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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!

Welcome to the original beginning of the Alleghenies tour! First, let’s rewind a bit. Habitual readers will remember that I started this leg of the journey in Sherman’s Valley. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Don’t get me wrong, I loved their offerings and the beauty of the valley itself. It made a great beginning. However, it’s not how things were supposed to start out. See, the first stop on the long road into the mountains is the river town of Duncannon, PA. There are probably a lot of people who wouldn’t define the beginning of the Alleghenies as right here by the Susquehanna, but they ain’t bloggin’ the way I’m bloggin’.

Besides, Duncannon is a town built around the mountains, both literally and figuratively. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Susquehanna River and heads south towards Maryland after passing straight through downtown. Outdoor supply stores and hostels are everywhere in the area, and a new brewery is coming downtown sometime during the summer. Art-loving vagabonds pass through the town all the time, especially in late spring and early summer when trail hiking hits its annual peak. The only thing missing in this hive of travelers was a coffeehouse, a curious oversight given the ready-made bohemian community in this semi-hippie town.

This coffee shop took a long time coming, and it took a circuitous route. I actually visited back in late November, thinking it was open. After all, Google Maps clearly showed it here, and when I looked up Wilderlove Coffee, the shop was definitely open. Turns out Google Maps was only partly right, and the Wilderlove Coffee I found open was a coffeehouse of the exact same name…in Texas. Apparently, our Wilderlove declared the name first by a hair. Spilling the tea might be ironic on a coffee blog, so that’s all I’ll say. Fall of 2021 was not the easiest time to open a thing, so the hoops they had to jump through kept their opening date illusory for a long time. The upside to the confusion was that I got to meet the owner Caleb back then. Now, I got to meet his wife and sister. Yes, this is definitely a family affair and that goes a long way to explaining the tenacity of these entrepreneurs.

More good news: They are having events! There’s been music and there’s going to be more music. There are also clubs and meetups and connections being forged with the Harrisburg arts community. Especially if I have anything to say about it, and I do. They’re also planning to slowly ramp up their hours, which now stand at 6:30 AM to 2:00 PM on Thursday and Friday and 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM Saturday. The interior is lovingly painted with murals and it has just enough nooks and crannies for privacy. Again, it’s an idea whose time has come, and I’m be-wildered (because Wilderlove, get it?) that a coffeehouse like this hasn’t been present since the beginning. Better late than never.

How was the coffee? Asked and answered. In a classic case of things coming full circle, the coffee they serve is local…Sherman’s Valley Coffee. Yes, the very coffee I actually started out “Alleghenies leg” with. OK, I won’t just link you back to the earlier review. Anyone can brew the same roast in myriad ways. These folks did a rather splendid job roasting. Oftentimes, when a new coffee shop opens, there’s something of a learning curve involved. Caleb and company are obviously experienced brewers. This blend was called “Bruce’s Expresso Blend (Full City) Medium Roast.” That’s a mouthful, and so was the coffee itself. It felt like a nuttier Americano but without the tinny taste that usually comes with an Americano. That gets a thumbs up from me.

Now, most of you will probably have noticed that I didn’t post for a whole month when I said I’d be completing this leg in April. Well, Pennsylvania weather happened. If you don’t live in the Keystone State, we’ve been alternating between heat waves and blizzards since late March and the mountains got hit hard by snow and ice. And wind. Especially wind. Since getting blown off the road would have cut the journey short, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Hopefully, I’ll be getting back on the road in May. Keep your fingers crossed and stay caffeinated.

the exterior…

the interior…

the artwork…

the town…

the downtown…

the first allegheny?…

the message…

As March draws to a close, so does my march through Lewistown. Yes, this all happened over the course of about two hours, but I thought that putting it all into one gigantic post would lead to a case of TL;DR among my readers. Admit it, I can get verbose. So here we go, walking down the mean streets of Lewistown in pursuit of a second dose of caffeine. Actually, these streets are anything but mean. As I implied in the last post, this city is very much a country town writ large.

The Square Cafe and Bakery serves as a great example of this larger theme of city body/county heart. As self-consciously bohemian as East End was, with its copious art displays and advertisement of their upcoming music offerings, Square Cafe exemplified the opposite pole. When I walked in, it felt as much like a family diner as a ‘traditional’ coffeehouse, in fact, moreso. I should have expected that, given the source of this coffee tip. It was Katie, the barista at Walnut Cheese Nook. Judging strictly by presentation, the people here share a spiritual note with the folk of Walnut.

Indeed, as I took in my surroundings, the “Bakery” part of the name was far more evident than the “Cafe” portion. An entire table of fresh baked goods was arrayed in front of me (in this part of PA, you better believe it’s fresh), along with a kind of salad bar/buffet. The girl at the counter seemed almost surprised that I’d even asked for coffee given the sizable lineup of people here for an afternoon snack! Oh yes, it’s clearly popular. In fact, it seems most popular with the working class folk who populate the fairly cosmopolitan downtown. Speaking of cosmopolitan, this place is right around the block from the historic Embassy Theater. It’s actually an old Vaudeville theater that got its start in 1927.

The coffee at Square was…a case of deja vu! They use the very same coffee that I’d started out tasting on this Lewistown mission: Rich Coast Coffee. It’s clearly more popular than I’d suspected even from the vast array of choices and local homages in evidence at Rich Coast HQ. As for the appraisal…reread my entry on Rich Coast. It’s good stuff, in other words. Though I must say it tasted both more watered-down and yet somehow fresher than my own brewing. That’s not surprising given that the very kind and harried girl who welcomed me had to run to a coffee machine in the dining room and brew it from scratch while I waited! Either people who come here drink a lot of coffee or not much, and I’m really not sure which it is. They probably should, since Rich Coast is a legitimate local roaster and the view of town afforded from the large windows of this shop is phenomenal.

So yeah, to sum up, this coffeehouse seemed more representative of the rural, proletariat side of Mifflin County than the urban, bourgeois side. Make no mistake, Lewistown has both. Consider this: As a coda to the trip I stopped at a small new-age shop run by a mother and her daughter. I asked both of them about the state of the metaphysical community in Lewistown and the owner responded “We’re building it.” I wasn’t surprised. Even along the great thoroughfare of Rt. 322 which carries tens of thousands of college students north, the traditionalism that permeates these mountains remains strong no matter how many buildings are added.

In terms of the Coffeehouse Journey, it begs a question. Can a coffeehouse be essentially proletariat, or is it a product of middle-class sensibilities by its very nature? Since taverns cross the line regularly it seems strange that coffeehouses so rarely do. Coffeehouses are steeped in Enlightenment-era values born of intellectual freedom and the free time needed to express it, but those same philosophies are egalitarian to the core. This in turn means that coffeehouse culture itself can and should evolve as long as those values are kept at the center. Coffeehouses might look quite different in the future. They’ll still be coffeehouses, and I’m willing to bet the discerning eye will see common threads.

On the next leg of this segment of the Journey, we’ll be heading deeper into the Alleghenies. No, I’m not going all the way to Altoona. We can assume they have a coffee culture of sorts because they’re a larger city. I aim to find out if any more small towns nestled in the mountain folds have a coffeehouse culture all their own. Until next time, stay caffeinated.

the walk downtown…

the storefront…

the goodies…

the seating…

the…buffet?

the theatre next door…

the street duck nearby…

the alleghenies…

the strata-faction…

After getting my fill of Rich Coast fare, it was time to head out to Lewistown proper. The two coffee shops I wanted to visit were mercifully both on the same street. It’s a testament to the strength of the coffee culture here that two coffee shops are able to occupy not only the same street but the same stretch of the street without knocking each other out of business. I decided not to chance parking on Main Street itself and instead chose an adjacent street that was already pointed back to the highway. That would end up being a good decision. The first truth of Lewistown that I discovered was that parking was five cents for an hour. Coming from Harrisburg where it’s a quarter per 15 minutes, that was a pleasant surprise.

The coffeehouse I walked to first was called East End Coffee Company. That’s not just a name, they do roast their own proprietary coffee. More on that later. Getting here was enough of an adventure. It turns out that Google Maps doesn’t understand Lewistown very well, especially not the fact that the buildings in the downtown square are mostly stuck together into one large edifice. It took a few tries, but I finally found the storefront a few hundred feet from where good ol’ Google promised it was.

It certainly looks like art matters here. The shop has the “vibe” of a community art center, and indeed there is regular activity here in that regard. I’m talking about the big “E” word: Events. I take them wherever I can find them, and you can find them here every first Friday of the month. On those days, a local musician typically comes to perform. On April 1st, a fellow named Tim Dunmire who performs at local churches will be playing. That’s another thing; even though there were no overt signs of religiosity in the coffeehouse itself, it’s clear that being churchgoing folk is just kind of a given up here in Mifflin County. That’s another contrast to Harrisburg. As cosmopolitan as the town is becoming in terms of visitors, the guiding ideals of it are clearly still small-town Pennsylvania.

As for the coffee, what’s the one, specific kind of coffee I never like to have? The one that just isn’t my style at all? If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know. I’m really not a fan of the citrus-flavored fare typical of Africa. I appreciate the art, but it’s just not my personal preference. This roaster broke that streak with their Rwanda Misozi Kopakaki (try saying that three times fast). The label read “exceptionally sweet with big fruit notes.” Bingo on all counts, and it’s a dang good thing that they miraculously managed to balance the two. That is the culinary equivalent of a high-wire act, and East End absolutely nailed it. The citrus flavor was much stronger than I thought I’d enjoy, but there was a richness to the bean taste itself that melded the citrus seamlessly into it. It imparted an acidity without leaving me feeling like I was guzzling orange juice, which is what the label had me afraid of. It’s unique offerings like this that keep me energized for these small, local coffee scenes.

It’s worth mentioning that this isn’t the only storefront East End has. There’s another one in Reedsville. That’s pretty close to Lewistown since it’s still in Mifflin County. I might check it out if I have a chance, but the rest of the Alleghenies region comes first.

And with that, we’re heading down the street exactly one and a half blocks to the next coffeehouse of interest: The Square Cafe and Bakery. I’ll be posting that update in a few days and including some last-minute notes about the area as a whole. Until next time, stay caffeinated.

the approach…

the storefront…

the relaxation…

the beans…

the potential copyright issues…

OK, folks, we’re going to be tackling this one in chunks. By “this one,” I mean the whirlwind tour I took of the Lewistown area on March 10th. I’m writing this on March 13th and I still can’t believe that it’s only been two days since I ventured up the road. Once again, I ended up sandwiched between two bouts of bad weather. A few days before I set out, it had been 78 degrees but incredibly windy. Now, as I sit here typing, there’s snow on the ground outside and the wind is fiercely blowing the now-arctic air about. This trip is very much a monument to serendipity.

I took the same route (322) that I did to go to Walnut Cheese Nook. Lewistown is only a few miles further down the road, but that road winds up through the mountains. The Alleghenies loom like grounded asteroids on either side of my car, hazy ridgelines stretching out of sight to places I’ve never been. It’s time to go to some of these places. Lewistown is a good place to start because the town really is a regional lynchpin. It’s the seat of Mifflin County and is located about halfway between the state capital of Harrisburg and the storied Happy Valley and its city of State College. We all know the home of Penn State, and I’d be shocked if some folks didn’t think it was the capital.

What immediately struck me as I made the final few miles was just how cosmopolitan this area is! The billboards advertising diamond rings and other finery reminded me of that stretch of the highway immediately before New York City. In retrospect, it shouldn’t have been a surprise given that State College is only a few dozen miles to the northwest. Hundreds of thousands of people pass through this town on their way there any given Sunday of autumn. Whether or not it’s changed the character of Lewistown’s residents themselves is a matter of some debate. More on that later.

My goal was Rich Coast Coffee. Rich Coast has a long history in this area, having been in business since 1978. They supply coffee to several local establishments, both in Lewistown itself and up in State College, where I’m sure the student appetite for coffee must be voracious. Mine was (and is). Hence Rich Coast’s longevity, no doubt. See, it’s rather interesting that there are so many coffee options in a town of under nine thousand people. That made me increasingly sure that the local coffeehouse culture is driven in large part by the economic (and academic) perpetual motion machine that is Penn State University.

When I found Rich Coast, two thoughts came to mind: First, it’s located right next to a brewery which is awesome. Second, there probably wouldn’t be an actual coffeehouse inside. This was confirmed as I walked in and saw the gigantic warehousing system that makes up most of the otherwise unassuming building. The woman at the counter looked at me apprehensively as I gazed around the room looking for any hints that coffee was brewed and was apparently one of the few people within a decent radius who had never heard of it. She came around once I explained the mission and the blog. People like blogs!

I bought the Original Waffle Shop and the Happy Valley. Unfortunately, I had to wait until I got home to brew the coffee myself before tasting and reviewing it. I decided on the Waffle Shop since it sounded especially distinctive. Only rarely in the course of this journey has the package description been spot-on. This was one of those times. I immediately picked up on the peach and citrus flavors lingering in the background. For a Colombian, it was surprisingly light on its feet. Again, the packaging called it “delicate” and I’d agree. I initially thought I’d misjudged and made it too weak. I was gratefully mistaken. I gave it a minute and the myriad flavors coalesced nicely. Fun fact: The Waffle Shop is apparently a fixture in State College. It might be worth a look, though that will be in a different series of posts likely far in the future.

From here, we’re heading into Lewistown proper. Pay attention: This is where the chunks come in. The next two legs of this single journey will play out over the next two posts, consisting of two coffeehouses and a lot of local scenery. I’ll be posting them throughout March, typically a few days apart. April or May is going to take me further into the mountains I hope, around Huntingdon County. I’m not going to Altoona though…because we already know it has a coffee culture! I want to see if any of the small towns in the mountains have little bohemias. I’ve got a feeling that’s where the story is. Until then, stay caffeinated.

the road…

the entrance…

the funky beans…

the endless warehouse…

the merch…

Today’s leg of the trip began on a rather ominous note. The day was Monday, January 21. The temperature was around 50 degrees, the sky was blue, and I hadn’t forgotten anything. In other words, it was a bit too perfect. I half expected the check engine light to come on the minute I pulled out of the driveway, but that didn’t happen either. So with a bit of trepidation regarding this unusually good fortune, I began my first official drive into the Alleghenies region. If you’re at all an acrophobe (afraid of heights, that is), Route 22/322 North is not for you. Winding up out of the Susquehanna River Valley, it takes you above the Juniata River Valley…far above.

We’re clearly headed into the Allegheny region now; there’s no mistaking that as ears begin popping and stratified cliffsides carved from the mountains adorn the long road northwest. The mountains here are far higher than they are in Dauphin County, the trees looking for all the world like hair on the humps of some enormous camel. Unfortunately for our eyes (though perhaps fortunately for our knees) the Appalachian Trail bypasses this range to the east. The view from the car will have to do.

Walnut Cheese Nook is actually near the tiny (and apparently largely Amish or Mennonite) villages of Walnut and Nook. It’s hard to get information on them because there isn’t a Wikipedia entry on either. Pennsylvania is full of places that has blessedly been spared the attention of the information age. No, we’re not considering ourselves the information age here on this blog. Both villages lie nestled in a valley in between two high ridges located to the west of Mifflintown. In fact, a shop here carried the moniker “Twin Ridges,” so it might be what the locals call this area. Don’t quote me on that.

The building housing this coffee shop/house of cheese/general store/restaurant seemed to constitute the entirety of downtown Walnut. That’s actually quite handy; there’s one little plaza where everyone seems to congregate and it has all the amenities. There were far more people here than I thought there would be. I was not the only customer, and though the store and cafe also house a lovely little dining area, the fact remains that it’s in a valley with a small city on one end and nothing of note on the other. Was everyone here a local, or is the coffee just that good? Here’s another cultural conundrum: The barista, Katie, asked for the URL of this blog when I told her about it. Many people here are obviously farmers and apparently reject modernity to some degree, but these farmers are savvy about the rest of the world. They’re traditional and religious, but also knowledgeable and open. In fact, religion was on full display. They’re not a Christian coffeehouse per se, but the crosses and a few politically provocative posters suggested faith was a motivating factor.

The coffee she gave me was quite a surprise. I’m familiar with this brand. It was Square One out of Lancaster. The barista didn’t tell me what the house blend was exactly because I foolishly forgot to ask, owing to the fact that small talk takes actual processing power for me. The Myers-Briggs tells me I’m an INFJ, and we tend to space out when confronted with the mundane. That would certainly be my life experience. Anyhow, the taste was shockingly smooth. I’m calling it right now, this was a Guatemalan. I’ve only ever gotten this nice nutty aftertaste from Latin coffees, and Guatemalans have constituted a plurality of them, I’m sure of it. The official advert says it’s supposed to taste like “berry jam, pound cake, and black tea.” I’ll see you on the pound cake; the rest was debatable. It certainly was the kind of coffee you roll on your tongue a few times to get the full impact. Nicely done, Walnut folk.

After leaving Walnut, I headed back east through Mifflintown, but I couldn’t resist the urge to travel a bit further. I went all the way to the valley on the other side of the Juniata River. Geologically, it could probably be considered the same valley. The goal was a town called McAlisterville. I’ve never been here, but I’ve heard it mentioned in conversation as a good place to live. On the map, it was a dot at the crossing of several different roads, so I figured there had to be something here. It was so fascinating; there was a mix of rough-looking old townhouses from the coal-cracker days and brand new tract housing on the opposite end of town. There was also a giant church (which you can see below) and a small downtown area. I like when there’s a downtown, even a small one. Something about the need for a tiny bit of urban reality in the midst of rural reality. Yes, I firmly believe that a place needs both to feel really human.

And with that, I began the much less harrowing trip back down into the Susquehanna Valley. The southbound route actually hugs the Juniata, which is something of a comfort. After visiting the Walnut Cheese Nook, I get why people go far out of their way to visit. It’s a blend of cosmopolitan and local that’s worth taking a few extra minutes on the highway to partake of. Oh, that’s another thing: Don’t expect people to go anywhere close to the speed limit on the backroads to Walnut and Nook. They may as well be polite suggestions. Katie gave me a hint as to where I should go next: The Square Cafe in Lewistown. In fact, I’m going to several places at once in Lewisburg and plan to make it the core of this particular journey. A whirlwind tour, as they say. Until then, stay caffeinated…

the sign…

the lot…

the mantle…

the message…

the corner…

the books in the corner…

the next valley over…

a lovely town…

There’s a bit of a debate here. According to the official Pennsylvania visitors maps, the region called “The Alleghenies” is defined by counties. A separate map that I saved from another visitor’s site showed much the same, but without the county lines. Where exactly does “The Alleghenies” region begin? Perry County, the southernmost “official” county, is bordered on its north by a long lump of a ridge. Demographically speaking, mountains make better borders than anything. So if a region is defined by its human element, then things become more clear. The Alleghenies start just right there.

But what about the borderlands? What of the people who make their homes just a few miles on the other side of the border? Well, you often find a hybrid of the two ways of life on either side. That’s indeed what Sherman’s Valley holds. The town of New Bloomfield, the seat of Perry County, lies right in this borderland. I’ve sampled the coffee here before in a few earlier posts, but I didn’t go further afield than the town itself. Venturing out into the countryside produced a different result. See, this area belongs to two worlds: The world of the mountains that rise up to the center of the state, and the valleys that house the largest and oldest Amish communities in the world. It’s part Lancaster and part Penn State. And in a way, that makes this area as Pennsylvania as it gets. That also makes it the perfect start for this leg of the Journey.

I have a confession to make right here and now: There is no coffeehouse here. There is only a coffee roaster run out of somebody’s abode. I had to order the coffee online. Amazingly it arrived within a day and a half without me even expediting the order. The coffee is, in fact, roasted on the same day it’s shipped. More on that later. Instead, I saw what looked like a farmhouse on Google Maps that was labeled with the company name and decided to track it down. It was indeed a farmhouse, as evidenced by the random chickens in the driveway. I drove by and snapped some pictures; since this is clearly someone’s house I didn’t feel right just barging in. Driving past the house taking pictures is much less sketchy.

The coffee itself was a Papua New Guinea Vienna dark roast. Vienna roasts have a deeper color than most American ones. It’s typically a longer roast, and this can be seen in the little spots of oil that tend to accumulate on the bean. If this sounds like it’s adding up to a bold flavor, you’d be right. There was a bold aroma too. That’s actually an understatement; I could smell the coffee right through the yellow packing envelope. Papua New Guinea coffees are known for being full-bodied, and some even use that nebulous word “earthy” to describe them. The roast and source magnified each other perfectly in this case and made for a powerhouse cup of coffee.

Once again, I’ve ended up singing the praises of a small, independent roasting company in the middle of the countryside. It really does remind me of Appalachian Mountain Coffee located up in Snyder County owned by Merle and Linda Zimmerman. Could this place be vying for third? Absolutely. Let’s do the tally so far: St. Thomas Roasters in Harrisburg is my current favorite (owing to its refined flavors), followed closely by Appalachian Mountain (for its succulence and wildly imaginative palette). Interesting that they’re all roasters that have next to zero notoriety for being coffee mavericks. Let’s change that, shall we, readers?

After doing my stalkerish drive-by of Sherman’s Valley Coffee, I thought I’d be remiss if I didn’t also visit the nearest town. That would be Elliotsburg, a village on the way to the town of Blain (which is known for its awesome hippie music festivals). Sherman’s Valley is itself a long stretch of farmland in between two sets of rolling, forested hills. Endless country roads that might as well be boasting to the world “Yeah, we make literally all of your food.” That’s something worth appreciating. New Bloomfield is like Elliotsburg writ large. It’s a practical, working-class town of farmers and the industries that support them. Unlike New Bloomfield, there are no fancy cafes or government buildings. There is, however, a local art establishment of some kind called “1892 unrefined.” Now that sounds promising.

Next stop: Nook. I’m not surprised if you haven’t heard of it. It’s a tiny town situated snugly at the end of a long valley to the west of Mifflintown, PA. Unlike Elliotsburg and New Bloomfield, it’s indisputably part of the Allegheny Mountains region. Until that time, stay caffeinated!

the roast…

the roaster…

the aforementioned chickens…

elliotsburg…

With Elysburg in the rearview, I started on the last leg of this whirlwind tour of the Valleys’ coffee scene. Well, most of it. Actually, I didn’t get to a few of the places that I wanted to, but that was a function of timing. No, not the timing of the impending storm, the timing of the hours of the coffeehouses themselves. All told, more than a few had truly bizarre hours, or at least they were advertising as much. The Grindstone, for example, sounded awesome, but it was only open Wednesday through Friday, 8 AM to 11 AM. Hard to tell if it’s a function of safety regulations, a weird hiring market, or a lack of demand. It could honestly be the latter; after all, as we’ve seen before, this is a land in transition and a coffee culture that’s just beginning to find its footing in a growing and changing landscape.

When I pulled out of Elysburg and headed towards Sunbury, I passed through a few other small towns and villages on the way. I just recently learned that one of those towns (Paxinos, which you’ll see below) was home to some of the first members of my family to settle in Pennsylvania, back in the mid-to-late 1700s. No matter how small the towns are here, there is always an amazing amount of history. There isn’t, however, an amazing amount of coffee, at least not the kind of shops we’re looking for on this journey. Dunkin Donuts and diners rule the day here. Some of the non-college towns are actually shrinking as more young people head to the cities looking for work and adventure.

Sunbury is one of those shrinking towns, unfortunately. However, it’s also growing in many ways. The population is decreasing, but the people still here might be of a changing character. As I drove through the center of town, I was struck by the number of head shops and other places catering to a more bohemian set than one would expect in the center of Amish country. Oh, they had euphemistic names of course. Specialty glass, metaphysical shop, CBD oil. Wink wink. The point is that the attitude on the counterculture seems to be changing. Or perhaps it’s that, in a town of fewer than ten thousand people with farms all around, the free spirits really do stick out more. Maybe they want to stick out more.

Anyhow, on to the coffeehouse. I trudged down the ice-rimed streets to Little Addy’s, a cafe built into one of the rowhome-style buildings in the bustling downtown. It was really cozy, and I was immediately greeted by Addy herself. I asked a barrage of questions about the place. She was only too happy to answer. This venue was, like the entire area…in transition. She said that over the next few months they planned to move the coffeehouse from its current abode to a nearby space with around three times the square footage. From 900 to 2600 I think she said. Now that’s progress! I asked Addy if there were any plans for live music (keeping my fingers crossed invisibly) and she said yes. Once again, a return trip to this area in the near future is in order.

The coffee she gave me was a single-origin Nicaraguan, courtesy of Stockton Graham & Co., a specialty wholesaler out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Now, this was one that I unquestionably liked. It behooves a taster to grow to appreciate the art of coffees they wouldn’t personally purchase, but this one I would definitely get again. It had exactly what I look for in a ‘normal’ Central American roast: that rich, nutty-but-not-earthy quality and buttery consistency. If anyone out there has been to Stockton Graham & Co. I’d appreciate any feedback on your experiences with the brand.

And with that, I headed out as the first cirrus heralds of tomorrow’s storm began to filter into the afternoon sky. On the way back to Harrisburg, I whizzed past another coffeehouse that I’d visited a few years ago before I dedicated myself to doing an actual, systematic tour of the Valleys area. It’s called Eagle’s Wind. Really beautiful place, located right on the Golden Strip outside Sunbury, where many years ago young people drag-raced up and down the empty road which is now crammed with traffic headed north and south. My next mission will be to head west into the Allegheny Mountains. I’ve only been up there for coffee once, to the Guante Cafe in Millerstown. Next month, I plan to go a little farther afield. Until then, stay caffeinated!

the mountains beyond Paxinos…

the signage…

the interior…

the nomenclature…

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