Café Crawl: Passenger Coffee
5:26:00 PM
I sort of overestimated the time I would need to get to my job interview, which definitely wasn't a bad thing. I just figured I would get lost or something, plus I kind of wanted to do a bit of extra research before I went. So then, I just needed to figure out how to spend my extra hour or so of time. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to go on a little café crawl. My favorite place this day, hands down, was Passenger on King Street. It was a place I'd driven by a couple times before, rubber-necking along the way, promising I would visit someday.
The thing that actually brought me here that day, was actually my (hopefully) future boss (I find out if I get the job on Friday). We had gotten a little off topic talking about coffee when he mentioned this new thing called Nitro coffee. A new method, used in some beers such as Guinness, to give the drink a fuller, creamier flavor without any added ingredients besides nitrogen gas. He mentioned that Passenger was one of the few places that had it. So, of course, I had to try it.
Like beer, it came from a tap. And also like beer, it has a foamy head and a very, very subtle bubble. Everyday they have a new coffee or tea on tap, and the staff, who are probably the closest things to tea & coffee sommeliers I have ever seen, will tell you all about it.
When I asked about it, the man who was helping me (who by the way, is not the strapping man in the photo below, but is equally strapping in his own way :P), was kind enough to let me try a small shot of it. Honestly? The first sip was pretty interesting, but the general effect was a little anticlimactic, I'm not sure if it's my unsophisticated palate or the tea, but I didn't really taste the creaminess that the interweb was talking about. Shrug. Maybe I'll try the coffee next time.
I ended up ordering a Taiwanese Oolong tea, which was my server's favorite. Oolong is my favorite and I'm Taiwanese it seemed like a perfect match.
I loved it, it was everything I could want in a tea. All the sweetness of oolong, and the buttery nuttiness of Taiwanese tea. I seriously recommend it.
Also, the design of the place is right up my alley, hexagonal tiling is probably my favorite thing. I'm going have it done all over my future house. And the menu on the back wall is a pretty nifty idea, if you ask me.
I'm not sure if it's the leather pin cushion couches, or the high ceilings, but the place gives me sort of a British/London feel. I'm so glad that we have a place like this here in Lancaster. The growth of variety here is making me really proud of my little hometown.
I sat at the little bar next to the window, it was a lovely day to people watch Passenger Coffee is sort of a respite from the web world, that's right. It's a cafe without WiFi. It was designed this way to help people focus on the tea and coffee and the social and cultural asoects around it. I ended up doodling a sketch of the buildings across the road. On the back of my receipt.
My heart wasn't really in it.... but it was relaxing all the same.
Also a plus to the cafe, there'should actually a bathroom! Sometimes a hard find in the city.
I was in there around 2-3pm and there was a consistent but light amount of traffic in the place. Which makes for a nice and peaceful atmosphere. I have no idea if it stays that way though.
Keystone Pride
Despite being local they also have a lot internationally sustainable practices. Learn more about them here!
Seriously, if you guys ever have the chance to just pop in and ask about some tea and coffee. You'll probably learn a lot. Maybe you'll see me there in the corner, sipping my tea... doodling on more receipts...
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