Back to the Mountains

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Back to the Mountains

10 Oct

I’ll just say this: September was insane. It feels like hubris to make this post because it’s fun, and I feel like I shouldn’t try fun yet, lest something terrible happen to balance the scales. Fear of stepping out of line, I mean. I get in a bad headspace that way. If this seems like rambling, my brain is a little sparky right now. I told the people at these coffee spots I’d blog about them, so I need to keep my word on that. Simply put, I’m alive, so I have that going for me, which is great. It’s been that kind of month.

Leaving the city behind for a while felt like breathing. That isn’t far from objective truth, given the air pollution that gathers in the Great Valley region of Pennsylvania at the end of summer. The mountain air is of a distinctively higher quality. In the process of going crazy and fleeing to the woods, I ended up going to two standout coffee spots, which I’ll detail below.

The first of these new coffee spots was Joe’s Chili Stop, located along Route 34 on the way to Mount Holly Springs. Mount Holly Springs marks one of the entry points to South Mountain. South Mountain is a significant entry point to the Appalachian Trail. If the name sounds familiar, I reviewed another coffeehouse here a few months ago, across the Maryland border.

Joe’s is a veteran-owned breakfast spot that bears all the hallmarks of a “last stop.” The infrastructure is ramshackle. The food smells like a bit of heaven. The locals are rural mountain men heading off to parts unknown. I immediately felt glad to be here, and I’m sure everyone taking 34 over the mountain feels the same. If only there was alcohol, it would be the consummate cantina. As it stands, there were uppers, rather than downers, on the menu. Here’s where things get really interesting.

The coffee was Hugh Jackman’s proprietary blend: Laughing Man. I do not know why this blend is being sold in the middle of Pennsylvania mountain country, but here it is. I am of two minds about this coffee. First, the brewing was done well by Joe’s staff. It was high-test stuff, too, ideal for a long hike. However, the flavor profile was unremarkable, and this quality appeared innate. It didn’t taste bad by any stretch…it was simply an average blend with an origin I couldn’t pin down. It tasted like diner fare. I will say this much: I am convinced that the high quality of my caffeination was due to the establishment’s efforts rather than Mr. Jackman’s.

Finding the next coffeehouse was the result of a totally distinct mission. My mom and I went north to visit a winery. We assumed that the winery would be open in the middle of a weekday. Nope. After an hour-long drive, we were greeted by closed doors and a dark room. Not ready to admit defeat, we continued searching for an open winery and found one to the south outside Berrysburg in the ridges and valleys of northern Dauphin County. We found something else: A coffee shop set to open two days hence.

I had no idea what to expect here. The shuttered barn did not indicate what kind of coffee shop I’d be walking into when it opened. At the end of the week, though, I returned and found what is set to be a local hotspot. Bear in mind that there are few coffee options in northern Dauphin. Do a Google search, and you’ll come up with little except for family restaurants. Nearby, Elizabethville has a brewery…but no independent coffee shop. Espresso Inspired is changing that. They’re also clearly an Amish/Mennonite operation.

Here’s another example of Amish coffeesmiths (yes, I coined a word) doing things right. I peeked inside the little mobile barn doubling as a coffee shop (you can’t actually go inside; it’s walk-up and drive-thru only) and saw Bible quotes on one wall and high-tech gadgetry taking up the other side and back. The baristas, having just started their work two days ago, were shy but efficient. The big surprise was the menu. Not only was a wide variety of coffee available, but plenty of breakfast fare, such as muffins, was also pumped out of that tiny hut.

As for the coffee, the exact blend is something I can only guess. The brand was Turk’s Head out of West Chester. Another significant link between coffee operations in Pennsylvania. This isn’t the first time I’ve found Mennonite folk sourcing locally. Notice how the rural coffeemakers sourced their material from urban institutions? It’s only fitting given that most ‘urban’ food is sourced from fundamentally rural regions. Coffee culture is again blending the two worlds, though this time in a material sense. It does bear mentioning that the iconography of this coffee shop also combines urban hipness with traditional Christian values.

In brief, thank my mom for this new discovery and for this latest installment of our journey through the burgeoning rural coffee scene in Pennsylvania. My car is in the shop, so I don’t know when the next road trip will be unless I’m schlepped somewhere. Somehow I’ll get to the Alleghenies. Until then, my patient readers, stay caffeinated!