Longtime tag office family brews a new way to serve Burke County

For decades, Lori Patton’s family has helped Burke County residents with license plates, title transfers, and registration renewals. Now, they’re making those trips more enjoyable by serving handcrafted coffee, dirty sodas, and energy drinks at Blue Tag Coffee Co., a new shop inside the Morganton License Plate Agency.

Lori and her daughter-in-law Amberly opened Blue Tag Coffee Co. on May 26 in the front portion of the agency to make waiting for tag office services feel less institutional. Amberly said people often wait in line very early in the morning before the tag office opens at 9 a.m. Customers can now grab a cup of coffee from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

So far, Lori and Amberly said the business has gotten great support from the community, even attracting some regulars, who enjoy the coffee; dirty sodas, which include cream and flavored syrups; and Lotus Energy drinks, which include plant-based syrup derived from green coffee beans. Mattox Buchanan is the shop’s full-time barista who creates many of the drink specials that have been popular, including the most recent July menu.

The menu includes a Stars, Stripes, and S’mores latte, which is a toasted marshmallow mocha with mocha drizzle, vanilla cold foam, and graham cracker crumbs. Another item is a Star Spangled Lotus drink, which has blue raspberry and white chocolate Lotus with strawberry drizzle, topped with a choice of soda water or Sprite.

Amberly’s favorite drink is a classic white mocha latte or an iced caramel macchiato. Lori prefers a simple black coffee or a Lotus Energy with blackberry flavoring. Both of them also made sure to note that the coffee shop offers Chick-fil-A ice, a fan favorite for its unique pebble shape and texture.

Both Lori and Amberly said they have been thankful for the support from the local coffee community, including help with their espresso machine from Hot Shots Espresso’s Elizabeth Largent and Little Guatemala’s Christian Ramazzini. Blue Tag Coffee Co. is also keeping it local by using beans from Little Guatemala, including medium roast and decaf.

“The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive,” Lori said.

The idea for the coffee shop came after Lori’s family remodeled the building and moved the license plate agency to the rear portion of the building, leaving the front vacant. The agency always sold candy bars and other snacks to customers while they waited, but Amberly, who previously owned an online boutique in western Kentucky, suggested expanding that concept into a coffee shop.

For Lori, it’s another way to serve the community that raised her. Though Lori was born in Anchorage, Alaska, while her father was serving in the military, her family moved to Morganton when she was 2 years old. Ever since she was little, her parents operated the tag office as private contractors with the state. After they passed away, Lori took over the business, continuing a family tradition.

While the coffee shop is in the same building as the license plate agency, Lori stressed that the business is not run by the state and that the state does not receive any of the coffee shop’s revenue.

“We just wanted to provide a service for our customers and have a way to draw people to both things,” Lori said, adding that she also wants the coffee shop to be a place for people of all ages, including children. She recently sold out of Dumplings, a trending toy that has taken over social media with people hunting for them at their local retailers.

“It’s been fun,” Lori said. “We have had a good time talking to people and seeing kids.”