Monthly Archives: September 2020

Happy Coffee Day! Yes, that’s what today is, so that’s why I’m posting this now…two weeks or so from when I actually made the journey to this place that rocked my caffeinated world. Visiting this cafe was the culmination point of a long-planned road trip. The destination was Chambersburg, PA, and while the town isn’t known as a vacation spot nationwide, there’s a case to be made that it really should be. OK, so there are no beaches and such; it’s nestled between two ridge lines surrounding the Cumberland Valley and is a town you go through on the way south if you don’t want to take I-95. It is, however, a center of Pennsylvania historical preservation and with good reason. Before and during the Civil War, the town was a major stop on the Underground Railroad. Free blacks lived there in large number, and famous anti-slavery activist John Brown himself stayed there in the summer of 1859 while planning his raid on Harper’s Ferry. Their actions helped to continue the American Revolution towards its still-overdue endpoint of civil rights and civil liberties for all. Needless to say, this was a good time to visit.

I came upon Brussel’s Cafe by pure happenstance. I was going to the town anyhow and before I left my dad said “Hey, maybe you’ll find a coffeehouse to write about.” I acted all cool like “Yeah you bet, that’s why I’m going.” Unfortunately I had totally forgotten the fact that I had no idea where to get coffee in Chambersburg and would be half asleep during the drive home. Well, a quick map search produced the Brussel’s Cafe.  It’s like the apostrophe in the Pagan’s MC. It just kinda lives there. The owner, Alex, kinda seems to live there too. He’s lived a lot of places around the world, including his home in Brussels Belgium, after which the cafe is named. That’s where the history of Brussel’s Cafe begins. A cart full of coffee being wheeled around Brussels by his great-grandmother in 1846 was the genesis point for the cafe. Those are some deep roots, but then again coffeehouse culture in Europe has very deep roots indeed. When I started out this blog I had firmly in my mind the ideal of a coffee house. It’s supposed to be a gathering place of friends; also a center for strains of intellectual thought to brew and a haven both in the town and of the town. Brussel’s Cafe checks all the boxes.

The owner is only too happy to share the story of how the coffeehouse came to be, but it wasn’t just a story that I got this time, rather a guided tour of the place which held some interesting secrets. The cafe is located right next to a red brick alleyway which, in good European fashion, is being turned into an outdoor sitting area, with plans to decorate it with…well I’ll leave a few surprises. One thing I’ll disclose is the presence of a red phone box from England, so if you’re like me and enjoy a good Doctor Who flashback be sure to check that box perched atop the pavement. Chambersburg itself has a bit of an Old World feel, so that only adds to the effectiveness of the project to turn this little portion of the street into a haven for human contact amidst a bustling burg.

Back to the coffee. Unfortunately I was warned after the fact that I had chosen my coffee wrong. I got my usual house blend that I tend to use as a litmus test. Apparently they make a point of producing craft lattes to order. Oops. I’ll have to remember that. The coffee itself is a single source roast from Belo Horizonte in Brazil, which is where Alex met his business partner and a pipeline of fresh coffee was formed between South America and Pennsylvania. South American coffee is generally rich and often earthy. It can be either really rough and overpowering or it can be the height of smoothness. This was specifically a breakfast roast so I didn’t know how this would play out. Oh, the art. Yes, you can tell it’s special. Now, Brazil is the supplier of a third of the world’s coffee, so when we talk about Brazilian coffee we could be talking about the source of any of the mainstream, mass-produced brands. This was not those brands. This coffee is locally sourced exclusively from one specific area and the care put into the terroir (the ‘place-ness’ of the farm, a term long used in the wine industry but equally applicable to all agriculture) was telling. If the place were you grow something is unique, the thing that you grow will be unique. This coffee was uniquely buttery and smooth. There was a hint of nuttiness, but the airy floral taste that I just could not place is what really makes the tongue want to dance. I can only imagine what the latte must be like.

I’m coming back here for Halloween and Christmas. Those are the two times of year when Alex said that the place really shines and I believe him. Every Halloween the interior is covered in orange decor, and on Christmas they bring in a 20 foot tree and have rides and activities for the kids. If there’s one thing that says ‘magic’ to me, it’s that image of a continental Christmas with frost-rimed windows and beautifully baroque decoration. I have high hopes that Brussel’s Cafe will been an eruption of that beauty into the Central Pennsylvania holiday season. Until next time, stay caffeinated.

the sign and flag…

the promise…

the history…

the alley…

the perspective…

the phone…

OK now this was one of those chance encounters that makes travel travel. My review here is going to be kind of short because this coffeehouse was not in fact a coffeehouse. If my layout looks a little different for this post, that’s because I switched back to the “classic” editor for this site. It doesn’t automatically take you to the classic anymore; WordPress wants you to use this odd “block” system for editing because it’s new and new is always better and sarcasm is hopefully obvious. The traditionalist in me was quite vexed needless to say. Anyhow, feel free to comment if you see anything that looks vaguely off-putting and I’ll try to fix it this weekend. OK, on to the story!

Maya Organica is a single-region, small-batch coffee roasting company that I would never have known existed if it hadn’t been for a drive down Linglestown Road outside (you guessed it) Linglestown, PA. There was a small local crafts festival going on and Maya Organica was set up in a temporary stall on the outskirts, and the folks working here were busily packaging up bags of craft coffee for the late-August crowd. The organization is actually based out of Harrisburg but there’s a lot of travel between here and Guatemala being undertaken by the co-owners of the business. That would be David (pronounced da-VEED) and his family. He is himself Guatemalan and a former humanitarian aid worker. Fitting then than Maya Organica is staunchly fair trade and environmentally conscious in its production values. Getting back to basics (and by ‘basics’ I mean not screwing over planet Earth or workers) is highest on their list of priorities.

I got their Highland Huehue. By ‘got’ I mean I bought half a pound of it since they weren’t actually brewing individual cups on site. This was a totally organic Arabica coffee that was situated right at the middle of their light-to-dark spectrum. Like most Arabicas this is rather intense and acidic, but in a mellow way. There’s the often-present nutty flavor that Arabica is also known for, but in the case of the Highland Huehue the nutty flavor wasn’t overwhelming whatsoever. Except on on bouquet. Smelling it in your cupboard, the nutty intensity is there (and makes a nice background scent for coffee lovers), but as I said it’s an intensity with decidedly ’rounded edges’ once actually brewed through a coffee filter. It makes a great, solid go-to coffee for everyday drinking and I’m looking forward to trying their other options.

Problem is, I have no idea when the next little ‘pop up’ event will be that will include this coffee-shop-on-the-fly. I know I’ll be looking them up to place an order sometime soon, but I’ll also be looking along the side of the road as I travel about this fall. If you see a coffee stall with a man and woman who look like they’re having too much fun being way too busy, stop by for a bag of beans.

the greeting…

the beans…

the painting…

the lineup…

the super safe staff…

That’s right. Not the farmer’s daughter’s but rather the farmers daughters’. Plural. This coffee shop is the months-old brainchild of two sisters name Jen and Michelle in New Bloomfield, PA. You might recognize the name of the town; I reviewed another coffeehouse in New Bloomfield a few months ago. I have a bit of a confession to make: I was close to not even reviewing either coffeehouse here. This town is kind of a secret; it’s not a trendy hipster hotspot and honestly I dread it becoming one. Right now the whole area has the serene ambiance of backwoods America that’s becoming harder and harder to find. This coffeehouse is a cornerstone of that calm.

When I walked into Farmers Daughters, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the coffee, but the decor. The cafe itself is built into a large, old stone home and the interior is artistically done in a style that I can best call…ultra-feminine minimalism? Flowers, vases, and signs written in pretty cursive, but it was all so tasteful and elegant. Someone here is a spot-on interior decorator, and when I go back, I aim to figure out who it is. Though from the outside it’s the apparent deep history of the house itself that draws they eye, and I plan on learning more its story someday.

Now, the coffee itself was a new twist on something familiar: Denim Coffee. You are correct sirs and madams, that’s the very same local roaster that set up shop down in Carlisle years ago (and which I reviewed years ago). It’s actually a well-known local independent operation here in southern Pennsylvania, and that’s for a good reason. It’s categorically excellent. Out of the last string of coffeehouses I reviewed, this one takes the prize for most artfully done coffee. It was a Columbian medium roast that I had, and that thing was rich and butter-smooth, with shockingly well-balanced acidity. I don’t know what their particular brewing technique is there, but these ladies truly nailed it.

The best part of this cafe though in my mind is the garden-party feel. The large building has a lovely patio in the back with plenty of seating space for people; when I was there, it was host to a group of teens who were decidedly not thrilled about going back to school. There’s a coziness to that space which again speaks to the skill and soul of the people who pieced together this little country haven.

I honestly do hope that this kind of coffeehouse culture winds its way further into the mountains. When coffeehouses hit a saturation point in the cities they began the inevitable path towards being self-referential. Yes, I laid out in the beginning of this blog many years ago some of the ‘big ideas’ that make a coffeehouse what it is. However, that artistic spirit can and should express itself in an array of forms. Art must never become orthodoxy and this unorthodox little bastion of artistry (both in coffee-crafting and handicrafting) is worth the trip into the woods.

outside signage…

elegant exterior…

interior signage…

the menu(s)…

the art…

the great outdoors…