I try to visit coffee roasters when traveling and the workflow is generally, wake-up in strange town, tired and regretting not closing the blinds the night before because it’s 7AM and the sun is shining right in my face, grab phone, search Yelp for “Pour-Over” in “Current Location” and map a walk to the highest rated place in my area.
Some towns don’t have any good options in which I grab a Sugar-Free Red Bull and head back out on the road but sometimes, I win and find a place that’s really doing something special. I take a few photos, try some different coffees and maybe even grab a bag of their beans to-go.
Alabaster was a magical place. These guys are doing something right. My only real criticism was the mouthfeel of the espresso. I love when an espresso shot has this complex density and substantial presence and while the flavor was there, the shot was not great but c’mon, espresso is hard and a roaster can’t make a perfect espresso. The person pulling the shot does that.
The pour-over was fantastic and influenced me to buy a bag of their single-origin bean of the week to-go.
The staff was incredibly patient with me as I ran around taking photos and I left feeling like I had just left a community hot-spot. I’d rate the espresso a 7, the pour-over a 9 and overall quality of their beans (now that I’ve just finished my 1 pound bag) a 9 as well. If you’re in Williamsport, PA, drop in Alabaster.
