{"id":22977,"date":"2019-05-29T09:45:15","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T14:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/?p=22977"},"modified":"2022-08-17T23:02:51","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T04:02:51","slug":"cafe-crawl-portsmouth-new-hampshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshcup.com\/cafe-crawl-portsmouth-new-hampshire\/","title":{"rendered":"Caf\u00e9 Crawl: Portsmouth, New Hampshire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colorful teapots and mugs at White Heron Tea & Coffee Community. All photos by Ryan Cashman.<\/em><\/p>\n

[T]he coast of New England stretches north from Long Island Sound to the Gulf of Maine, offering some of the most scenic waterfronts in the United States. Sitting at the mouth of the Piscataqua, the tidal river that separates Maine from New Hampshire, is the small, lively city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Considered one of New England\u2019s hidden gems, Portsmouth is a walkable city brimming with historic architecture, trendy restaurants, festive evenings, and a loyal locale who\u2019ve designated these four unique caf\u00e9s as landmarks for every visitor to try.<\/p>\n

\n

White Heron Tea & Coffee Community<\/h4>\n

601 Islington Street
\n(603) 294-0270
\nwww.whiteherontea.com<\/a>
\nMon\u2013Fri, 7 a.m.\u20136 p.m. \/ Sat, 7 a.m.\u20135 p.m. Sun, 9 a.m.\u20134 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n

After Jonathan Blakeslee graduated from high school in Portsmouth, he enlisted in the Coast Guard, which took him to Hokkaido, Japan, where his fledgling interest in tea blossomed into obsession.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d always been into tea, but before Japan I\u2019d never really tasted tea,\u201d says Blakeslee. White Heron hatched in 2005, when Blakeslee, after a stint on the West Coast, saw a gap in the market. There was no place strictly for tea in Portsmouth, just coffee shops that offered tea as an afterthought.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Starting as a beverage stand at local farmers markets, White Heron\u2019s reputation and popularity grew steadily. \u201cI took each week as an opportunity to meet and share with new people,\u201d says Blakeslee.<\/p>\n

A regular favorite is American Breakfast, a patriotic take on English breakfast tea and one of White Heron\u2019s original 24 blends; it\u2019s an Assam and Darjeeling black tea with a strong but not overwhelming flavor. In 2013, the company moved into its permanent space on Islington Street in Portsmouth\u2019s developing West End.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our farmers market. We don\u2019t have to move it,\u201d says Blakeslee. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot more options for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of those options is coffee, something Blakeslee was initially opposed to.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than anything we are a tea company,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Like his teas, Blakeslee ensures that all coffee is sourced from organic certified locations, a practice that has made White Heron New Hampshire\u2019s first all-organic caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that most teas aren\u2019t organic and sprayed with chemicals, I feel better offering organic out the gate,\u201d says Blakeslee. \u201cWe know where we get things and why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Caffe Kilim & Market<\/h4>\n

163 Islington Street
\n(603) 436-7330
\nwww.caffekilim.com<\/a>
\nMon\u2013Thu, 6:30 a.m.\u20136 p.m. \/ Fri\u2013Sat, 6:30 a.m.\u20137 p.m.
\nSun, 7:30 a.m.\u20135 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n

According to Caffe Kilim lore, no one in Portsmouth knew what a latte was in 1993. A beloved institution, Kilim was the vanguard of Portsmouth\u2019s caf\u00e9 scene. Caffe Kilim introduced Portsmouth to espresso, created its own blend, Dancing Goats, and cloaked drinks with a legendary velvet foam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we did back then was not mainstream, but now it\u2019s mainstream,\u201d says Janice Schenker, who co-owns the caf\u00e9 with her husband, Yal\u00e7in Yazgan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yazgan is the dominating personality of Kilim. A broad smile beams permanently behind his thick, gray mustache. Born in Turkey, he worked at his grandfather\u2019s coffee shop in Istanbul before immigrating to the United States as a young man. The caf\u00e9 walls are filled with memorabilia from over 25 years of business: postcards, customer art, kilims (traditional Turkish rugs), soccer scarves hanging from the rafters, and shelves stocked with Turkish delight, coffee pots, and apparel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kilim is all about family. Loyal customers sometimes spend all day refilling their coffee cups, stepping outside for a cigarette, and playfully debating with Yazgan and other regulars. Ahmet and Leyla, Schenker and Yazgan\u2019s children, represent Kilim\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

“I really love this place,\u201d says Ahmet. \u201cI\u2019ve been working behind that counter since I was 12. I want to keep this place going the way it is. The locals deserve Caffe Kilim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Kaffee Vonsolln Coffee Roasters & Cafe<\/h4>\n

79 Daniel Street
\n(603) 373-0570
\nwww.kaffeevonsolln.com<\/a>
\nMon\u2013Fri, 7:30 a.m.\u20136 p.m. \/ Sat\u2013Sun, 8 a.m.\u20136 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m going to be working in coffee, I may as well work at my own,\u201d says Emma Nelson. At 23, Nelson is one of the youngest caf\u00e9 owners in Portsmouth. She worked at Kaffee Vonsolln in high school, then at La Maison Navarre, before buying the kaffeehaus with her parents in 2016.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Though not German herself, Nelson continues Vonsolln\u2019s tradition of offering selections of favorite German pastries like Bienenstich, \u201cbee sting cake,\u201d with a vanilla honey frosting.<\/p>\n

Locals have developed a devoted following to Vonsolln. Nelson sometimes refers to her shop as a \u201cpolice substation,\u201d as it has become a favorite spot among local law enforcement. All of Vonsolln\u2019s coffee is roasted on-site by Nelson in small batches to ensure quality. The Guatemalan is a rich medium roast with a chocolatey finish, while the Ethiopian roast used for espresso is bright and floral.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Soft light illuminates the aged brick walls, filling the caf\u00e9 with a warm glow. The space is intimate, which allows for something unique to the caf\u00e9 industry: a bond with customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had people send their dry cleaning here,\u201d laughs Nelson. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

La Maison Navarre<\/h4>\n

121 Congress Street
\n(603) 373-8401
\nwww.mnpastry.com<\/a>
\nSun\u2013Tue, 8 a.m.\u20136 p.m. \/ Wed\u2013Sat, 8 a.m.\u20139 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n

Entering La Maison Navarre is like walking into the glittering Parisian metro of yesteryear. White tile and mirrors line the walls to give the illusion of space, and a long, black bar stretches the length of the caf\u00e9. Colorful, handmade macarons are on full display, and the smell of fresh crepes create an atmosphere of coziness where one could easily imagine spending an entire day. Owners Victor Navarre and Charlotte Reymond, both from France, saw that Portsmouth was lacking a bit of Paris, and so created it themselves.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

George Howell Alchemy Espresso beans are used for all the coffee drinks at La Maison, which range from simple espresso to affogato. Baristas train in the French tradition, ensuring a continuity of quality in every drink. La Maison also serves a full line of Palais de Th\u00e9s tea.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to give the full French experience of quality,\u201d says Navarre. \u201cEverything not imported from France is made here in the shop.\u201d That includes croissants (traditional or made to order), crepes, croque monsieur, quiche Lorraine, and 15 flavors of macarons. At the back of the caf\u00e9 is a set of stairs, which lead up to the evening wine bar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have a crepe, a pastry, and good coffee and tea, then come back at a different time of day and experience something completely different,\u201d says Navarre. The bar is stocked with wine, cheese, and charcuterie, all imported from France.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like it here,\u201d says Navarre. \u201cThere is great community here and people get rewarded for what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Portsmouth is a walkable city brimming with historic architecture, trendy restaurants, festive evenings, and a loyal locale who\u2019ve designated these four unique caf\u00e9s as landmarks for every visitor to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1153,"featured_media":22985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}},"beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[24,17,14253],"tags":[11689],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCaf\u00e9 Crawl: Portsmouth, New Hampshire - 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