Background: Mugsies is nestled in the downtown district of a small community in western Pennsylvania about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh. It caters to a hybrid customer base of college students from the fairly prestigious Westminster College and rustic local farmers. On weekends, the relatively small cafe can often be crammed, as the shop regularly features several local musicians such as Adrienne Nightingale, David Bailey, and Randy Niles. For several years, Mugsies has served as a central hub for its community and has even drawn customers from surrounding communities such as Sharon, Mercer, and New Castle.

The Store Ambiance: I visited Mugsies on a Tuesday afternoon in late May--probably not the ideal time to get a good feel for the atmosphere, but it was the best I could manage. I entered through the back of the store via the parking lot. The front of the store (pictured below) can be seen from the street. As I walked through the narrow hallway into the cozy cafe area, I noticed the row of merchandise along the wall to my left. There was quite an impressive array of branded Mugsies merch, including t-shirts, tumblers, and pens. Also, there was whole bean coffee, a variety of teas, and CDs and books from local artists and authors. Along the wall on either side of the cafe hung pictures with themes ranging from music to coffee to rural neighborhoods. At the front of the store was a large glass facade and a small stage upon which bands played (at times other than Tuesday afternoons presumably). In the center of the cafe were about seven or eight small tables with chairs for dining. Along the walls of the cafe were some comfy chairs for lounging. To my right as I stepped into the cafe was the counter/espresso bar. The woman taking my order was friendly and open to conversation. On the walls behind the counter were two to four menu boards listing all of the items available for sale. The other customers in the cafe were more representative of an old-time diner than a chique coffee shop--many of them being older. I only saw one of the ten to fifteen customers using laptop and I sat down beside an Amish man. The conversation in the cafe created a quiet murmur conducive to a relaxing afternoon reading the magazine I'd brought with me.

The menu: The items available at Mugsies were those typical of a community coffee shop. The coffees on house, roasted by Wolf Creek Roasters in Grove City, PA, were decaf, dark roast, pecan flavored, and Costa Rica Terrazu. Also on the coffee menu were: shot in the dark, cafe au lait, cappuccino, cafe au breve, espresso, machiatto, americano, latte, and mocha breve. Other non-coffee beverages were: Italian soda, Italian slushie, soda, water, fruit tea smoothie, frozen hot chocolate, red bull, Arizona iced tea, chai (many varieties), smoothie, tea, etc. Flavors available to accompany beverages were too many to take down but a few were: banana, blackberry, coconut, almont, praline, Irish cream, white chocolate, caramel, and French vanilla. To eat, Mugsies also served traditional coffeehouse menu items such as paninis, salads, bagels, muffins, and cookies.



What I had: I had two items from the menu. As has become my custom, the first item was a cup of coffee. I chose the Costa Rica Terrazu they had on house. I have never been disappointed by a Costa Rican coffee and the roast that Mugsies offered was no exception. It was smooth with light acidity, a medium body, and deep notes of buttery cocoa with light creamy berries. I'd never heard of Wolf Creek Roasters but I'd highly recommend them if the Costa Rican is any indication of their other work. The second menu item I chose was a cappuccino made with whole milk. The espresso-to-milk ratio was a little less than I had expected it to be but the beverage was nevertheless crafted fairly well. There was a light foamy texture on top and the flavor was smooth and buttery. A good solid cappuccino.