After trekking through the natural beauty of Northern California for our first Trade Coffee Trail, we’re heading to familiar turf back East.
Home to big cities and small towns (and Trade!), the Northeast also claims a number of roasters who embody the region’s dual sense of tradition and forward thinking.
Starting in Tandem Coffee Roasters’ hometown of Portland, Maine, this route takes you through Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and wraps up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania — home of Passenger.
Travel Time: 8.5 hours (pit stops not included!)
Portland, Maine
Our journey begins in the classic New England city of Portland. Located on a peninsula in Casco Bay, the city is known for its Old Port neighborhood and classic charm.
Tandem Coffee Roasters
742 Congress Street Portland, Maine 04102
In 2014, Tandem opened a new West End location – Tandem Coffee + Bakery. The bakery is headed up by Tandem’s best friend and baker extraordinaire, Briana Holt. Once again, Tandem was lucky enough to find a unique old building - this one built in the 1960’s. Once a gas station then laundromat - now a beautiful place to get coffee, and delicious baked goods.
Beverly, Massachusetts
Situated in Massachusetts' North Shore, the seaside town of Beverly is another testament to New England's timeless appeal. Along Cabot Street, you'll find Atomic Coffee Roaster's hometown café.
Atomic Café
268 Cabot Street
Beverly, Massachusetts 01915
Since 1996, the Mahoney family has focused on bringing the best in specialty coffee, cold brew, and more to Boston's North Shore. Atomic's first shop opened on Cabot Street, fulfilling a dream (seriously, like one that comes when you're sleeping, not a daydream) that Andrew Mahoney had shared with his brother, John, a few years earlier.
At Atomic, energy is a catalyst. A spark that attracts and connects people with fun and rewarding moments. One sip and you'll agree, Atomic ignites an explosion full of rich roaster flavors and craft brewed tastes.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Just across the Charles River from Boston is the scholarly city of Cambridge, home to the likes of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Broadsheet Coffee.
Broadsheet
100 Kirland Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Deriving its name from the paper that the nearby Harvard Printing Press published as a way to spread meaningful news and cheer almost 400 years ago, Broadsheet continues the joyful tradition with coffee.
Boston, Massachusetts
As one of the oldest cities in the country, Boston has a revolutionary history, so it's only natural that its coffee scene would follows suit. Hometown hero and Master Roaster George Howell has been in the specialty coffee game so long he practically started it, and the larger Boston area is home to several of his eponymous cafés.
George Howell
505 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts 02111
Situated on the ground level of The Godfrey Hotel Boston, George Howell Coffee. Downton Crossing location has a espresso bar with two espresso machines, hand-poured single estate and micro lot coffees, and specialty coffee-based creations, such as The Original for the summer months. Stop by for the coffee of the day, a traditional cappuccino, or shot of their latest single-estate espresso, and pair it with a pastry made by local Boston bakeries.
New York, New York
The city so nice, they named it twice doubles-down with a love of coffee. As the Big Apple is the largest metropolis in the nation, it comes with no surprise that it's home to a number of amazing roasters, and even more cafés. We've got a lot of love for our hometown, and you will too after stopping by these roasteries and cafés.
Irving Farm
71 Irving Place
New York, New York 10003
Irving Farm's namesake café opened in 1996 on Irving Place, only a block from the beautiful space they now occupy.
Steps from Union Square and their Manhattan training lab, this cozy escape from the urban rush offers their tried-and-true blends and rotating single origins as well as teas, sandwiches, and salads — not to mention, beer and wine!
Joe Coffee Company - Governors Island
517 Clayton Road Liggate Terrace
New York, New York 10004
Founded in New York’s West Village, Joe Coffee Company entered the roasting game with a move to Red Hook’s Pulley Collective in 2013. In that workspace, Jonathan Rubinstein’s brainchild adheres to its four-part philosophy: fairness and traceability, quality, flexibility in purchasing, and mutually sustainable relationships.
Though Joe has a number of locations throughout the city, its year-round container café on Governor's Island definitely wins the award for most original! Located on Liggett Terrace, the café serves up coffee, tea, cold brew, ice cream, and snacks.
Orens
105 East 42 Street
New York, New York 10017
Discovering his love of coffee while frequenting a small NYC shop, Oren Bloostein left his corporate job to found Orens Coffee in 1986. The Long Island native had a hands-on approach from the start, including roasting on site — a rarity at the time — and manning the growing café. Today, this New York institution is known for the highest standards of freshness and sourcing through its Orens at Origin program. At the heart of the City that Never Sleeps is Orens' Grand Central Market location.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The City of Brotherly Love is a town where you'll find coffee love, too. Home to ReAnimator, Philadelphia will definitely give you reason to stick around and enjoy great cups and greater company.
ReAnimator Coffee Roasters
1523 East Susquehanna Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19125
ReAnimator's Fishtown location is is not to be missed! Inspired by coffee’s complexity, ReAnimator has been sharing its noble beverage with Philadelphia since 2011.
A lot has changed since then, in fact a lot changes pretty quickly at Mark Capriotti and Mark Corpus’s roaster. The seasonality-focused menu cycles frequently with single-origin coffees sticking around for mere weeks, so run, don't walk!
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
A city known for its Amish heritage and traditions, Lancaster is also shaking things up with burgeoning cultural and culinary scenes. This sense of advancement can be clearly felt at Passenger.
Passenger Coffee Roasters
7 West King Street
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602
Passenger Coffee Roasters loves coffee and wants to take its drinkers along for the ride. Once operating from a retrofitted 1955 Airstream trailer — capturing a mix of wonder and familiarity — this roaster is focused on the future. In that spirit, forward-thinking Passenger keeps their entire inventory of unroasted coffee in deep-freeze storage, allowing them to roast a large and diverse offering at peak freshness year round.
