Peaberry's Cafe: Canfield, OH

Background: Peaberry's Cafe and Bakery opened in 1993 in Canfield, OH, having since opened a second location on the Youngstown State University campus. The cafe uses Crimson Cup coffee, a wholesale coffee shop consulting company and roaster out of Columbus, OH, for its coffee and espresso beverages. Chris Cole, the owner and operator, is a self-professing coffee aficionado with his own coffee blog that also functions as a blog for his company. The main cafe is opened from 6am to 8pm Monday through Thursday, 6am to 10pm on Friday, 7am to 10pm and Saturday, and 8am to 6pm on Sunday. It is a popular gathering place for local business professionals as well as students--especially in the mornings.

Store Ambiance: Peaberry's is the typical, classy, hometown coffeeshop--arranged like my Panera Breads that I have visited. Popular folksy, light rock is playing as you walk past the outdoor eating area and into the lobby. There are two entrances, to the left leads to the cafe/dining area and bakery and to the right is the espresso bar and checkout counter--as well as a few tables and comfy chairs. Between the two entrances is a pathway connecting them, where the tidy condiment bar stands. The seating area is spacious, with a private room in the far back and a elegant fireplace creating in the main area creating a rustic feel. Along the wall next to the private room is a display featuring whole bean coffee from various roasters including Crimson Cup, Zoka, Longbottom, Jersey Shore, and Big Bend, as well as tumblers, t-shirts, espresso cups, and other Peaberry merchandise. Next to the merch-wall is the bakery counter where the freshly-baked pastries are displayed and the baking operations can be somewhat seen in the back. At the espresso bar end of the lobby, where I sat in a plush leather swiveling comfy chair next to a collection of classic novels from Balzac, Dickens, Twain, Austen, etc. as well as some books on coffee, the server greeted me pleasantly, informing me about the free refill that came with my purchase. The coffee was served from a set of Bunn aluminum pour over coffee dispensers. The espresso was ground and brewed freshly. The menu boards were a cream color with a brown font--making me thinking of coffee as I made my purchase. Along the counter stood some syrups, boxes of Crimson Cup tea, and a display case of some pastries. As I sat in my chair and read, I was able to see the traffic going by outside of the large window facade beside me.

The menu and my selection: The menu in the espresso bar side of the lobby (there was a large dining menu in the bakery including salads, paninis, etc.), contained four major sections: 'Specialty Beverages,' 'Frozen Peaberry's,' 'Blended Fruit Smoothie,' and 'Chilled Peaberry's.' The 'Specialty Beverages' included the Latte, the Cappuccino, The Vanilla Bean Latte, the Cafe Breve, The Caramel Temptation (Peaberry's signature drink), the Amaretto Mocha, etc. The 'Frozen Peaberry's' menu contained blended drinks such as the Frozen White Chocolate Mocha and the Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate. The 'Blended Fruit Smoothie' portion contained smoothies such as Wild Berry, Peach, and Strawberry Banana. The 'Chilled Peaberry's' portion contained Iced Lattes such as the Iced Raspberry Mocha and the Iced Temptation as well as Iced Chai Lattes and Iced Brewed Tea. There is also a small coffee menu consisting of a regular brewed, a decaf brewed, and a flavor of the day. I chose, for my two purchases, the Caramel Temptation and the regular house coffee (Crimson Cup's Armando's Blend). The Caramel Temptation was essentially a caramel latte. The espresso was light and smooth with caramel notes accented by the buttery caramel flavoring. The coffee was a balanced blend with little acidity, a medium body, and clear vibrant flavor notes of buttery almonds and walnuts.

I highly recommend Peaberry's Cafe and Bakery. It is very conducive to social gatherings, but also provides elusive seating for studying and such. Certainly, there is no coffee shop like it within a twenty to thirty mile radius at least. Check it out for sure!