Stops We Like: Blue Line Coffee House

(2022) A great coffee shop can boost a town’s spirits and a bike ride’s excitement. In the small upstate New York town of Inlet, Blue Line Coffee House offers quality and convenience. They also put their spin on Adirondack-inspired brews, making it a unique coffee shop whose business model can continue upping spirits and excitement.

I have yet to discover the algorithm that gives small towns their charm. A private grocery store, bike shop, bar and grill, and an ice cream stand are the foundations of a great little town. The hinge of the main street swings on coffee shops. Blue Line Coffee House looks great from the outside, but there was more. 

During the stay in Inlet, Blue Line Coffee House’s order online app was used extensively. That is, the shop hadn’t been seen until the order was up. Walking to the shop and the aroma of coffee intensified as I approached. Walk past the sign welcoming Black Fly Challenge cyclists, past the small patio set up, through the raised garage doors, and into Adirondack coffee heaven. Having found the online order window, it took only standing there a moment before the nitro coffee and everything bagel appeared, supplied by the hands of an astute barista. In and out in no time at all has its perks. 

Blue Line Coffee House sells coffee and Adirondack goods with a rustic appeal in Inlet, NY.

My last visit was ahead of schedule, so there was poking around. The visit became a study in impressive coffeeshop goods. There were coffee mugs of course. But along the top of the wall were impressive Adirondack pennants. On the high top table we sat at was a decorative canoe. When was the last time anything decorative was on a table at a coffee shop, let alone a foot-long decorative canoe? There were seasonal roasts ready for purchase. And every patron who walked through the open garage doors had a big smile of anticipation. This isn’t a ‘good enough’ coffee shop, this is a great coffee shop.

Believe it or not Blue Line Coffee House was one of the reasons in deciding to race Black Fly Challenge. The cafe’s website boosted the spirits as well as the excitement in racing at Inlet. The sadness of leaving the town after Black Fly weekend was softened by the nitro to-go order, consumed over the next half hour of the drive home. Giving the maple bourbon coffee beans a squeeze to release its sugary boozy aroma carried the rest of the trip. Given that Adirondack roads are long and with few options compared to the variable routes around here, it would be possible Blue Line Coffee House could be accessible if one were to visit. Then again, maybe next year’s race will get prioritized just so we can visit a little longer.

Blue Line Coffee House has two locations, one in Inlet, NY, and one in the next town over of Old Forge.