Local Coffee Shops: Finding Your Caffeine Fix

Classes have started and that means two things: miserably late nights and painfully early mornings. Coffee has become a daily ritual once again for Penn Staters. Downtown State College is home to several coffee shops that use local beans and fresh ingredients to create a high-quality cup o’ Joe you’ll want to wake up to. Valley ventured downtown to find the best brews for your buck. Move over, Starbucks.

Saint’s Café

Resting along Beaver Avenue, this gourmet coffee shop takes pride in brewing with Intelligentsia espresso beans, sourced from New York. Although not local, these beans are all the buzz. Among the classic cappuccinos and lattes, the impressive menu also features pour-overs for the coffee connoisseurs and nitrogen-infused cold brews for those that need an extra pick-me-up. The baristas at Saint’s know coffee-making is serious business – each cup is tended to meticulously. Trust us, it’s worth the splurge.

Webster’s Bookstore Café

Also found on Beaver Avenue, this cozy bookstore offers everything from vintage vinyl to chai lattes. If you’re looking for a cheap deal, look no further – Webster’s will whip you up a tasty macchiato for almost half of the price Starbucks advertises. Try the “Webster’s Brown Cow,” a latte made with local Meyer Dairy chocolate milk and shade-grown espresso beans. Coffee geeks can even sign up for a yearly membership and enjoy $1.00 roasts all year round in their own personal mug.

The Cheese Shoppe

Those in search of a good old-fashioned cup of coffee can find one tucked away on Calder Avenue. Don’t be fooled by the name – they know coffee just as well as they know cheese. The shop sells some of the finest beans ranging from Guatemalan to Costa Rican blends. The daily roasts feature the Estate Java and Hazelnut, with a few others on rotation. Get your caffeine fix for a mere $1.25, arguably the best deal around town.

Irving’s

Widely known for their bagels and sandwiches among Penn Staters, coffee is also the name of the game at this hustling and bustling College Avenue café. Save a few cents and enjoy a cup of “really good coffee,” as it’s advertised on their extensive menu. Even Frappuccino fanatics can find a tasty substitute here with their plentiful selection of cold treats such as the Frozen Mudslide – a delectable, icy mix of vanilla smoothie, espresso, a choice of milk, and chocolate syrup to top it off.

Good Seed Baking Co.

Not only does this bakery bring you decadent gluten-free donuts, macarons, and muffins, the quaint cafe, nestled in an alley way off of Fraser Street, serves a nice cup of coffee. Brewed with beans from The Cheese Shoppe, a one-size coffee, iced or hot, costs under $2.00. Stop in for their weekly special “Thirsty Thursday” for a desirable discount on coffee –$1.00 all day. Beat that, Starbucks.

Try one or try them all. We hope you find your new favorite coffee spot that won’t make your wallet cry.