Javamango's Outpost

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Javamango's Outpost 
Location visited: Waterford, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]

The concept of a coffee shop is often a subjective thing. Quite often, folks think of a single space with a giant counter and plenty of seating. But some of the more interesting and great coffeehouses exist in less traditional spots, like converted public restrooms, outdoor shanties and small outfits adjoining shared space.

Ladder Coffee / Vessel Coffee Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Ladder Coffee 
Location visited: Monroe St, Spokane, WA (formerly Vessel Coffee Roasters)
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Since my turnaround time on posts is not exactly fast, many times things happen between me visiting a shop and me publishing my visit. Sadly, especially this year, the situation is more often that a shop has closed down and does not plan to reopen. But occasionally something cheerier happens, like every great once in a while a quality shop merges with another quality local coffee operation, creating a stronger presence for both in a fortuitous union.

This seems to be the case with Vessel Coffee Roasters and Ladder Coffee in Spokane. Some months ago, I made a visit to Vessel's sole outpost and had a most delightful experience (of which I will further share). Unfortunately, due to the hour and other circumstances, I was not able to make it to Ladder Coffee that day and sample their highly-regarded coffees, and I headed out of town that night forlorn for missing the window to visit. 

Pressed

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Pressed Books + Coffee + Gifts
Location visited: Erie, PA

WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Erie, Pennsylvania has been a town with which I have had poor coffee fortunes. Each time I have visited, I have either found poor coffee or if I found a quality prospect, it was closed. A few months back, it seemed like my poor fortune would continue while passing through town one Sunday, but just as I had begun to despair, I found Pressed. 

Uptown Hearth / Azul Coffee Bar

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Uptown Hearth / Azul Coffee Bar
Location visited: Columbia Falls, MT
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

For gorgeous mountain majesty, no place in the USA compares to Glacier National Park. Few places bring such unique beauty in a single place and thanks to the ever-rising popularity, the area outside of Glacier improves every time I visit. 

East End Coffee Co.

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: East End Coffee Co.
Location visited: Lewistown, PA
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Living in the Philadelphia area, I grew up knowing little of what lay west beyond Lancaster. The times I did trounce across the state with family and friends, we usually took the turnpike and to my young mind, most of PA simply consisted of a handful of towns like Gettysburg, State College and Harrisburg. 

Union Roasters

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Union Roasters
Location visited: 4th St, Coeur d'Alene, ID 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Growing up, no one told me about the shocking beauty of northern Idaho. Movies and travel guides rave about Montana and Colorado, but Idaho never was mentioned in the same conversation, never mind the same sentence.   

Canyon Coffee Co.

 Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Canyon Coffee Co.
Location visited: New Bethlehem, PA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

At the risk of sounding obvious, I greatly delight in visiting new places. In my younger days I yearned for distant lands that required air travel, but now that I'm a little older with numerous kids (plus the yoke of COVID), I have managed to keep my explorative spirits high with some local road trips. 

Clyde Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Clyde Coffee
Location visited: Missoula, MT 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

Navigating a frozen pass is one of the few things I dislike about the northwest mountains. Living on the east coast, we have our share of icy slopes but not many of them exist on an interstate. Just recently, I had to get from Spokane to Missoula around the beginning of March, and since every realistic route involved a major mountain crossing, I just went with the obvious road and took Lookout Pass. Thank the Lord it was mostly thawed by the time I got to it, but the experience still proved slightly harrowing.

Cogito Coffee

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Cogito Coffee

Location visited: Philadelphia, PA 

WiFi?: yes

Rating: 6+ [see key]

State lines are funny things. Depending on the two states, sometimes a coffee shop has half a dozen locations within feet of a border yet not a single shop on the other side. Sure there's a lot of bureaucratic red tape to blame, but when push comes to shove, no one likes paying to cross a bridge for a cup of coffee.

Copper Cup

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

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.

Indaba Coffee

                                                                   

Part of the Fill in the Coffee Map Series

Subject: Indaba Coffee
Location visited: 518 W Riverside Ave, Spokane, WA 
WiFi?: yes
Rating: 6+ [see key]

The last time I went through Spokane, I didn't even get a chance to leave the car. Sadly, I was fused to a schedule, the victim of my own poor planning, with only enough time for a late-night airport stop to collect my friend on our way west to Ellensburg. As I looked at the city lights in my rearview mirror, I vowed that next time I would make more time for Spokane.