Showing posts with label Lancaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lancaster. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Prince Street Cafe


Subject: Prince Street Cafe
Location: Lancaster, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Lancaster is slowly turning into one of my favorite areas in Pennsylvania. The city and the surrounding Amish countryside offer such a beautiful mix of the bucolic and the tantalizing that even though I get out there quite frequently, I have yet to grow tired of the region.

Thursday, October 08, 2020

Copper Cup


Subject: Copper Cup
Locations visited: Lancaster, PA and Lititz, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

I have come to relish the gradual discovery of the Lancaster area. Every time I visit I find something I've managed to overlook before, such as James Buchanan's Wheatland, a historical landmark to a dismal president. While I didn't really stop at the old mansion, it did afford me the opportunity to grab some great coffee at Copper Cup.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Passenger Coffee




Subject: Passenger Coffee
Location: Lancaster, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Lancaster continues to be a wondrous bastion of continuing bean progress. I recall some years ago hunting fruitlessly for a great cup of coffee and today, it's nearly impossible to not find a decent shop with walking distance.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Speckled Hen




Subject: Speckled Hen
Location: Strasburg, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Living in the Philadelphia region means sporadic trips west of the city to the rolling hills of the Lancaster area. Whether your interest is in the amazing food and crafts of the Amish, the smorgasbords or the gorgeous country itself, I have come to love the area west of Sadsburyville.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Folklore Coffee and Company




Subject: Folklore Coffee and Company
Location: Elizabethtown, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

Dotted throughout the eastern Pennsylvania countryside exist many pleasant towns. Once places of industry, these villages exist now as centers of local culture and gathering hubs for lunch dates. Fortunately many such towns also have a rising occurrence of quality coffee, a fact that makes passing through small town PA a very pleasant journey.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

CC: Chestnut Hill Cafe

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What's does "CC" mean?
Location visited: Lancaster, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating:
6+ [
see key]



I love the glorious simplicity of a sunny, pleasant day where a cool breeze amidst sunny rays refreshes the senses with the noxious delights of creation. It's days like this that cause me to sneeze a lot the following day from all of the emphatic inhaling.

In such climatic splendor I found myself in one day within Lancaster, PA. En route with a moderate entourage, we were basking in the euphoric atmosphere and had our sights on what was foretold as a grand coffeehouse to patronize. This aforementioned establishment was knighted Chestnut Hill Cafe, a coffeehouse said to be serving Counter Culture Coffee and pulling splendid shots of espresso.

Taking advantage of the free street parking, we sauntered over to their corner brick building, complete with a full patio of seating amidst a lovely array of trees. Within, the coffeehouse is outlined with copper, blacks and grays in a swanky arrangement of furniture and surrounded by numerous, beautiful windows.

I stepped up to their sizable bar and ordered an espresso (they used Counter Culture's Toscana) and a drip of their 21st de Septiembre from Mexico. The drip imbued notes of honey, strawberry candy, cherries, granola, daffodil greens and a little chicken broth; a pleasant coffee with a light-to-medium body. The espresso,pulled short with a marbled crema, was also delectable, holding facets of bitter cocoa, nutmeg, sweet lemon, a touch of honey and cinnamon. The tea was free leaf.

Finishing our beverages, we walked out into the toasty afternoon sun pleased with our experience. If you happen to be in Lancaster, make a stop at
Chestnut Hill Cafe.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

CC: Square One Coffee




Subject: Square One Coffee
Location visited: Lancaster, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

*UPDATE 02/15/17*
In combing through old posts, I realized that I had not updated this coffee empire since 2011. They have risen greatly in quality and influence, and can be found in numerous locations. The below review does indeed represent an anomaly and Square One ranks amongst the best shops.
---end update---

Out in the area of Lancaster, the Amish reside, smorgasbords thrive (like here, there or here) and a lot of interesting sights remain overlooked (ever been to Dutch Wonderland?). Of all the places I have been to in the Philadelphia region over the years, Lancaster remains as a place that continues to surprise me.

My latest marvel was that in my absence of some years, it seems Lancaster got a bit of a coffee scene. In the past, of the two cafes I had visited in Lancaster, one was fairly mediocre and the other was truly odd (it consisted of one room with a lady serving coffee out of a home coffee maker who considered your blood type before taking your order). But now, it seems that there are places of repute.

On a nice night amidst a hopping crowd, I made landing at my first discovery, a place called Square One Coffee. A roaster and cafe housed in a brick building downtown, the crowd seemed to speak for itself. The innards of the cafe delighted my senses with a well-laid flow of furniture and design, including old wood floors, lots of earth tones and various areas to dine (including an exterior courtyard).

Of their coffees, I sampled their house blend via drip and had an espresso (in which used their espresso blend). The drip produced a strong cup, with notes of heavy cocoa, cherry, shredded wheat and a tinge of spinach all amidst a heavy body. While I didn't find the potency to my liking, I felt the flavors favorable (probably more so if toned down). The espresso, pulled short with a thin crema, held notes of sugar, orange, milk chocolate, lemon rind, pepper and a little smokiness. I also thought my shots were tasty though I felt that the pull was a bit off. The tea is free leaf.

Regrettably, it seems I came on a night where the bustling crowds overwhelmed or where weary staff were at the helm (or something like that). Either way, I will definitely be stopping back as I felt that my experience was not par for their course (alas the nature of rating a single experience). When in town, give Square One a solid visit.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Mugged: La Esmeralda [Apres Coffee]

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What does "Mugged" mean?


Subject: Apres Cafe
Coffee Mugged: Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain
Rating: 4+ [see key]



A
side from Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain, coffees dubbed La Esmeralda have been all the rage ever since the Cup of Excellence auction a few years back when the Geisha bean made a rising success. Now, coffees coming from Hacienda La Esmeralda seem to ride the wave of that special bean but unless you've shelled out a good chunk of cash, it's probably not the famed bean of great worth.

Nonetheless, the farm still tends to put out good coffee even if you don't pay an excessive load. My most recent encounter with the La Esmeralda was with Apres Cafe's
Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain, a coffee that arrived in a gorgeous sleek box. The coffee itself was roasted fairly dark (not dark enough to have oil but close), a new roast profile for me as most Esmeraldas I've had tend to be a lighter roast.

I tried out the coffee in french press, vacuum press and drip (aka filtered). The french press produced a deep, succulent coffee with strong chocolate and cherry flavors and a hang of bittersweet cocoa. The vacuum press gave out a lighter, more even-keeled coffee with more of a grape flavor and a smoother chocolaty taste. The drip displayed a bright brew as well with the same grape flavors as the vac press, though it produced a bit more of the bitterness on the back end.

In a nutshell, Apres' La Esmeralda made for a good cup of coffee. If you're looking for a good coffee from a well-known farm in Panama, give Apres'
Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain a go.