When we learned there was a new spot in our hometown serving specialty Asian beverages like milk tea and boba alongside specialty coffee, we got really excited. After sharing the news amongst ourselves, the team got together as soon as humanly possible to meet up at The Bean Flower, one of Durham’s newest places to grab a sweet or caffeinated treat (and sometimes both).
Little did we know that we would find many more things to be excited about when we visited. This is our story.
The Bean Flower: Just the Facts
| Website | The Bean Flower |
| @thebeanflower | |
| Address | 4015 University Dr J, Durham, NC 27707 |
| Hours | Weds – Sun: 11AM – 8PM |
| Food | Lots of delicious desserts |
| Beer/Wine/Liquor | None |
The Bean Flower: Our Experience
The Bean Flower’s menu is primarily made up of items that are not coffee, but don’t let that fool you. Espresso drinks and Vietnamese coffee-based beverages are done to perfection and with a lot of love here. There’s a variety of seating, including a great couch and some more work-friendly spots, as well as a sneaky little outdoor patio. We also love that The Bean Flower is owned and operated by a Durham local.
The order
Brad: Vietnamese iced coffee, coffee jelly dessert.
David: Jasmine milk tea with mango syrup and boba, Vietnamese iced coffee with coffee jelly topping.
The vibe
Located in what David referred to as an “old-school Durham hangout spot,” Bean Flower delivers a completely different concept for coffee. The AAPI-owned shop specializes in pan-Asian flavors: Vietnamese iced coffee, Thai milk tea, Korean barley tea, chai, black sesame soy milk, Chinese and Filipino versions of silken tofu desserts… I could come here two dozen times and taste something brand new to me each time.
The front sitting area is equipped with several couches and funky decor; a decorative Bulbasaur neon light, for one. The color palette is a mix of cool blues and dark greens; very different, but relaxing and fitting for a cafe. The service counter overlooks the main seating area, so we were able to chat with the owner, Cici, while we looked around and got way overcaffeinated. Definitely a vibe.
The coffee
Vietnamese coffee is the main coffee offering at Bean Flower, but if you’re like me, it’s pretty damn hard to beat a Vietnamese iced coffee. Strong, roasty, sweet, and cold, Bean Flower’s version uses robusta beans from Nguyen Coffee Supply, and hits all the right notes.
The real variety comes from Bean Flower’s eclectic range of teas, milk teas, and fizzes, all available with a bunch of intriguing housemade syrups: ube, mint, ginger, chrysanthemum, mango, lychee, brown sugar ginger, and several more. Any of these drinks can also be made with toppings and extras: boba, lychee stars, mango, aloe, coffee jelly (also available as a full-on dessert)… just a dizzying number of combinations.
The food
Not exactly a place to get a solid meal on your belly, but Bean Flower has several fun and unique desserts. I had a Vietnamese coffee jelly: literally just a huge chunk of gelatinized coffee (shaped like either a whale, or a seal, I’m told?), served over a bed of icy condensed milk, almost like a molecular gastronomy-style “deconstructed” Vietnamese iced coffee. Unique and amazing. Other options include Don Hua (a Chinese silken tofu pudding), Sago (sweetened coconut milk blended with fruit), and an almond pudding.
Other notes
Though we were annoying poking around and asking tons of questions, we were warmly received, and had an awesome time chatting with Cici behind the counter. She, and Bean Flower as a whole, are diehard Durham, if that kind of thing is important to you (it is to us).
The shop also hosts events (as all shops should, imo); scanning their socials, there is a recurring K-Pop night (every second Friday!), a Pokemon event, a Mahjong night… it’s clear Bean Flower is embracing its role as a community space, which we love.
Bean Flower: The bigger picture
Bean Flower seems to have its head in the right place from a values standpoint. From a product perspective, the shop emphasizes locally-sourced, in-season ingredients, made in-house (and maybe even more hyphenated words, who knows?). From a workers’ standpoint, the shop offers two “rest weeks” per year, team building, and family meals.
Bean Flower also supports Asian Pacific Islander Outreach (APIO), North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT), El Centro, El Futuro, and the LGBTQ Center of Durham. And, as previously mentioned, The Bean Flower is owned and operated by someone who grew up in the neighborhood and still proudly calls Durham home.
