WC Clarke's The Cheese Shoppe — Restaurant in State College

When we entered the shop I immediately noticed that it was fashioned after many old country stores. The interior was made mostly of wood, and there were large barrels and burlap sacks filled with coffee beans throughout the shop. I also noticed the beautiful coffee roaster which was displaying that mornings fragrant batch of coffee beans. In the back of the shop there were more bins filled with various coffee blends and single origin beans. There was also a large variety of cheeses throughout the shop. The shop was pretty interesting. In many ways it felt like I had stepped back in time.

Another cool aspect of the shop was that it utilized the honor system. If a customer were just purchasing drip coffee, they could pour it for themselves and place their change on the counter. If they needed to make change, they could just do it for themselves with the massive wads of money laying on the counter. Though I found the shop to be quaint and appealing, it wasn’t really a traditional coffee shop. It was more of a coffee and cheese trading post. There wasn’t really anywhere to sit and enjoy your java, and it was kind of crowded with many tripping hazards.

After taking some time to check out the shop I ordered an americano. The staff wasn’t particularly friendly, and didn’t seem to know much about the coffee that they were serving. After I forced some chit chat, the woman behind the counter told me that they used their Cheese Shoppe Blend for espresso drinks. It is a blend of their light and dark beans, which they advertise as having a medium body. When I took the first sip of my americano I was reminded of the way that many coffee drinkers describe Starbucks (which I admit is my favorite NATIONAL coffee chain): Charbucks. This “medium bodied” beverage didn’t taste at all like it was advertised….it tasted like a french roast that had been in the roaster a little too long. It had dark charred and acidic undertones, which I’m sure some people enjoy. But it wasn’t my cup of tea, or coffee if you will.

I must admit that I would only half-heartedly recommend W. C. Clarke’s Coffee and Cheese shoppe to friends in the future. Though the shop itself was kind of cool, the venue wasn’t conducive to sitting, the staff wasn’t particularly helpful or friendly and the coffee was...

I have lived in State College for 8 years and have bought most of my coffee from the Cheese Shoppe. The selection of roasted beans is very good and I am okay with the price (currently $12.50/lb), but my opinion (and that of other people I have spoken with who appreciate good coffee) is that they tend to over roast beans that would be better off less roasted. This may not be a big issue if you are exclusively drinking espresso (or if you smoke cigarettes and have lost some taste sensitivity), but for other brewing methods such as pour over the charred/burned flavor almost entirely eclipses the desirable characteristics--the subtle natural flavors that make coffee from different regions different--I am looking for. Each bean needs to be roasted differently according to a set of specific traits (soil nutriture, amount of rain, how much oil is in the bean, water content or density of the bean, etc.). What I have seen at the Cheese Shoppe consistently over time is a very narrow range of roasts, from medium-dark to very dark (preference of many Europeans), indicating to me a lack of attention to bean traits. Maybe it's due simply to personal preference of the roaster at the Cheese Shoppe, but I would really appreciate seeing some light/medium roasts in their lineup. Interpret this review however you want, but I know several people who have stopped buying coffee from the Cheese Shoppe because they share my opinion...

The Cheese Shoppe's Guatemala Decaf is the best decaf that I have ever had. I travel an hour to get it every three weeks or so. I mix the decaf with regular coffee also from the Cheese Shoppe. It's insanely awesome! I love dark coffee beans and I am very picky. This place puts starbucks to shame! Their French, Burundi, Italian, Costa Rican, and Uncle Willie's Blend are fantastic. I have ordered stuff from all over the country and this place takes the cake. Thank you for...