When shopping the Landrum Farmers Market, look for the man in a bright colored tropical shirt and straw hat. He’ll be pouring water from a kettle into coffee carafes, brewing what might be the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had. Adam Marcello’s passion is coffee. And he plans to bring his knowledge and expertise to our corner of the Carolinas.

After talking with Adam at the market, I have a chance to meet with him, hear his story, learn about coffee, and discover his plans for opening a cutting edge coffee shop in the restored Missildine’s building in Tryon. He suggested we meet there so he can describe the layout of the shop, giving me an idea of what he hopes to offer his customers.

As I enter, the first thing to catch my eye are some old fashioned metal radiators sitting in the middle of room. “What about these?” I ask. They’re quite decorative and I wonder if he has a use for them.

“Actually, we’re planning to make those into benches. We want to keep what we can of the old building, keep the character of the original Missildine’s,” Adam smiles. “It was a gathering place for people and we hope to let it be what it was”

“This will be a long bar where customers can watch while we make their coffee.” He indicates. “Each cup will be individually brewed the way the customer wants it. It takes about four minutes to make, including grinding, brewing, and extracting, so while they’re waiting, we’ll be able to talk with the customer, answer their questions, and tell them about the coffee.”

Adam shows me a room separated from the front of the shop and describes his plans. “This is a room that people can use for meetings or parties. And if it’s not being used, it will be a quiet room. People can enjoy coffee while reading or working on a computer and be away from the noise of the shop.”

This is a new career for Adam. He grew up in Gloucester, Mass. and became a lawyer. “But I was done with that,” he tells me. It wasn’t what I was meant to do. I wanted my work to be my fun. That’s why I like the tropical shirts. I feel like I’m on vacation even though I’m right here in Tryon working.”

He and his wife, Dana Worland, were living in Florida when they discovered Tryon. “We wanted to raise our daughter in a small town with a better quality of life. We visited here and it just felt right.”

Adam’s love of coffee started young. His mother started giving him coffee when he was about 15 months old. “So I’ve always been interested in learning about coffee. I experienced some coffee in a shop that I thought was especially good. I had a chance to peak in their backroom,” he laughs. “That’s where I discovered he was using Counter Culture as his source.”

Counter Culture, based in Durham N.C., will be his supplier of the coffee. They source it directly from the farmer and specialize in seasonal selection of single-origin coffees, limited-release offerings, and year-round selections, which they believe is the best expression of coffee’s diverse traditions and origins.

Adam gives me some background on coffee. “All coffee originated in Ethiopia. It’s now grown in different parts of the world, close to the equator. It’s actually a fruit, a berry. And coffees often have traces of different fruit flavors, some apricot or clementine, even lemon-lime. Indonesian coffee is a bit savory, a little like tomato.

Counter Culture offers what they call a Counter Intelligence coffee education program, an ever-evolving curricula of courses, seminars, and hands-on education labs designed to impart the knowledge and skills required to make the best coffee experiences possible. Since one of their regional training centers is located in Asheville, it will be available for Adam to educate future employees.

“The name of our shop will be Black Coffee.” He adds, “But customers don’t have to drink it black, we will serve milk. We want to be as inclusive as possible. We really want to bring the big city coffee venue to our small town, so people can have that same experience right here. And we want people to say ‘this is the best coffee they’ve ever had’. We’ll be opening in the fall and plan to have a grand opening. We hope that by opening here in Missildine’s, we can be part of the rejuvenation of downtown Tryon.” Plans are to carry baked goods from Flat Rock Bakery and ice cream treats from Jennie’s Splendid Ice Cream.

So if you are now dreaming of the perfect cup of coffee, stop by the Landrum Farmers Market on Saturday morning. Look for the man with a friendly smile, wearing a bright colored tropical shirt and straw hat. Then be prepared to enjoy the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had.