There is a beautiful thing that happens when you ride a motorcycle – you begin to find all sorts of excuses to get out and take in the scenery. I love finding twisty back country roads that eventually lead me to local businesses. I particularly enjoy visiting Coffee Roasters and Coffee Shops. It is always a pleasure to find a hidden gem and have the added benefit of bringing home freshly roasted coffee beans to enjoy later.
One of my favorite local Coffee Roasters is Firehouse Coffee in Maxatawny
– just outside Kutztown in Berks County, PA.
About Firehouse Coffee
Firehouse Coffee was established by Michael Adams in 2012 as an online coffee brand catering to First Responders. I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Mike on several occasions, and his backstory is quite interesting. He started his career as a Firefighter, moved to work in an Ambulance, and then spent over thirty years aboard Medical Helicopters.
In all his years as a Fist Responder, Mike quickly discovered that the entire industry ran on bad-tasting coffee. He set out to change that when he launched Firehouse Coffee. His early days were quite modest, buying green coffee beans locally and roasting them in a popcorn maker.
Around 2019, he purchased a building at 15877 Kutztown Road (Pennsylvania Route 222) in Maxatawny. In a past life, the building served as a General Store and was badly damaged by fire. Over the next three years, the building underwent extensive renovations and repairs. The Brick and Mortar Firehouse Coffee location officially opened for business in 2021.
Since then, Mike has traveled and done extensive training to learn the fine art of coffee roasting. He now uses an impressive computer-driven Giesen Coffee Roaster, which allows for total control over the roasting process.
Using a selection of Arabica Beans and controlling the roasting process, Firehouse Coffee is able to produce a wide variety of Single Origin and Blends that showcase natural flavors. If Flavored Coffee is more to your liking, they also produce a variety of Gourmet Flavored Coffee.
My First Visit to Firehouse Coffee
I first learned about Firehouse Coffee through Facebook. I came across a video from Channel 69, WFMZ (local Reading News Station), where they announced that Firehouse Coffee would have its grand opening on International Coffee Day in 2021.
At the time, I was buying the bulk of my coffee online. Occasionally, I would ride my 2018 Honda CB650F to Speakeasy Coffee in Pennsburg to patronize the only local Coffee Roaster that I was aware of. I immediately knew I wanted to visit Firehouse Coffee and reached out to my friend and fellow coffee enthusiast, Untamed Ride, to plan a visit.
Our first visit was on a Brisk Sunday Morning in December of 2022. Mike was friendly and welcoming – inviting us to try all the free samples we could drink. Given that it was quite cold, a hot cup of coffee was just the thing we needed.
One aspect of Firehouse Coffee that I love is that they offer free samples. This gives you the opportunity to try a wide range of coffee before deciding on what to buy. I have yet to experience this same amenity at any other Coffee Roaster.
When we finally left Firehouse Coffee, I walked to my motorcycle with quite a few bags of Whole Beans. I stuffed them into my saddlebags and began the scenic ride back home. I’ve been a loyal customer ever since!
Donating Firehouse Coffee
In addition to Coffee, I also enjoy Cigars. From time to time, I like visiting local Brick and Mortar Cigar Shops and attending a couple of events throughout the year. In April 2023, a friend and I were approached to organize the Cigar Event for a local Social Club in Pottstown, PA.
Part of our responsibilities included putting together a prize table. Among the various prizes, I decided to take a motorcycle ride out to Firehouse Coffee and pick up a few bags. I purchased Firefighter Coffee, Fire Chief Coffee, and Backdraft Coffee (Bacon and Maple Syrup Flavored) and donated them to the event.
Coincidentally, this Social Club attracts a lot of Volunteer Firefighters from the Pottstown Area, so Firehouse Coffee seemed like a perfect fit for the prize table.
If you find yourself near Reading, PA, I would suggest stopping in to visit Firehouse Coffee. The ride through Kutztown is pleasant, and the surrounding roads are fantastic (PA Route 737, PA Route 143, and Hawk Mountain Road)!
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