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Now this place was unexpected. Not just unexpected because I never knew that there was a coffeehouse in this building since June. Rather, it was an unexpected pleasure because of how unassuming the facade of the building is. You see, Oxford Hall is known around here for being an international store specializing in Celtic imports from the UK. It’s a quiet little specialty shop located across the street from Coakley’s pub, at the corner of Third Street and Bridge Street (the main street running through New Cumberland.
A lot of Central PA folk know exactly where Coakley’s is, but don’t know much about the even more authentically Irish establishment right in the next block. The lack of flashy signs and obvious tourist-trap style draws keeps Oxford Hall quite out of the limelight. Until now of course.

The coffeehouse portion of Oxford Hall is tucked away in the back, away from the bustle of the main shop. It certainly bears little resemblance to the The lady in charge of the shop told me that it was designed to resemble the kind of cafe in Galway, Ireland where students come to drink coffee and tea and to socialize, and that it wasn’t like the “frou-frou” (her words) coffeehouses here in the US like Starbucks. When she had the courage to criticize our proudest of hipster institutions, it got me intrigued.

When I ordered my coffee, I was surprised to see that they only had one coffee option. It was decent to be sure; they keep their half-and-half creamer constantly refrigerated, which earned some big brownie points as well. I was honestly starting to feel a slight bit underwhelmed though, when the woman behind the counter interjected that coffee is not their actual specialty here; it was in fact tea. When I turned around, I felt kind of dumb. An entire wall (which I had not previously noticed) was packed from floor to ceiling with glittering glass bottles of specialty teas and tea blends. They pointed me towards a seasonal blend called “Nutcracker Sweet.” The smell of it alone knocked me back to Christmas Day. The first sip proved that my nose was on to something special. A very knowledgeable girl from Messiah College showed me around their hall of teas. She clearly knew what she was talking about, dancing quickly from tea to tea and explaining some of their custom blends.

I took the rest of my tea home, sipping in on the ride back to Harrisburg, wondering how I never noticed this place before! As teahouses and coffeehouses continue to merge, I have a feeling that I’ll be reviewing more of these delightful hybrids (and maybe some not-so-delightful ones). My advice is this. If you’re an Irish or Scottish expatriate looking for an authentic island of home here in the States, this is the place to be. If you are a foodie looking to sample some unique and fresh gourmet tea, this is definitely the place to be. Stay tuned for more!

The tea factory.

Authentic products from the Celtic UK.

Pictures from across the pond.

Just some of the huge tea wall.

Their motto is “Where the sun shines all the time.” It was a sunny morning when I visited this place a few weeks ago, when the weather was still warm, before the all-too-sudden temperature crash that accompanied the famous Hurricane Sandy. The ambiance is definitely cheerful…the soft, buttery yellow interior and incandescent lighting really makes the place inviting. You can find it right off the Lemoyne exit on Route 83 in New Cumberland, on the main drag through town called Bridge Street. It’s sort of where Lemoyne meets New Cumberland in the suburban jungle of the West Shore!

The town itself has always been known for its New Age community and tons of small curio shops. Interestingly, Bridge Street Coffeehouse is located away from downtown, but it still keeps that same vibe. They even have their own online newsletter apparently…though it’s currently “under construction.” Don’t know how long it will stay that way. It’s very much geared towards being a community meeting place rather than an archetypal beatnik joint, and there doesn’t seem to be any live music. It is quite quiet in fact, so if you’re looking for a relaxing break from the East Shore bustle, this would be a good place. There’s a bit more than just the basics as far as food goes. I didn’t try any of it, but there were bagels, sandwiches and the like.

The coffee itself was average to slightly above, though I did put in some decaf which may have messed with the overall flavor experience. Frankly, a place this cute can feel free to blame me for stuff. To be more specific about the coffee, it was just a little weak for my taste, and a tad generic compared to some bean connoisseurs I know.. The texture was as buttery and smooth as the decor though, so I’d recommend it to the breakfast crowd, not hard-core caffeine junkies like myself! Overall, you should go here if you’re looking for a break from the “scene” rather than immersion in it; some calm instead of some storm. Sometimes that’s a very good thing.

To right inside.

To all those who follow my blog, you probably have noticed that I haven’t published in a while. I could just take the easy way out and blame work, but to be honest, it’s been about far more than that. I’ve been trying to keep this blog as apolitical as humanly possible, but given the fact that coffeehouses were a major flashpoint for the Age of Enlightenment, that’s not completely realistic. The truth is, for the past two month I’ve been obsessing over the election. Obsessing, and canvassing the streets. Obsessing, and fearing that our democracy would literally sell itself out to corporate interests and theocratic agitators. In truth, it almost did. The depression of not knowing which path this country would take took away the impetus I had to continue writing about coffee and travel, for obvious reasons.

Well, now the dust has settled, and we still have things like civil rights and free elections. What I want to do now is forget about politics entirely and get back to things like science, live music, and, yes, caffeine. The truth, though, is that coffeehouses have always been political entities. Before I mentioned that they were a “flashpoint” for Enlightenment and modernity, and I believe that they still serve that purpose. So many times, I’ve been sitting in a cafe and have overheard political and philosophical conversations. They’re a place where people go to read the paper and talk to their neighbors. Free speech is the stock-and-trade of the coffeehouse environment, regardless of what’s in peoples’ cups. You may have noticed that I never review religious coffeehouses. Religion is for naught without dogma, and freedom of speech and thought do, by their very natures, exist to shatter our reliance on dogmatism. One could therefore say that a true coffeehouse is an environment inimical to dogmatism and hierarchy. They are progressive places, inherently.

Is that the whole truth though? Or do coffeehouses actually transcend any and all politics by being a place  inimical to ideology? Only the best ones. After all, the time in which the coffeehouse developed was the age of Enlightenment; the birth of philosophical Modernity. And if there are two overarching themes of Modernism, they are the triumph of fact over faith and of the universal over the divisive. Personally, I think that a good coffeehouse approaches the magical, and in doing so, slices through the clutter of ideology as people join together to enjoy company and the beauty of food and life.

But enough of philosophy. It’s time to get back to exploring some of those little bastions of progress and flavor, and I hope you all haven’t forgotten about this little project. My next review will be one of my last local cafes-the Bridge Street Coffeehouse in New Cumberland. After that, the exciting part begins, as new towns will be explored; most of them will be in Pennsylvania, but many will not. Get ready.

Well, it’s nice to be back! Yeah, I’ve been gone for a while; what can I say, the summer was a bit more…interesting…than I thought it would be. A whole lot of travel ensued, none of which took me to a place with any decent coffeehouses to review. Every weekend consisted of something different, from family visits to concerts, to weddings. I’ve also been traveling around to different midstate wineries with my family just for the fun of it, and I’m considering starting a parallel blog about them. I think I’ll call it “Desperate Housewines” though I fear the possible lawsuit!

Anyhow, I did manage to find a good new coffee spot right here in Harrisburg. It’s called “Old Town Deli” and it’s run by a Ron and Julie Gilbertson (forgive if I’ve misspelled!). The place has been open since May, and it mostly caters to the government crowd across the street at the Capitol, so it’s kind of been off my proverbial radar.  Actually it’s not technically a coffeehouse, it’s a true delicatessen with sandwiches of pretty much every kind; but it specializes in gourmet coffee. Confused? Well, you have a right to be, because most places that try to be good in two niches end up failing at both, but this place actually succeeds at both.

I really enjoyed their signature Longbottom coffee (all the way from Oregon) for the depth of its flavor. It has a powerful taste though, and is rather acidic, so if you like the more buttery, delicate flavors of a good Ethiopian blend, then this coffee probably isn’t for you. Maybe I just got a particularly strong cup; I came late in the morning and they had to zap the coffee in the microwave because I got the last of that particular pot. They were nice about it though. In fact it seemed like a very friendly group of people running the show there. The one cook even gave me a free sample of their cheese to try with my coffee!

In summary, this was a good stop. Good solid operation, with quality food and coffee. There was no cheap stuff. I hate cheap stuff. Plus, it’s geared towards the daytime crowd, eschewing the much-maligned Harrisburg nightlife scene. It’s also refreshing to find a coffee place here that doesn’t go hard-core for the local art scene. Yeah, I said it. As much as I love when business and the arts collide, it’s good to find a place that breaks the “hip” stereotype. After all, what could be more truly Bohemian than that?

Nice summer setup…

On Third Street.

Their signature roast.

Have yet to try this one…

Now this place brings back some memories! I used to go to a poetry reading here over a year ago, before I stopped having much of anything resembling free time. It’s a non-chain coffeehouse where you’d least expect one to be…the suburbs! It sits in the Cedar Cliff plaza, which is about halfway between Camp Hill and Mechanicsburg if you’re going down Rt. 83. Usually when one mentions the words “plaza” and “coffeehouse” in the same sentence in conjures up images of a truck stop. Not so for this place.

Crimson Frog is one of those coffeehouses that chooses to be an active patron of the arts. They sponsor an open mic night now that the poetry reading moved, and there is a lot of art (which I believe to be local, but don’t quote me!) hanging on the walls. The cafe itself looks like you’d expect one to look; the counter, the tables, the little stand filled with light breakfast fare. One thing that impressed me about this place is the early hours. During most days of the week it opens at 6:30 in the morning, which is a best-case scenario for those of us who need to get to work before 9. Another thing that impressed me was the knowledge and courtesy of the two people running the counter this morning. The girl at the front didn’t give me a vapid look when I asked for a three-way mix of several types of coffee. I applaud her!

The coffee was quite good, but a little less rich than I prefer. Could still taste that slightly tinny, watery flavor, but maybe that’s just because I included some decaf in the mix. Would have also appreciated it not spilling all over my hand when I got in the car, but that was purely my doing. When you’re a geek, dexterity fails are de rigueur.

In summation, Crimson Frog is a rather archetypical coffeehouse for sure, but it’s a good archetype. I could feel the positive vibes when I walked through the door. Or maybe it was just the memories of all the poems I read and all the friends I made here. Whatever the reason, this cafe makes a good little oasis if you’re unfortunate enough to be a part of that early morning west-shore rush!

The non-frog-colored exterior…

The tchotchkes and the voluminous menu…

The end is near for Harrisburg…as far as the Coffeehouse Journey goes at least. This will be the last entry for the Harrisburg area; from here I will be branching out to all of the cities and (especially) the small towns of the surrounding countryside.

I thought this would be a good coffeehouse to end on because it’s one of those places that’s well known-but only to a certain crowd in Harrisburg. Whereas most of the places in Midtown and the west shore area cater to the arts and culture crowd, Caffeine Connection gets most of its traffic from the government workers at the Capitol and surrounding buildings. The owner, Pat, is well known and well liked by the daytime dwellers of this city, who use the copious amounts of caffeine at the aptly-named locale to stay awake through those long business hours. The cool thing is that the tea selection is actually larger than the coffee selection! There was an interesting “wheel of tea” set up on the counter so patrons could see exactly what’s available.

One warning: the coffee here is a bit more expensive than average and I’m not entirely sure why. Might have to do with the expense of the third street location right across from the Capitol Building. A medium was over $2…but don’t worry, the quality was good so I didn’t overly mind. I wish there were some poetry or music events here-but there is an Occupy stand right across from the cafe, so check that out too! Overall, a nice little oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the downtown streets.

Right outside…

Right inside…

I have a confession to make. This post should have been made several years ago, because that’s when I discovered this particular Linglestown cafe. It was even before they put in the roundabout to confuse the crap out of all the drivers from out of town. You locals know what I mean.

Anyhow, I wanted to do this entry today since it’s Father’s Day and this is the main coffeehouse that I frequent with my dad before we head up to Second Mountain on one of our hikes. It’s an amazing place. I should try harder to be objective for the purposes of this review, but I can’t. This has been my favorite coffee spot for years now, before I even started frequenting the other places in this area. Let’s add up the contributing factors.

First, the coffee is ground on the spot in their giant bean grinder…which is, incidentally, not off limits to the view of the public (just don’t play in it!). You can tell they don’t skimp on the quality by the fact that their main “stable” of coffees (Colombian, Guatemala; 20 blends in all) have a rich, creamy taste to them that hasn’t been watered down to conserve cash, or due to poor storage of the beans. Second, they have a good amount of customization options for their coffees and teas, which includes non-dairy creamer for the lactose intolerant or vegans. Not all coffeehouses have this, and it shows a great amount of empathy for their patrons when they do. Third, the ambiance is the kind of soft, homey sort that can only come from a place that has been there for years and has seen a constant stream of people passing through and hanging out.

Incidentally, they do have music nights here on weekends. Bet you never knew about it. That’s because they’re not super-focused on advertising their artistic events as part of the greater Harrisburg art movement (such as it is). I find this refreshing. Not that there’s anything wrong with being really engaged; it’s just that it’s cool to find a place that is unattached from the ups and downs of the city, and not part of the Midtown scene. It’s quiet, unpretentious, and attracts people from all walks of life. If you go to Linglestown, go here. Until next time, folks!

That roaster of theirs…

Ah, Little Amps! I remember the first time I came here…it was right after they opened back in the fall of 2011. It rapidly gained fame for the method used to make the coffee, called the “French press” system. In this system, the coffee grounds stay in direct contact with the brewing coffee and are separated from it by a mesh, not a paper filter. The good part of that is that the essential oils are preserved and it makes a truly outstanding flavor. That, and the fact that it’s located right in the heart of Midtown made it a real hit in the area.

Aaron Carlson is the owner’s name. He’s actually not just a coffee afficionado, he’s also a die-hard audiophile, and the coffeehouse reflects that. You can buy a lot of old and new records from the place and there’s always a band that I’ve never heard of playing on the speakers. Often, it’s an actual record and not a CD. Aaron agreed with me that the truest sound usually comes from the old analog recordings. Indeed, the best thing about this shop might just be the ambiance. The surroundings scream the urban, Boho aesthetic, but thanks to the presence of actual records and music connoisseurs, it seems way more authentic than the average hip dive!

Here’s the long and short of it: that French press method I mentioned may be a bit of an acquired taste to some, but I for one am glad I’ve naturally acquired it. Just like with the Greek coffee I talked about in the last post, the only downside is that the finer coffee grains appear at the bottom of the cup, so by the end of your drink, you’ll be sipping on some sediment too! This isn’t a bad thing for me; I like my coffee that strong and enjoy the craftsmanship of the coffee itself, which is typically improved through the French press. Still, be careful with that last few sips! Also there’s a decent variety of coffees and teas so you’re never really without an option if French press doesn’t appeal to you.

In the end, this little shop is truly a gem. I highly recommend sitting by the big windows and engaging in some people watching. The location is perfect for it. Oh, by the way, come in the morning. Unfortunately, most days the shop isn’t open past 2pm. Oh well. It’s still certainly worth the early rising.

Sunset in the city.

Well, this past weekend was interesting. I went to the Central PA Greek Festival on Saturday.For those who don’t know, this is a huge Greek cultural festival that happens every 3rd weekend in May (and has done so for a very long time!) I personally love this thing. Not only is it a great chance to experience a slice of the culture that basically began the course of Western civilization; it’s also an excuse to indulge in the culinary aesthetic of Greece. The lines for the gyros alone were backed up pretty much from the tent to the entrance point for the festival.

So what does this have to do with coffee? Well, half of the reason I go every year is to stock up on Greek coffee. It’s truly beautiful. It’s also tongue-numbingly strong. The coffee is made by cooking a mixture of the powdered beans and water over an open flame and bringing it to a rolling boil. They do this while you’re watching so you can see for yourself how it’s done, and bags of your own ground beans are available at one of the counters. The coffee is so thick by the end that only the top two-thirds of your cup is a liquid; the rest is sediment from the cooking process. That’s the only thing I’m not a fan of by the way; by the end of your portion, you’re drinking some think ground beans. Gives you quite the buzz though. If you are intolerant of caffeine and/or have a very delicate stomach, this is not the brew for you! A friend commented about how fast I was walking around, that I looked like a “man on a mission.” I thought I was taking it easy. That gives you an idea of the potency of each cup; the fact that it’s in a little paper shot-glass should give you a hint too. Seriously though, I’d recommend this festival for the coffee alone. I do, however, hope you’ll stay for the dancing kids. You owe it to yourself.

So very, very hot…so very, very awesome.

This installment of the Coffeehouse Journey took me to a cafe that has rapidly become one of those “old familiar places” in my heart. I actually visited here for the first time over two years ago while strolling the streets of Harrisburg after a poetry reading. Back then it was located on the much-maligned Second Street in the heart of the city, but has since moved to its Third Street location in Midtown; Midtown being the heart of our Bohemian (or at least hipster) demographic here in the ‘Burg.

The freewheeling, urban atmosphere remained the same though, and it’s all due to the owner of the shop, Ambreen Esmail. Originally hailing from Pakistan, Ambreen has become a local go-to person for the coffee connoisseurs of the area. Ironically, she herself claims to be a committed tea-drinker. Thankfully that doesn’t stop her from knowing the ins and outs of the coffee trade; she even jets off to New York City to get new beans and engage with the cupping community up there. Cupping is the coffee equivalent to wine-tasting, with “Master Tasters” taking the place of sommeliers.

Sometimes there is live music music here, especially on our monthly Third in the Burg nights (that’s every third Friday night), and most commonly in the summer. Besides the eclectic atmosphere of the place, though, the coffee itself really shines through as the main draw. The sheer pace of flavor change-up and willingness of the staff to help you concoct literally any variation on a theme make this a place to stop for anyone working here. Oh, and by the way, she’s only closed on Sundays! Unlike many of the places here with schizophrenic hours, this place is quite consistent. It also doesn’t try too hard to be “cookie-cutter” Bohemian, which is very refreshing. Whether you’re a resident or just passing through, I recommend this one or sure.

Oh, and on a personal note, not all of my reviews for coffeehouses in general will be this cheery, but I figured that we might as well start this blog off on a positive note! Good idea right? Well, until next time folks.

A shot of the interior…

And the exterior…

And that would be Ms. Esmail’s head scurrying busily behind the counter…