The Coffeehouse Journey

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!

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…