh, sweet Asheville. Ever since I found out that I was moving to South Carolina, I'd been dreaming of planning a trip to Asheville. I'd heard what Nasheville is to country music, Asheville is to folk and bluegrass. My uncle always raved about the mountains surrounding Asheville and my family talked endlessly about the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. And friends - it's all SO TRUE. This place is magical, in a folksy, whimsical, make you sit and stay for a while kind of way. I could most definitely live here; it's got yoga studios, healthy foodie digs, a spattering of fun boutiques, easy to find live folk and bluegrass, rolling mountainy hills AND plenty of independent coffee shops.

High Five Coffee is one of the good ones.

The sign is small, but we knew what we were looking for. The coffee shop is situated off of a main artery street and down the avenue a little bit. If you look close enough, you'll spy the adorable succulents and cacti along the window bench. And you'll see my sweet hubby.

We popped in for an afternoon pick-me-up. I ordered a cappuccino, while Andrew opted for a cold brew. And folks, this is the THIRD coffee shop that I'm writing about that brews Counter Culture Coffee (read more about this company on the Quotations Coffee post). This company has so much support here in North Carolina -- if this many people are brewing it, it must be good. Right? Both of our coffees were on point.

This place is built for coffee people -- if you're looking for a slow pour-over or well done espresso based drink, their sweet baristas have you covered. With Counter Culture Coffee, you can also know you're getting a drink from a quality bean.

Let's talk about these succulents though. Are they not adorable? I loved the neat arrangement of diverse pots - some were even planted in coffee cups. I took mental notes so I could do a 'try this at home' with the same coffee cup succulent concept.

Now, I have to give kudos for the shots below to my hubby. He rarely gets into the 'coffee shots' so his excitement for these photos gave me so much joy. I love the contrast between the focus on the coffee and conversely, the focus on the shop.

High Five has taken great care in putting their shop together. They managed to perserve the industrial brick walls and original wood floors.

As always, we have to ask the question: where did the name come from?

The original shop, opened by Jay on the French Broad River, was a place called the Dripolator Coffee House. But years later, after opening a location in downtown Asheville, a rebranding took place to capture the goal of 'no frills, great community, excellent service and phenomenal coffee.' Jay's wife Kim thought 'High Five Coffee' captures all of those things.

There you are folks! This place is great for a pop in and out or if you a local, the seating is more ideal for a quick catch-up with a friend. There were two or three folks perched on computers for the long haul as well.