Author Archives: coffeehouseguy80

Confession: This one is a bit outside of Harrisburg. Of course, if you live in Harrisburg, you know that most of “Harrisburg” lies outside of Harrisburg. It’s complicated. Many of us count everything south of the Kittatinny Ridge in Dauphin County as “Harrisburg.” Indeed, nothing to the west of the Susquehanna River is Harrisburg, although stuff in the middle of the river counts. Obviously. As I said, it’s complicated.

Ur turn cafe is quite a bit to the east of Harrisburg proper, in the Skyline-area outskirts on the road to the famous town of Hershey, but I’m calling it. This place is pure Harrisburg. There is a quiet but active underground of gamers in this city. We’re lucky enough to have a few good gaming and hobby shops. Then again, that really is a function of population density. Really, I have no idea what it’s like to be the only Dungeons & Dragons-loving kid in the middle of Juniata County or in the middle of Iowa. That can’t be easy. Again, I’m finding myself drawn to the exoticism of the coffeehouses now popping up in the Harrisburg area.

When I got here, the place was deserted. Well, not entirely. Co-owner Tyson was there waiting on his wife (another co-owner) to get in from Hershey. There was apparently a traffic jam of sorts up there (not surprising for Hershey). Unfortunately, the traffic had caught everyone by surprise and there wasn’t even any coffee on! Tyson offered to rectify this situation for me immediately and I gratefully accepted. That’s when he and I got to talking. The announcement for urturn cafe came out in a June 2020 issue of PennLive. Yes, he, his wife, and his brother-in-law opened this place smack dab in the middle of the worst days of the plague.

The odds were certainly against them, but today, the shop appears to be thriving. In fact, Tyson told me all about an upcoming tournament being held in the big dining room, and the poster board was laden with advertisements for upcoming sci-fi and fantasy-related events. There was also evidence of a massive kitchen. I had time to look at everything as I was waiting for my coffee. I also had time to talk to Tyson about the nerd stuff that we clearly both enjoy. After a few minutes of deep-diving into gaming, I could tell that Tyson was a true gaming geek. I don’t want to sound like a gatekeeper right now by saying “true” geek. Scratch that, I’m fine with it. Authenticity is important. If you can’t tell the difference between authentic and inauthentic, you must be a postmodernist, and you deserve an upbraiding for that alone. But I digress. This dude is authentic.

The coffee I got was Citavo’s Arabica house blend. Yes, the Sysco Citavo. Yes, the mass-produced kind. I know, I’m supposed to hate it. But I didn’t. I mean, OK, this was technically diner coffee, but at least it was a higher-end diner coffee. The owners made the effort to cull the best from the company, and that was admirable! The brewing itself was exemplary. It takes real know-how to turn a basic brew into something tasty. In this case, the saving element was that Tyson knew to brew a simple Arabica extra long in order to squeeze out the last of the flavor. A cunning move, sir! It certainly didn’t have the astringent taste of typical diner fare after that. I’m sure his coffee fuels many a long night of D&D. Or GURPS. Yeah, I like GURPS better, fight me.

So yeah, if you’re like me and enjoy everything from board games to tabletop roleplaying games, be sure to stop by this place. It’s an oasis in the middle of the vast expanse of Route 22/Jonestown Road. We’ve saved what is perhaps the most purely exotic for last. I’ll let you wonder what that might be. Until the last part of this leg, stay caffeinated.

the invite…

the games…

the setup…

bard’s delight…

ur turn…

What can I say? I’m high on life. So are the folks at this coffee shop, and that’s all they’re probably gonna admit to. The Melted Pot, after all, is not an ordinary coffeehouse by any stretch of the imagination. It’s attached to a glass shop. No, not the optometry glass or the fine stemware. It’s the other kind of glass. Now you’re on the trolley, and probably beginning to understand the double-entendre(s) at work in The Melted Pot. The glass shop is the venerable Coexist gallery in Steelton. Yes, Steelton counts as Harrisburg, even though it’s farther away from the center city than Lemoyne is. If you don’t know, have anyone on either shore of the Susquehanna River explain it to you.

When I said venerable, I meant it. The Coexist gallery has been a fixture in the area for a long time, serving the needs of the awkwardly transmundane for years now. They didn’t just survive the plague; they thrived in the insanity and grew by leaps and bounds as people craved not only music and fellowship but the idea of music and fellowship. That’s what Coexist really taps into. There is a certain je ne sais qua surrounding summer concerts, events, and hangouts. If you didn’t appreciate it before, you likely do now. There’s something innate to Humans engendering a need to connect and express both one’s self and creative impulse. They get that here.

Perhaps that’s why I first encountered Coexist under those exact circumstances back in June. I had just come home from a beer festival in Glen Rock and saw that Coexist was having a free music and street festival along the main drag in Steelton and in their parking lot. If ever there had been a day that captured summer in America. No, this isn’t a paid ad for them; I’m just plotzing because it was that day and my experience then that led me back here when I heard they were selling coffee as an add-on.

That coffee endeavor, The Melted Pot, was such a relentless tease. From my experience, the signs were up for a while before any actual coffee was available. Like most businesses, getting a project off the ground in 2020-2022 was an exercise in patience or the lack thereof. The patience of owner Shawn Gold, a Navy veteran, has made that project come to fruition. Well, mostly. The fancy machinery isn’t installed yet, and what is certain to be a beautiful lounge area remains partly open to the air and filled with scraps of construction.

None of that mattered. When I tasted the coffee, I knew that this place would be preeminent. That’s not an exaggeration. The company behind the beans was called Prestogeorge. They’re out of Pittsburgh. The specific roast I had was an organic Peruvian. I do love South American and Guatemalan coffees. The reason is the richness that isn’t quite earthy but close and the hints of chocolate and (now this was interesting) something of a perfumed, not-quite-floral quality that somehow ended up in the lingering aftertaste.

Whether it was the skill of the barista Tori, the brilliant roasting at the source, or a combination thereof (likeliest), this was a gem. Oddly enough, it resembled the brewing style of another favorite of mine since the beginning of the Journey, St. Thomas Roasters. St. Thomas tends to produce more mild yet savory fare, while this coffee was unabashedly robust. When I poured a bit out into the sink just to make sure it was as rich as I thought, there was no mistaking it for tea. That’s a compliment.

Nobody would have suspected that Coexist would transition so smoothly from focusing on -ahem- green-colored luxuries to brown ones. The coffee could have easily been ancillary. Instead, they made it central, and thus they gave themselves another distinctive. Look for more from Coexist and The Melted Pot soon. The summer concerts they have planned for this coming year are likely going to be spectacular.

And with that last note, we’re on to the next coffee spot. It’s called ur turn (yes, that’s the correct capitalization) and as much as Melted Pot was about fun, ur turn promises to put emphasis on the games. Until the next post, stay caffeinated.

the neon…

the chalk…

the art…

the vision…

the roast…

the takeaway…

This was supposed to be one post about a coffeehouse far to the north in a secluded valley near Pottsville. Instead, it has blown up into a four-parter on the post-plague renaissance of Pennsylvania’s capital city. Granted, I live here, so I’m biased, but this year there has been an explosion in the number of coffee shops and other restaurants as the city digs out from disaster. The phenomenon has been too fascinating, too inspiring, and too far-reaching in terms of both its audacity and success not to cover. So without further ado, here comes part one in the Harrisburg Renaissance series: Cafe de Olla.

First a little background: Cafe de Olla isn’t just the name of the cafe that opened on Third Street a few short months ago. It’s a very specific variety of spiced Mexican coffee. Traditionally, an earthen clay pot is used to brew it. The basic version of the beverage is made with ground coffee, cinnamon, and piloncillo, an unrefined whole cane sugar. You may recognize it by its other name, panela. Those aren’t the only spices it can include, just the ones it should.

Our new Cafe de Olla (the shop) is deceptively unassuming on the outside. It looks like a tiny Mexican street cafe from without (the lettering and awning give its heritage away), but on the inside, the space opens up into a stately series of white cubes that look for all the world like a downtown art gallery. In fact, there is art hanging everywhere on the walls and hidden alcoves concealing streamlined, modern architectural details. I’m a hardcore modernist both aesthetically and philosophically (love me some Gernsback and Buckminster Fuller) so this space really spoke to me.

On to the coffee. Unsurprisingly this was not your basic coffee. Indeed, Cafe de Olla was first on my list because it was so unique. Plot twist: The woman who served me the coffee, as well as the coffee itself, were both Colombian. I have no idea if the Colombian brewing style is different traditionally from Mexican. I do know that Mexican beans are milder and brighter. Mild and bright are two words I would use to categorize this Colombian. Another two words I’d use are cinnamon power! You could really taste the cinnamon, but it didn’t feel like a face full of Christmas like a pure cinnamon addition to a coffee drink. There were some special spices in there but I didn’t ask exactly what they were. It was a bit overwhelming for me, but then I eat cheese sandwiches for lunch with just the cheese and mustard. Hence, I’ve always been slightly biased against flavored coffees. This one, however, was such a distinctive and well-formulated recipe that I must recommend it to connoisseurs.

Cafe de Olla makes a great addition to Harrisburg. So many coffeehouses tend to follow the same paradigm in terms of offerings and atmosphere. Cafe de Olla does neither (although you can get regular coffee here if you want it). What it offers is variety. Why is there a Mexican specialty coffee in the middle of the Burg, and why is it succeeding? Because if you didn’t think variety was the spice of life, you probably wouldn’t stay long here yourself. If you do like the unexpected, stop by Cafe de Olla and get a taste of Mexico without having to trek across the high chaparral.

The next installment will be posted in a couple of days. I’m spacing out the coverage so that a story about one doesn’t drown out the story of the next. There are going to be four in all, showcasing some of the greatest standouts of the Harrisburg area. Be prepared for surprises, and as always my friends, stay caffeinated.

the entrance…

the white cube…

the artistry…

the gallery…

the beans…

Something tells me I’ve been to another Bean Cuisine. Don’t misunderstand, this isn’t a chain coffee store (you know my policy on reviewing those). I just get the feeling that someone else out there either has or must have the name Bean Cuisine. It rhymes. It’s relevant. Someone else in the history of coffee-slinging must have put these things together. That said, this particular Bean Cuisine is unique for several reasons.

Foremost among them is that it doesn’t actually stand alone as a shop. It’s located inside an Italian specialty shop called Penne From Heaven. This is actually one of my favorite stores in town because I love cooking Italian food, but Italian cooking is very sensitive to ingredient quality. If you put cheap ingredients in, you get barely edible. Imported ingredients from Italy, on the other hand, give you a dinner that’s worth paying extra for.

The other thing that sets Bean Cuisine apart is that they’re right in my backyard. I had to travel about three miles to get here; they’re located right where the Coffeehouse Tour began: Linglestown, Pennsylvania. Bean Cuisine has been here only since July, which is why I never noticed it before. Indeed, that’s happened a few times over the last year and a half. As some coffeehouses have gone under, new ones have risen to the challenge of creating a space for caffeine and creativity.

The beans themselves were yet another Bean Cuisine distinctive. Has anyone here heard of East Indies Coffee & Tea Company? In spite of the name, they’re fairly local, being based out of nearby Lebanon. The owners of Bean Cuisine commissioned a proprietary blend from East Indies. There’s no name for it, and I couldn’t be told what the constituents were. That was fun. I was left guessing what I’d been served. It was rich, but without an ‘earthy’ flavor. It wasn’t bright, though there was a hint of citrus (but only a tiny hint). It wasn’t a standard Columbian either. I’m guessing…Guatemalan or Honduran! It tasted South American, but distinct. I’ll see if they’ll ever let me know if I guessed correctly.

Well, on to the next shop. Which one that might be is something I cannot say. No, I’m not keeping a secret. There are several possible destinations, and all of them depend on where the next autumn festival will be. Actually as I’m typing this, I’m just getting back from Fall Furnace Festival in Pine Grove Furnace. That’s on South Mountain to the west of Gettysburg. No coffee, though. No beer either. I come before you parched. Actually that’s not true, there was some awesome apple cider, and the beauty of Michaux State Forest was mood-altering enough. Until next time, stay caffeinated!

the official mascot…

the nearby pasta…

the beans…

more beans…

the offers…

The summer concert season is slowly coming to an end, though, and I’m finding that a few things got neglected…like writing blog updates in a timely manner. OK that usually gets neglected, but summertime events that I never thought would happen have only made the problem more acute. I’d visited this mobile coffeehouse back on September 3rd, you see. Oh I assured the folks at this particular coffee shop (Hitch Coffee in Elizabethtown, PA)  that I’d be a few weeks late in posting. I saw this issue coming a mile away as I scrambled to transition from summer to fall in terms of weekend priorities. Thankfully, I didn’t have to travel far for this particular brew.

Hitch, you see, is a food truck. I don’t even think they have a brick-and-mortar coffee shop as of the time I’m writing this. I found them during an event specifically advertised as a coffee gathering here in Harrisburg. Called the Star City Coffee & Arts Festival, it was a block party sponsored in part by a group called Capital Renewal, which is apparently doing a lot of actions like anti-bullying campaigns. I’ve lived in Harrisburg since forever, and I don’t remember anyone calling it “Star City” before this. That is some straight-up Mandela Effect wackiness.

The coffee itself was local. It was from Maquina Coffee, located out in Coatesville, which in turn is part of the larger Philadelphia countryside. If you’re familiar at all with the area, you’ll recognize it as a hub of coffee culture. The venerable Milkboy comes to mind immediately. The particular roast I had was a Brazilian. Brazilian coffees tend to be nutty and sweet with a low acidity. This one was surprisingly non-nutty, but it did have the characteristic smoothness that often comes along with low acidity. I wasn’t expecting that from a breakfast blend; indeed, despite it being 9 AM, this might not have been a breakfast blend at all. I was glad for that. Too much acid and not enough caffeine makes me a sad panda. I was also pleased that they had multiple sweetener options. Nothing says ‘artisan’ like glass bottles of something, and there’s nothing simple about simple syrup. Hitch gets that.

I’m going to keep this entry short because there just wasn’t much coffeehouse to review. That’s not a complaint. Food trucks are supposed to get you fed and then get you moving. Hitch has a ton of potential, and I hope I see them at other events and that they get their own shop sometime soon. The festival itself was subdued and intimate. That’s the polite way to say nobody was there. OK, I was there early, so it likely improved as the morning went on, but this was clearly a mere prelude to the gigantic Kipona celebration that same weekend. Kipona, meaning something like “sparkling water,” is our annual riverfront end-of-summer extravaganza here. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to compete. Still, this was a fun little gathering that brought a bunch of us out on a beautiful summer morning for that most important of purposes…coffee. Until next time everybody, stay caffeinated.

the sign on the truck…

a sign of some art…

the official sign…

a sign of sophistication…

a sign of good taste…

a sign of fun to come…

The best laid plans of mice and men. Isn’t that what Robert Burns said? He must have been talking about the Mount Gretna Art Show. That’s where I was attempting to go the day that I found this coffeehouse. Let’s start at the beginning. It was August 20th and I had just found out about this amazing art event in the Hershey countryside. I also read horror stories on Google reviews regarding the traffic issues and parking challenges, but I thought there was no way it could be as bad as a few reported. Oh, dear.

I got to a field outside the beautiful town of Mount Gretna. Really, it is stately in the extreme…and that’s where the problem lies. It’s far too small to hold overflow parking for an event like this. We had to park in a field a few miles from the town. That’s how many people came. I had come blessedly late and had avoided the worst of the traffic, but the endless field of cars spelled trouble. I took a glance up the road and saw a large tent holding people preparing to get on two school buses. Yikes. I noped out. Yep, it was a nope. I quickly asked for the best way out of the car farm and fled the scene grateful that I wasn’t waiting for one of those buses in the heat under a tarp like a refugee.

Look, I’m sure the festival itself is amazing. If it hadn’t been, there wouldn’t have been so many people clamoring to get up that hill in whatever vehicle could be mustered into service. As I drove back down the road home with a serious case of FOMO, I spotted something oddly familiar on the right side immediately as I entered the small village of Campbelltown. I do believe I reviewed this location once before when it was something else entirely. Whatever it had been, right then it was a brewery and coffeeshop in the same building. Uppers and downers at once! Brilliant! And with a name like “Ancestor,” a former anthropology student like myself could hardly resist.

Actually, I was in no mood for beer. I don’t like beer on a hot afternoon and after the exhaustion of (almost!) getting to the art show, I needed a pick-me-up. I found one here. I kind of figured that this would be a cut above when I saw that they did their own roasting on the spot in that old-fashioned roaster you’ll see below. It’s kind of a centerpiece to the room (as it should be). Unlike a lot of coffee shops out in the countryside, Ancestor embraces its rural milieu with abandon. Everything is rough wood and the even the counter is unpretentious with few of the artsy cliches that abound in many cafes nowadays. Well, OK, there were a few inspirational words on shelves, but I won’t begrudge them that.

The coffee itself reflects this backcountry authenticity. It was simple and savory. I mean the “savory” part in a technical sense. I got some distinct umami flavors from the initial swig. The dominant flavor was a nuttier taste, and very flavor-forward. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a mouth full of cashews; this didn’t taste like a flavored coffee, but the nutty palate was certainly forward. I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a bit of walnut in the mix, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The coffee went down smooth, but it wasn’t weak. I’d asked for the medium roast and the barista didn’t know exactly what was in that roast bean-wise. If I was a betting man (and I am, but only at horseraces and tabletop RPGs), I’d say this was an Arabica born and raised in Nicaragua or Guatemala. The flavor was too distinctive to be a Colombian I’d say…but I could be wrong. I’ll have to ask the next time I’m headed out Route 322.

I have no clue when that will be. It looks like the next concert I’m going to will be either in Halifax or Shippensburg. That might necessitate a trip back into the South Mountain area. Later this fall I’ll be winding my way through north Maryland and yes, I’ll hopefully be finishing up the long-lost last leg of the Alleghenies portion of the Tour. The tour never really ends, though. As long as there’s coffee and somewhere to drink it, coffee culture will continue and so will my love of it. Until next time, stay caffeinated.

the signpost…

the outside…

the tables…

the roaster…

the inspo…

the atmosphere…

I had forgotten which exact weekend I visited this coffeehouse. Turns out it was the weekend before Fourth of July weekend. That’s right, it took me a full month to do the writeup on this leg of the Journey. The summer has been blessedly filled with unexpected events (especially beer-related events) and I’ve had to strike while the proverbial iron was hot and get to as many as possible. I succeeded, roaming all over the countryside. One of the upcoming events later this summer is the Bears Picnic Family Reunion in Blain, PA. Guess what I found when I Googled the area…

That’s right, coffee. New coffee. Kingdom Grounds just opened in March of this year. It’s located in Elliotsburg…at least kind of. The cafe is at the crossroads of Route 74 and Sherman’s Valley Road, near to both Loysville and Landisburg. Sherman’s Valley is a land of covered bridges and Mennonite farms. Indeed, the folks who run this coffee shop seem rather spiritual. It’s not really a surprise given the name. “Kingdom” Grounds. It’s pretty clear which kingdom they’re referencing. This has certainly been a trend I’ve noticed in this area. And by “this area” I mean the eastern Alleghenies foothills. Yep, I’m back in the mountains, or at least in the valleys betwixt them. People seem quire willing to combine spirituality with coffee and art. That’s quite the departure from Harrisburg if you’ve been keeping track.

Now for the coffee: Well, I don’t want to be all anticlimactic, but I’ve already given the review. The beans they use are none other than the product of Sherman’s Valley Coffee Co. If you remember, that was the first coffee that I reviewed as part of the Alleghenies portion of the tour. That was all the way back in February when snow had forced me to order the coffee rather than visit the location itself. So yes, dear readers, go back in time on this blog a few months and check out the review there. Honestly, though, what I was given here was not representative of the medium roast I’d ordered last winter. It was a far lighter blend, likely a breakfast combo, but it was of a broadly similar quality to the previous offerings of Sherman’s Valley Coffee (which is to say it was tasty and earthy, though not quite as rich as the grounds I brewed myself-shameless horn toot).

Apologies in advance for making this post so brief. The cafe is new, so there was little in the way of excitement going on and most of the clientele seemed to be workers in a hurry, not artists mulling over philosophy in dark corners with music strumming in the background. I’m sure that will change in the near future. No, really, I’m sure of it, and here’s why. The coffeehouse is located at an important crossroads as I mentioned before. If we go strictly by statistics, there must be an underground core of bohemians here, even if they constitute one percent of one percent of the population. That would still be enough to fill a dark corner late at night. That would be enough to commiserate over the art hanging on the walls or mull over secret words.

As a matter of fact, I ran into a couple who fit the archetype of bohemia in the parking lot. We nodded at each other, as if recognizing our mutual urbanity. When I type those words, I’m full of mixed emotion. Is it genuinely refreshing seeing city folk coming out here to partake, or would I rather see an indigenous coffee culture develop? I have a knee-jerk endorsement of both positions rolling around inside my brain. Perhaps I should just appreciate whatever beauty is growing here in whatever form it takes.

Had I been able to visit it over the winter, I may well have begun the Alleghenies journey here. As it stands, I’m off to the next joint. I have no idea where that will be. There are a few beer festivals and art shows left in the summer apparently. Those might take me down to Maryland or up to the Sunbury area. After that, it’s back into the mountains for fall and winter! OK, I want to see if anyone else has this opinion: Coffee tastes better in the autumn and winter. I don’t know if it’s just the warmth of it, or the way the flavor pops when so little else carries a sensation. So little else to smell and taste and see unless you find something to savor. Coffee is certainly meant to be savored…like travel to out of the way places like Sherman’s Valley. Until next time, stay caffeinated.

the entrance…

the knicknacks…

the lovely gazing window…

the mountains…

the town…

the secular…

the sacred…

This adventure involves the famous town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It actually took place in the small town of Glen Rock, at the annual Glen Rock Arts & Brew Fest. Glen Rock is located partway between York and Gettysburg. This is not the kind of event where I expected to find a new coffee. Granted, I did say that I was specifically going to focus the summer portion of this blog on new coffees discovered during festival trips, but I was speaking of side trips into town. I never expected to find a great new coffee at one of the actual festivals. This post is going to be a bit shorter than normal, but hopefully, it gives you a good idea of how everything went down.

As you can see in the first photo below, the Brew Fest itself was intense. The crowd was maddening. The street parking was nonexistent, and the fields designated for overflow parking were over a mile from the festival. At least the weather and music were awesome, and really, that’s what matters, right? I finally found a free spot on a side street. I promptly locked my keys in the car. Yes, I needed to call for help like a dweeb, but before engaging with that particular humiliation, I decided to have a drink to take the edge off the situation. A craft IPA or three later, I was wandering through the meandering bazaar that had taken over the streets of Glen Rock, when I came upon a little kiosk run by GettysGear. They were selling a variety of Gettysburg-themed items including local honey, tchotchkes…and coffee!

The coffee was labeled “Gettysburg Coffee Company,” and apparently it’s all part of the same outfit. It wasn’t available freshly brewed (there was nowhere to brew it), but they were selling bags in several sizes, so I took a small version of their “Presidential” roast. That was their medium roast. After getting extricated from the keys-in-car situation and spending way too much money on hot sauce at a nearby stand, I headed home eager to try this new mystery blend.

Now, I’ve been drinking Folgers as my regular coffee for some time now. A “normal” mass-produced coffee is great to stick with for daily use because it gets the job done and makes the small-batch hand-roasted coffees all the more distinctive and unique when you have them. Elephant in the room: It’s also far less expensive. Craft coffee is a treat you have to savor like wine these days. There are far worse fates! The Presidential roast was a good example of that distinctiveness I mentioned. It actually tasted a lot like an elevated Folgers Colombian. It was straightforward, but it was also textured. It was velvety and lacked heavy earthiness, but it remained robust enough to not have a threadbare mouthfeel. They didn’t try to do anything fancy with this, and that was the right move.

I wish I had gotten more than the smallest bag, but I had no idea what to expect. I’m still wary of the coffee in this area because of that one time at that one place in the middle of nowhere (you know what I’m talking about). I wish Gettysburg Coffee Co. had a permanent presence in Glen Rock. Like many small towns in PA, Glen Rock has a lot of town pride, a small-but-cool art scene…but not the critical mass of artsiness that results in coffee culture. At least now I know where to stop in Gettysburg if I want to take coffee home! It remains to be seen if they sell it by the cup at an actual coffeehouse down there. They probably don’t. They certainly should.

That’s all from this leg of the Journey. The next installment is probably going to be from another beer or wine festival. With those springing up everywhere that there’s a field and a place to stick outhouses, any little town in PA might be the next place I go desperate for both hops and caffeine. Until then, stay caffeinated!

the event…

the coffee…

Happy Memorial Day, readers! As I type this, I’m running on three hours of sleep due to an unexpected event today and the social anxiety that inevitably accompanies them. Well, it is for me at least. Other people don’t fret about what will happen if they don’t get sleep, thereby sabotaging themselves into not getting any sleep. But hey, insomnia drives the need for temporary stimulants to make it through the day, and without that need, there would be no coffee or coffeehouse blogs. Life has come full circle.

Something else that has come full circle is local Harrisburg celebrity Callie Alvanatakis. To paraphrase Darth Vader, once she was but a learner. Now, she is the master. Callie has been a fixture around Pennsylvania’s capital city for quite some time, performing in local theater productions and working at various delis and such. Now, she’s launching her own production: Deco Grab and Go cafe. It launched during what was arguably the worst possible time for opening a new business; the winter of 2021. Ugh. To say that this move required tenacity is an understatement.

Deco is definitely an ambitious project. It’s a combination restaurant and coffeehouse, serving sandwiches and other lunch fare targeted to workers and politicians at the Capitol building who have to dine on the fly. I know what you’re thinking: Uh oh, a diner and coffeehouse? That means good food but crappy diner coffee. Such is thankfully not the case at Deco! Callie found a workaround. She’s partnered with the local roasting company Elementary Coffee, located right down the street. I’m fairly certain I did a write-up on them before. If I didn’t, that’s coming.

All of their coffee has a delicate quality to it. I ordered my usual house blend and could tell right away that it was distinctively smooth but airy. It was a Kenyan coffee, but it gave few outward indications; none of the typical citrus flavors were evident. I could have sworn it was an Arabica. That makes for a pretty breakfast blend, and it was a good choice to serve this on a fast-paced weekday morning.

Remember how I wrote early on about the connection between political philosophy, and coffee? That link was on full display at Deco the second I entered. There was a gaggle of politicians (Democrats by the tenor of the conversation) commiserating in the cafe and planning campaigns. The talk was a combination of bombast and tribal joviality, born of a profound self-certainty (just like a conversation between Republicans). They didn’t acknowledge, let alone address me. They could probably smell my discomfiting radicalism the moment I walked in the door. On the other hand, social transactions in Harrisburg can be rather brusque. In this city, everyone’s on the move.

It’s not surprising that Callie’s savoir-faire can put these hardened politicos at ease. I know her, and she dwells in the rarefied air of Harrisburg’s legitimate theater scene, among the movers and shakers. I perform poetry with a decidedly renegade element. That’s another big-city truth that doesn’t apply to the small towns we’ve been visiting lately for this project: There can be multiple art ‘scenes’ in a place like this. Tribes splinter. Subcultures emerge. A coffeehouse here can’t be everything to everyone…but it has to be everything to someone. I’m sure this cafe is everything to the hungry folks under the Dome.

Give this place a try if you stop by the Burg. Much like McGrath’s Pub down the road, you’ll be exposed to a cross-section of Harrisburg’s decision-makers and harried commuters. You’ll also be well-fed. The next leg of the journey is…well, it’s a toss-up. The Mountains portion is likely going to have to wait due to the slew of new places I’ll hopefully be visiting during the summer concert season. In the meantime, stay caffeinated and have a fine holiday.

the signage…

the menu…

the campaign…

the random…

You may have noticed that this isn’t being sent from somewhere in the Alleghenies. Well, change of plans. Due to some crazy weather and the fact that so many new coffeehouses have opened in my hometown of Harrisburg over the next few months, I’ve decided to consolidate a bit. Over the weekend, I’ll be posting an update about a new local establishment geared specifically towards the arts community. Look for that on or before Memorial Day!

The simple truth is that stuff’s happening. A lot of stuff’s happening. Concerts that I was afraid wouldn’t happen are happening, and I’m going to be hitting the road over the coming weeks as I have over the past few. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but the festivals are going to be scattered all over the state and beyond…and so that’s where the Coffeehouse Journey must go. Plus with the wife and new kid, I don’t know how much time I’ll have for coffeehouses. Just kidding! I’m as free as the wind and avoiding the prospect of little brats. So yes, more coffee and shenanigans are on the horizon.

The Alleghenies tour will still come to the climactic close I promised…but likely in a few months. In fact, I’ll be stopping in (drumroll please) McVeytown and Mount Union! This will come before a push into the Pennsylvania Wilds. If you know anything about that area of the state, you’ll see a clear possibility here: Williamsport. Yes, I have every reason to believe that the unofficial “capital” of the Wilds has a burgeoning coffee culture. I have a theory that the same is true of its many satellite towns and other villages between there and New York. Now, from where I’m sitting, that sounds like a cohesive strategy of sorts. A Mountain Tour that will have a distinct story to tell. Until this weekend, stay caffeinated!