The Orwigsburg Coffee Spectacular

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The Orwigsburg Coffee Spectacular

07 Oct

As I put pen to paper here (or pixels to pixels), I’m just getting home from a big weekend excursion. The ‘Coffee Spectacular’ mentioned in the title resulted from a trip to Orwigsburg on October 1st. Orwigsburg is a town far to the northeast of Harrisburg, PA. It’s nestled in a valley between several small ridges of the Kittatinny Ridge. I’d been planning a coffee trip soon, but the October 1st date wasn’t preferred; it was necessary. On the next day, I would be getting a dental filling. This was also the first day in ten that there weren’t torrential downpours, relentless mist, and persistent drear. The rain was, however, welcome since we were in a major rain deficit before this.

So, yeah, this trip resulted from a blatant need to get out of my head (and out of town) for a while. Sometimes, getting out of your head requires getting out of dodge.

I’d never been to Orwigsburg before. Orwigsburg was just a random small town on the backroads branching off from the interstate highways heading towards Allentown and Scranton. I’ve been to both places before; Carbondale is north of Scranton, and that was known locally for a UFO crash. Oh, I’m sorry, I mean a mistaken UFO sighting. The purported UFO was apparently just a railroad light that fell into a lake…and didn’t go out for two days…and the media was involved. What? Don’t you trust official stories by officials? Never mind. Forget I said anything.

Back to Orwigsburg. This town could be straight out of a movie. I said the same thing about the Allenberry Playhouse, but this is a whole town with that feel. It’s also slightly less Hallmark and a bit more Twin Peaks. OK, it’s not that weird. I did get the impression that it was full of happenings and intrigues. I apparently just missed a historical festival. There was an extremely fancy Italian restaurant and a few less fancy ones. People say everyone here knows each other, and agriculture is massively important. There are enough people (about 3000) to have vibrancy without anonymity.

The first coffeehouse I visited, 419 Market Cafe & Eatery was a sophisticated establishment. Though it was ostensibly a coffeehouse first, the space had a fine dining feel. A hardwood ambiance lit with the yellowish glow of Edison bulbs was partly responsible. The real draw was the amazing variety of country crafts adorning every spare nook and cranny. It looked like a gloriously apportioned antique store. There was nothing antiquated about the rather massive menu, though. Sandwiches, bagels, appetizers…usually a coffeehouse only has light fare. As a traveler, seeing a full menu is always a pleasant surprise.

While I was taking photos I met a pair of friends, one of whom was from Tampa, Florida. We were both blown away by the sheer variety (and deep beauty) of objects to be found. The building itself was a journey. You’ll see what I mean in the pics below. The guy at the counter said they’d been in business for about six years, though he added that time flies and wasn’t sure. That’s been my entire mood lately, to be frank.

The coffee itself took me by surprise. I’d assumed a place like this massively advanced would be roasting their own proprietary coffee, but they were primarily serving Dunkin’ Donuts and Pike Place today. At least, those were the only ones currently in stock. That latter one is from Starbucks. The best part of the coffee portion was the series of vintage containers and bean-grinding levers behind the counter. I have no idea where they acquired all this past-century coffee gear. I should have pried.

As an aside: Rural Pennsylvania absolutely loves Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s everywhere here. There’s also a huge demand for Starbucks, which I always found odd because of the positions Starbucks supports. However, I must say, my rural, conservative friends have (taken as a whole) been unlikely to opt for boycotts based on purity of worldview alone. That deserves a post of its own. I’ll get philosophical later. For now, back to the coffee.

I asked if there were any other coffee options. It turns out, they were squirreling away some Lavazza! That’s a fantastic Italian espresso company in business since 1895. I was saved. I had to wait for it to be brewed; they acted like that should have been inconvenient. They had no idea how giddy I was at the prospect of exploring the building with my camera in tow.

Neither Lavazza nor the barista (baristo?) disappointed me. Whatever this blend was, it was creamy and full-bodied, though not too rich. A soft, delicate flavor profile made it good ‘road coffee.’ OK, that’s entirely my phrase, but there is a certain kind of coffee that gives a needed perk on a road trip. This was emblematic of the concept, and fit well with the fact that everyone in this place appeared to be a traveler. If you are a traveler, I suggest a stop here; it’s the first non-chain coffeehouse along the road coming up from Route 61.

From this cafe, I went searching for a second coffeehouse I’d seen advertised on my map program. Good old Google didn’t lead me astray this time. The second coffeehouse was called Market Square Coffee House. This venue looked more like the archetype of a coffeehouse. There was a little shelf full of books on the way in. It was bustling with early afternoon foot traffic. It just had the feel of a place that attracted a more typical coffeehouse clientele than 419. Most people seemed local, or at least in town on local business. As was the case at 419, an array of baked goods was on sale. Also like 419, there was a wide variety of coffee options on point. Market Square was also more chic and fast-paced.

Again, the ambient energy of the place was so different from the more past-oriented and art-suffused motif of 419 that the differences were almost entirely the result of it. Again, you’ll have to look at the photos to see what I mean. Contrast the yellow walls of Market Square with the aged wooded alcoves of 419. Both were worth the drive simply for the reminder of how diverse the coffeehouse experience is in its visual expression. Scratch that; it was a reminder of how different the experience can be and why this Journey is necessary for uncovering those expressions.

The coffee here was very distinctive. I was given a blend called Lionheart from Homestead Coffee Roasters out of nearby Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania. The blend was Guatemalan, Ethiopian, and Colombian. The package said there were hints of nectar, jam, and chocolate. I got the chocolate at the beginning and the finish, but ‘nectar’ and ‘jam’ felt slightly off. I tasted more of a citrus and fruit reflection of the Ethiopian component. Either way, despite its dense structure, the blend was aesthetically complex. That was a great coffee to end this leg of the Journey.

I actually went to Market Square twice. After leaving with the coffee, I looked for pizza to augment the sandwich I’d brought with me. Finding nothing that suited my admittedly particular taste, I returned for pastry. Sure enough, there was a gigantic blueberry muffin in the case. It was fluffy and ideal. I had one regret: that I didn’t have time to hike. Orwigsburg is practically a trail town, though it’s never counted as one. It’s only a few miles from an Appalachian Trail entry point to the east. Instead, I cut through Schuylkill Haven to the west to head home. There’s another burg I’ll have to make time for.

With that, I was back on the highway, heavy one jar of local honey I bought at Market Square and a bevy of new plans for the future. Those plans involve coffee. Spoiler. Yeah, the big secret is coffee. The big secret here is always coffee. Next time, I’m reviewing the coffee I had only a few days ago at a festival. By the time I do that, I’ll probably be making plans for another trip up the road, this time to Lewisburg. It’s a college town right on the border of the Pennsylvania Wilds. We’ve been there before on this Journey, but it’s changing rapidly as college life reverberates around the valleys of the Susquehanna River.

Until next time, stay caffeinated.