Nestled in the historic Holmes-Foster neighborhood lies a unique, charming coffeehouse ready to entice taste buds.
Coffee, Hemp & Tea, 313 W. Foster Ave. in State College, will celebrate its grand opening from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Following a soft opening this past spring, the coffeehouse owned by Nia and Angel Rodriguez will also have Happy Dishes food truck and Centre County PAWS on hand to help celebrate.
For Nia, as a Black female entrepreneur, having her own coffeeshop is a dream come true.
“It’s surreal, phenomenal” said Nia as goosebumps grew on her arms. “But if you want something bad enough, you go for it’.
Nia and Angel met 17 years ago in Arizona and moved to the State College area from Pittsburgh when a friend asked them to help open the area’s first medical marijuana dispensary. At the time, Nia was working at a coffeehouse in Pittsburgh called Prestogeorge and Angel noticed something special about his wife’s demeanor whenever she came home from work.
“He would say ‘You enjoy that so much. You come home and you smell like coffee and you’re very happy,’” recalled Nia. “We should open a coffeeshop”.
She thought it might be a possibility sometime in the future, but Angel had other ideas. After they helped to open and manage other dispensaries in the area, Coffee, Hemp & Tea was born.
“He made it happen,” said Nia.
Along with the typical offerings that many coffeehouses have on their menus, like lattes, mochas and espressos, Coffee, Hemp & Tea’s menu includes more distinctive coffee options like the PB & J, maple bacon and even bananas Foster. Hemp can also be added for an additional $1.50. Snacks like ham and cheese roses (a savory pastry) and Brazilian chocolates are available. And as medical marijuana and CBD enthusiasts, the couple also sells gummies, tinctures, brownies and dog treats infused with CBD.
Most items, except for the gummies and tinctures, are made in-house, including many of the syrups they put into drinks. But unlike your everyday coffeehouse where baristas fill orders as quickly as they possibly can, Nia and Angel take approximately four to five minutes on each creation, because every cup of coffee is made using a french press and pour over method. In fact, the drip machine behind the counter is used only for hot water.
As for the teas, do not expect to see conventional bags, because only loose leaf tea leaves are steeped. For an added bonus, iced drinks come with ice cubes flavored according to the type of drink ordered. For example an iced coffee includes real coffee ice cubes with a coffee gummy located inside.
The couple orders their coffee supply from Prestogeorge and Commonplace Coffee in Pittsburgh and Hacienda Muñoz from Angel’s hometown of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, while hemp is supplied locally from Rhodes Farm in Clinton County. In addition to hemp, they are also working with Rhodes Farm to sell a variety of fresh beef options that customers can request and later pick up at Coffee, Hemp & Tea.
While they believe in buying locally, the Rodriguezes want to make sure that their shop is “local” for State College residents from everywhere in the world. If there is a certain coffee or tea someone is missing from their hometown or homeland, the couple will research and find out if they can order the request for them.
“It’s not just about us locally,” said Nia. “We want it to be local for you as well.”
“We have a lot of international people here and (let’s) say they miss home” said Angel. “This is where we can give them a little space where they can find something that reminds them of home.”
They are also willing to take time to explain their menu or answer any questions one might have about coffee or even CBD.
“We’re literally showing people who we are up front,” said Angel. “We’re very transparent”.
When it came to the look of the space, Angel designed furniture for the store and other special features like a leaf border lining with his wife in mind. A wooden bedframe he found was repurposed as a shelf because of his wife’s love of reading.
“He built the bookshelf for me because I love books,” said Nia.
Customers are welcome to donate and even borrow from the bookshelf. Underneath the shelf are puzzle boards ready to be solved. Several crocheted “marshmallows” designed by the couple’s youngest daughter, Phoenyx, are also peppered throughout the store. But that’s not the only way Phoenyx’s creativity has crept into her parent’s shop. Like her mom, Phoenyx has helped come up with menu items like the oatmeal cookie coffee creation. The couple’s other daughters Erin and Nico also help their parents around the shop while their daughter Chyna is currently away for college.
As for the near future Coffee, Hemp & Tea is planning to have to-go items ready, including premade protein, vegetarian and kid snack boxes and even cold brew pouches. If the premade items are successful, they would like to create snack boxes to suit individual customers needs. However, since the same care will be taken in preparing the boxes just like they do with their beverages, those wanting one will have to call ahead or wait about 10 minutes for them to be ready.
Also this coming fall, Nia and Angel will be participating in the Happy Valley Latin Festival in October in downtown State College. The event that showcases food, music and dances from Latin American and Caribbean countries is dear to Angel’s heart as a Puerto Rican. He hopes to bring food carts or trucks to the coffeehouse on Saturdays that will offer a taste of his home as well as other cuisines.
For now, the couple is excited about sharing their vision and their one of a kind beverages and hemp treats with the community that will soon include an influx of students due back to State College in the coming days. And while they both own the store, Angel knows how incredibly special it is for Nia.
“Like it’s ours,” he said. “But for me this is her baby”.
Coffee, Hemp and Tea is currently open Tuesday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
