We’ve been writing about our coffee rides for a while now. In New York State, we’ve published our rides to over 35 coffee shops thus far. Along the way, one thing has been pretty straightforward. The more populated the county, the greater the odds of finding a few good coffee shops. Conversely, the more populated the county is, the more congested the roads are. So there is a tension between good coffee and good roads.
We’ve selected what we feel are the seven best coffee rides we’ve completed thus far in New York State. Based in Westchester County, NY, we have plenty of great coffee shops in our local area. But, with nearly 1 million people in the county, it’s pretty dense, so a great ride is a bit harder to find, at least one of any significant distance. So, we won’t feature any of the wonderful shops in Westchester County, though you can find our reviews on the site. Instead, we’ll focus on some smaller counties where we’ve found that ideal balance of a fantastic ride and some great coffee. We’ll look at those rides in reverse order from the most populated county to the least populated ones.
Orange County
Orange County, NY, is the most populated county in this list, with over 400,000 residents in the most recent census.
Regarding motorcycles, Orange County is best known for the reality TV show American Chopper, which featured Orange County Choppers. The show ran for eight seasons beginning in 2003, and while prone to somewhat unrealistic tensions and contrast like most reality TV. The last 2 seasons focused on Senior vs Junior after Paul Teutul Jr was fired from the Orange County Choppers and began his competing shop. But motorcyclists from all styles, not just choppers, will find some excellent roads throughout the county.
There is a wonderful organization working with local independent coffee shops in the area to promote visiting them called Upstate Coffee Crawl. Both coffee shops featured in Orange County are part of our Upstate Coffee Crawl series.
Valkyrie Coffee Roasters
Our first coffee ride to discuss is our jaunt to Valkyrie Coffee Roasters in Chester, NY. The ride begins at our starting point in northern Westchester County, passing along several reservoirs, heading northwest toward the Clarence Fahnestock State Park before turning southwest to cross the Hudson River at Bear Mountain Bridge.
Once across the Hudson River, we entered Harriman State Park and enjoyed some excellent roads within the park’s boundaries until we reached Route 17, which runs parallel to Interstate 87. From there, we headed northwest to Chester, NY, to find the delightful Valkyrie Coffee Roasters. Located on the village’s main street, the coffee shop has terrific charm and delicious coffee and treats. Our full coffee ride article has more details.
