Best Coffee, Best Coffeehouse, and the Best Crew on the Coast: Now Come Celebrate With Us!

Carmel, you did it again. The ballots are in, and the Carmel Pine Cone’s 2026 Golden Pine Cone Readers’ Choice Awards named us Best Coffee and Best Coffeehouse. The timing couldn’t be better, either, because this year also marks 32 years of roasting coffee in Carmel.

We’re over the moon about it (and, admittedly, a little over-caffeinated, which in our line of work comes with the territory).

Before anyone hands us a microphone, though, we’d like to talk about who actually earned this.

The Envelope, Please

Two categories, two Golden Pine Cones. Best Coffee is about what’s in the cup, the certified organic beans we’ve been roasting in small batches here since 1994. Best Coffeehouse is about everything around it: the hello at 6:30 in the morning, the barista who has your order going before you reach the register, the corner table you’ve quietly claimed as yours.

Taking home both this year meant a lot to everyone here.

The owners, Dean and Janet McAthie, said it best:

“Thank you for recognizing us as Carmel’s most beloved coffee and coffeehouse. You are the heart of our business, and our team of 40+ dedicated coffee professionals is the soul. We are so lucky to be a part of this generous community.”

We’ve Been Here Before

If this feels like déjà vu, it’s because the Golden Pine Cone has found its way to our door before. It means as much now as it did the first time, mostly because it comes from the neighbors we’ve been pouring for since 1994.

Thirty-two years in, our approach is about the same as it was on day one. Find the best organic beans we can, roast them carefully, and hire people who love taking care of other people. That last one matters most, and it’s the reason we’re throwing a party.

The Team Behind the Counter

A coffeehouse award really belongs to the people working inside it.

It belongs to the barista unlocking the door while the fog is still sitting on Ocean Avenue, and to the shift lead keeping the line moving on a summer Saturday when it feels like half of California came to town. It belongs to whoever remembers you take your oat latte extra hot and asks about your dog by name.

Rory and our roasting crew earned their share too, working alongside Big Vinny, our 1940s-era roaster. Vinny has turned out well over a million pounds of coffee and has opinions about all of it. The crew fusses over every batch so the cup you drink tomorrow tastes like the one you loved last week.

Then there are the people you rarely see: the team packing and shipping orders across the country, the folks keeping our wholesale partners stocked, the managers sorting out schedules and the occasional cranky grinder before the doors open. If the pastry case is full at 6:30, somebody made that happen.

All told, that’s more than 40 coffee professionals between our three coffeehouses, the roasting room and the office, and a few of them have been with us for decades.

So this one is theirs. To our team: thank you. You make Carmel’s mornings better, and you make us look very, very good.

The Golden Cup: Saturday, November 14

We’re calling it The Golden Cup: 32 Years of Craft & Community, a toast to the awards and to more than three decades of pouring for this town. All three coffeehouses are celebrating that afternoon with live music, Golden Cup drink specials made with our best-selling Foglifter and Cone Peak, complimentary cookie pairings picked to go with the coffee, and a few giveaways.

Think of it as a regular day at the café, dressed up a little. Members of our leadership team will be at every location to say hello to guests and to thank the crew in person. There’s nothing to register for. Just stop by during the hours below and raise a cup.

If you’re feeling ambitious, start at The Barnyard, catch the afternoon set at the Crossroads, and end up on Ocean Avenue with a cup in hand and the beach a few blocks away. Anyone who makes it to all three has our respect.

Follow @carmelvalleycoffee for a first look at the Golden Cup drinks as the day gets closer.

We’ll see you on the 14th!!

Brew boldly,

The Team at Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company