Part One: A Coffee Wasteland
I wish I could say that CoffeeGuru will help you find great coffee no matter where you are but alas that's not the case in Carlisle Pennsylvania. My daughter was taking a Summer ballet intensive at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, one of the top schools in the ballet world. So there I was stuck in Pennsyltucky. When I checked out my app for coffee I saw two options in town, a bakery and an espresso bar that roasts their own beans. I'm not going to tell you the name of these establishments because I hate trashing places I visit. But the coffee was just awful. The person behind the counter in the bakery couldn't even tell me who's coffee they served! Oh well, fortunately I brought my Aeropress and a bag of Greenstreet Coffee to this wasteland. My rental apartment suddenly had the distinction of serving the best coffee in town.
Carlisle is about 20 miles from Harrisburg the state's capital. Just before I left home, I heard that one of Philadelphia's best coffeeshops, One Shot was using a guest roaster Little Amps Coffee Roasters based in the capital city. So on a raining morning I dropped my daughter off and drove about 25 minutes to check them out.
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| Little Amps Coffee Roasters |
Little Amps has two locations. I headed over to their original in the Olde Uptown section of Harrisburg. The neighborhood is quaint and hip. My spirits started to lift upon walking in the front door. The space is small but really comfortable.
Inside two baristas where behind the bar manning a beautiful two lever Victoria Arduino Athena espresso machine. Matt made me a superb Cortado using their house LA3WAY, an espresso blend consisting of three different beans. I quickly followed up with their house pour, a Kenya Muranga Gondo. I was impressed by the clean stone fruit flavors. While I was enjoying my coffee and scone, the owner Aaron Carlson arrived and we talked shop.
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| The Victoria Arduino Athena |
Aaron grew up in the area and discovered great coffee when temporarily living in Oakland, California for a few years. Aaron moved back to Harrisburg after his wife finished school and opened up Little Amps, combining his new found passion for great coffee with his love for music. In the back there's a small collection of well curated records for sale. To the side sit bags of beans waiting to be roasted.
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| Beans Waiting For Roasting |
Roasting is done on a very small-scale, about 500 pounds a week. The style leans toward a medium roast, emphasizing stone fruit flavors. Honestly, I was very impressed and not because I was starved for decent coffee. It was worth the side trip.
Part Two: Adventures In Central Pennsylvania
Coffee and scary people aside, Central Pennsylvania is quite beautiful. The area is very economically depressed and I'd leave your Obama t-shirt at home but there is lot's to check out. The Appellation Trail runs through nearby Boiling Springs and my daughter and I spent a few afternoons enjoying its trails. The surrounding countryside is also quite pretty with lots of farms, old churches and graveyards. Starting in August about an hour away the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is a great weekend diversion. One of the largest of its kind, it encompasses about 35 acres and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. There's also a huge car show in Boiling Springs and of course Gettysburg isn't far. Below are some photographs highlighting my week's adventures.
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| Water Slides, Boiling Springs Pool |
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| A Walk Along The Appalachian Trail |
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| Mount Zion Cemetery |
Bonus Photographs: A Day At The Pennsylvania Rennaisance Faire
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Circus Stella
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| Ash Cary's Raptors |
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| Glass Blowing |
This last one needs a bit of explanation. It was Doctor Who Weekend at the Faire. I don't watch the show so I'm not sure how R2D2 is involved but my guess is she doesn't know either.
Links
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Little Amps Coffee Roasters
Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
