23 Jan 2025

Westchester’s Cups of Joe

By Keenan Steiner

There’s a coffee shop for everyone here in Westchester. And many of these local shops are doing the roasting too, meaning you have the opportunity to taste the skill and passion of coffee makers right in your backyard.

Or you might be the sort who looks to a coffee shop for community or to get work done, so the vibe matters.

Whether you’re a coffee nerd or looking to relax, read on for a brief taste of three coffee shops worth a visit in Westchester, and see where you’ll be settling in for a cup of Joe.

Coffee Labs Roasters

7 Main Street, Tarrytown

493 New Rochelle Road, Bronxville

Opening in Tarrytown in 2003, Coffee Labs Roasters, known for its logo of a Chocolate Lab, is a coffee pioneer in Westchester, although if you asked the owner Mike Love a couple of years before that, he was simply burned out.

“We definitely both loved coffee, and the idea kind of came when we were both burned out of the restaurant business…So I spent a couple years in R&D (research and development), and went to a lot of coffee trade shows, and met a lot of people, and took classes, and realized very quickly that the entire coffee industry was littered with restaurant rejects.”

Decades later, Coffee Labs has two shops in Westchester, cans of cold brew for sale, beans for sale in local supermarkets, an expanding roastery and a possible third shop in the works.

Mike has competed and won many barista championships but he prides himself on the relationships he has built with producers all over the world. One of the shop’s coffee producers from Nicaragua even visited him over Halloween last year.

“The journey for us was really understanding where our coffee came from and started meeting farmers, and being able to dial down relationships and coffee from those farms,” Love said, adding that coffee can vary from lot to lot on a farm, and none of it is the same from year to year.

Love takes a culinary approach to coffee and loves talking flavors. His team even teaches a coffee tasting class from their shop. The students taste different fruits, salts, and chocolates, writing down tasting notes, and then “we’ll pair coffees and you’ll try to pick apart those flavors,” he said.

When it comes to his java, “I think blending coffee truly showcases a roaster’s capability,” he said.

The drip (which also works well as espresso) is the Witches’ Brew, a blend Love accidentally created by mixing two batches in 2004 that he calls the best mistake ever.  It’s a medium-dark roast: sweet and silky and big up front with a clean, smooth finish.

There is also their best-selling Doghouse Blend, a medium roast. It’s a post-roast blend of light and dark South American coffees that Love calls “a well-rounded balanced cup with crisp acidity and brightness.”

Love and his team also just released shelf-stable cans of cold brew and nitro.

Vibe wise, the second location in Eastchester (although the mailing address is in Bronxville) that opened in 2023, has the benefit of a patio and coaches under a pergola to chill out. At both locations, you’re welcome to relax or work, Love said, and they also offer locally-made pastries.

Drip: Witches Brew (dark), Doghouse (medium), and French roast (dark).

Espresso: Rockit Dawg (medium roast) and Circus Dawg (medium roast).

Wi-fi: Yes.

ROAMFurther.

333 N. Bedford Road, Mt. Kisco

“Sometimes your hobby leads into a career,” said Joe Cannato, the owner of ROAMFurther in Mt. Kisco.

The two passions are Italian espresso and parkour, the sport that has you jumping (safely) off of a wall. With a background as a parkour coach, Cannato opened up ROAMFurther Athletics — a  nearly 8,000-square-foot parkour gym for kids — but added an espresso bar in the front. His brother Nick is the lead barista.

You won’t find drip coffee here, not that Cannato is against it. He just loves real Italian espresso.

“Most people think of Italian espresso as dark and bitter and unappealing but that’s often because people don’t know how to roast it well…and prepare it.”

He teamed up with Naples, Italy native Joe Bonaiuto of Bonjo Roasters in Connecticut who’s been roasting for decades to find the ideal medium roast blend.

“Well balanced, nutty and smooth,” he called it, although some less familiar with Italian espresso will think it’s dark. The espresso emulates a style you’d find in Rome or Naples.

When served as a latte or cappuccino, the benefits of an Italian espresso, as opposed to a lighter roast, you will definitely taste the rich notes through the milk. The chocolate and nutty flavors shine through.

Other drinks at ROAMFurther are a Shaken iced cappuccino or latte, which puts a twitch on a typical iced latte by gyrating it in a cocktail shaker, and an “Upstate Special,” which means adding upstate maple syrup and cinnamon into any espresso drink you want. This drink “feels like the Northeast,” Cannato said.

Vibe wise, it’s a “low stimulation” space. Most of the time it’s a chill relaxing space with music like classic rock. Parents can chill or work from a stool on the tall bar while their kids do parkour. The ambiance occasionally gets more amped up if there’s a birthday party or kids are getting out of camp.

Drip Coffee: Not now.

Espresso: Medium-roast Italian.

Wifi: Yes.

Peekskill Coffee

101 South Division Street, Peekskill

The owner of Peekskill Coffee, Sunny Cover, has a very fitting name for this shop, that aims to offer you some sunshine with your cup.

Cover moved to Peekskills in 2001 from San Francisco.

“Coming from San Francisco, there was a coffee house in every neighborhood and I thought, ‘Where am I supposed to get coffee and how am I supposed to meet people in my community?”

So Cover partnered with a couple of neighbors to open Peekskill Coffee in 2003, before buying them out in 2009.

With large windows and high ceilings and local art on the walls, this is the kind of eccentric place with mismatched tables and chairs that’s designed to make you feel at home.

“People do treat it like a living room. They move the furniture around, they move tables around, which is what we want. The most important aspect of a coffee shop is for the community to come together,” she said.

Some people simply use the shop, within the 1910s-era Flatiron Building in downtown Peekskill, as their office and are there all day long.

In addition to drip coffee, teas, smoothies, matcha and a full espresso bar, there’s a kitchen serving up customizable sweet and savory crepes, Belgium waffles, paninis and salads, all with gluten free and vegan options.

In 2018, Cover, in her dedication to people, was trying to help her staff create more career jobs. After a manager expressed interest in roasting, Peekskill Coffee started roasting in house.

Fast forward to today, within the nearby Hat Factory, she operates the Ryze collective, a shared-roasting space for both her shop and eight other coffee roasters.

As for the coffee, the best seller is the Flatiron Blend, a rich, dark roast that holds up to sugar and cream.

For Cover it all comes back to customer service.

“As a business it’s super important that we have amazing customer service,” she said.

Drip: Yes, The Flatiron. A strong, rich dark roast with notes of chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla.

Espresso: Unity blend. Medium-bodied, medium roast. Post-roast blend of light, medium and dark roasts. Notes: Honey sweetness with cocoa and toffee.

Wifi: Two hour wi-fi code with a purchase.

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