Fredericksburg Coffee Shops

I love coffee houses. I love the smell, the ambience, the fun of watching people come and go. I especially enjoy the free wifi when I have a few minutes to spare between meetings. I don’t go in for the syrupy, chocolaty, caramelized drinks that are so popular right now. I am usually a plain latte, plain coffee kind of girl.

I decided a few weeks ago to make it my mission to travel to and write about every coffee shop in Fredericksburg. I am not finished yet, but I have a pretty good start, and I will keep adding to this post as I visit more coffee stops.

My hope is that, if you ever find yourself in our beautiful and historic part of the world, you will stop in one of these delightful spaces, take a look around, inhale deeply the scent of coffee, and enjoy yourself for a few minutes before heading back to the hectic reality of normal life.

Blackstone Coffee

1113 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, VA

http://blackstonecoffee.com/hot-drinks/

I have only been here once, but it’s already my new favorite coffee place. One of our dance students recommended it to me. I made a special trip to check it out, and immediately fell in love.

Blackstone is located across Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) from Mary Washington University, in the Eagle Village shopping center. Blackstone roasts their own beans, and they also have a liquor license, so if you are looking to unwind at the end of the day, you can get a glass of cabernet and a sandwich. The sandwiches run the scope from standard to innovative. Unfortunately, they are all wheat-infested, so I can only admire the ingredients list and fantasize. Please, try one and tell me about them! The staff is very pleasant and makes an effort to converse with the customers. Blackstone features several comfy leather chairs, free wifi, and a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere.

But it’s all about the coffee: I had a plain latte here. It was delicious. It wasn’t bitter or burned-tasting, but a perfect balance of robustness and creamy milk. 

My espresso wizard went to the effort to make a beautiful foam heart on the top of my drink, but then he stirred it all away. I could understand if I had ordered a syrupy-sweet drink like a café mocha, in which the sugar sits at the bottom, making the top too bitter and the bottom too cloying, but this was just a plain-Jane latte, and I was sad to see the lovely heart melt into oblivion. It was still wonderful, and I look forward to going back again.

25° 30° Espresso

400 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg, VA
http://lindyintheburg.blogspot.com/2014/01/fredericksburg-coffee-shops.html
This little shop is located across the street from the VRE/Amtrak station in Old Town Fredericksburg. It is right on the “other side” of the tracks from most of the shops in the Old Town area, and is very convenient if you are about to hop a train to Washington, Philly, or New York.

According to 25 30’s website, they only buy coffee from one roaster, Counter Culture Coffee, which works exclusively with a select group of farms and farmers. Their website also says they only buy milk from a local creamery in Pennsylvania.

Inside, the shop is warm and cozy with a sofa and a collection of tables. There are books, magazines and newspapers to pass the time if you need them. Although the space is inviting, it’s not overly decorated.

But how was the coffee? The latte was quite good, and I especially liked that on the topping bar (where you would find your sugars, straws and napkins) they offered shakers filled with cinnamon-sugar, mocha-sugar and nutmeg-sugar. Although I usually like everything plain and unsweetened, the addition of a dusting of slightly sweet cinnamon on top of the snowy white latte foam added just enough flavor to be charming without overwhelming.

25 30 also serves a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and they do have a variety of plastic-wrapped pastries. On one quick survey, I spied nothing that a gluten-free person could eat, but I am sure if you asked, they could procure an apple or a banana for you.

Hyperion Espresso

301 William St., Fredericksburg
http://www.hyperionespresso.com

My daughter, 17, describes Hyperion as a “total hipster” place to go. I am  not really sure what she means by that, but every time I go to Hyperion, I see a wide range of people inside and outside, if the weather is nice. As far as people-watching, this is probably one of the best spots in Fredericksburg. Hyperion is located right on one of the busiest corners in town, so if you sit outside, you can watch an endless parade of humanity. Inside the shop is nearly as busy, with everyone from college students to bankers, and the kind of people who wear hemp sandals in January.

The interior is not glossy and it doesn’t exude the feeling “I was designed by an interior decorator,” although maybe it was. But it is everything it needs to be. The interior colors are warm. There are plenty of seats. In fact, this shop takes up two store fronts, so there are two distinct areas where you can park and chat, peruse the paper or use the wifi. There is one enormous wooden table right in front of the large picture window facing the street. This is my favorite spot, because it’s the best of both people-watching worlds, but it is usually taken. I also enjoy the group of comfy well-used chairs near the other window.

And there is just something about the coffee that I love. They do something amazing with their lattes. When you open the cup (or if you are staying in, they give you a real ceramic cup), the barista has created a beautiful leaf design that makes it almost too pretty to drink. But of course, you must drink it. And the milk they use reminds me of when I was a child, and we used to scald milk on the stove to make hot chocolate.

I do enjoy Hyperion’s plain coffee, but the latte is so pretty I find it hard to resist. They also make a delicious smoothie, and their iced coffee drinks are wonderful in the summertime.

Some people have told me that Hyperion’s espresso drinks are very high-caffeine. I have never experienced a bad caffeine reaction, but if you are sensitive, you may wish to ask, or order decaf/half-caff.

In the pastry case, they carry an assortment of wheaty treats. If you ever try them, you can tell me about them, and I will live vicariously through you.

Starbucks
http://www.starbucks.com

There isn’t much to say about Starbucks that you don’t already know, because the ubiquitous chain coffee store is the same everywhere in the world. I can tell you that there is one in the mall (Spotsylvania Town Center), one across the street from the mall, one in the Central Park Shopping Center, and one on Plank Rd. (Route 3). The Plank Rd. Starbucks is my most-frequent shop because it’s on the way to Old Town, is open 24 hours, and has a drive-through.

My husband is wild about Starbuck’s mochas, so between the two of us, we know the locations of just about every Starbucks in the Northern Virginia area, and about the ones that are located along the route from Virginia to Florida. And the one in Nassau, Bahamas. No, we don’t have a coffee problem…