LOCATION: MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA
PRICE: A LITTLE LESS THAN AVERAGE!
HOMEPAGE
MOCHA SPEZIATO: 9 – VAMPIRE COFFEE EQUIVALENT!
SIRIUS BLACK: 9 – ALSO VAMPIRE COFFEE EQUIVALENT!
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Joe and I live in Fayette County, Pennsylvania—a.k.a. West Virginia’s Second Panhandle—so Morgantown, WV, is barely a twenty minute drive away. Since the town is home to West Virginia University, one of the biggest schools in the Eastern United States, it’s got a thriving bohemian, DIY, small-business community that rivals even much larger cities like Pittsburgh. And, of course, a big part of that community revolves around coffee. At any given time there are at least five different coffeeshops kickin’ around, each of which offers a unique experience!
So needless to say, we’ve been going to Mo’town for coffee since…hell, 1996. We’ve mostly gone to the Blue Moose, because it’s been around the longest (I mean, we’ve been going there for almost thirty years), but a number of new shops—many of which roast their own coffee now—have opened within the last five or six years. Quantum Beam Coffee is one of them. It’s an easy walk away from High Street in Morgantown’s delightfully retro South Side neighborhood—spitting distance from the Moose, in fact—yet, because we are fundamentally lazy jagoffs, we’ve never stopped in to check it out, even though we’ve known about it for years.
Well, now we’re regretting those missing years, because the place is Tha Bomb.
The first thing you’ll notice about the place is the really cool mural painted on the side next to very small parking area (two spots for in-and-out visits, two for longer visits). Though, yes, a coffeeshop’s coffee is the primary thing I judge a place on, aesthetics are pretty important, too, and the mural clearly announces that Quantum Bean isn’t just a soul-less corporate automat. I mean, just look at it!
The interior aesthetic is very chill, and splits the difference between a smooth modern look and the classic bo-ho coffeeshop vibe. And it smells heavenly! Unfortunately, the smallness of the parking area is also reflected in the smallness of the interior space as well: there are only three tables and a couple of stools at the bar. Now, don’t think I’m kockin’ the joint for that: many of the patrons are locals who just stop in to get a cup or a bag of coffee and then go about their business, so seating doesn’t need to be a major factor—but Joe and I like to hang out in coffeeshops. That said, we’ve never been able to find someplace to sit every time we’ve visited, so don’t let that deter you!
Because if you do, you’re missing out on some of the best coffee you will ever have in Morgantown—or, hell, the whole country.
Quantum Bean roasts all their coffee on the premises. They offer a surprisingly diverse number of blends: Central American, Mexican, Costa Rican, Ethiopian—all light to medium roasts. Their espresso blend, Entanglement, is exquisite: very smooth, very light, with a very pleasant acidity and a rich, velvety texture. It’s superb on its own, but even better when added to a cup of whatever blend they’ve got dripping at the time—which they call a “Sirius Black,” though you may know of it as a red-eye or shot-in-the-dark. Joe swears up and down it’s the best of the sort he’s ever had: a perfect balance of tart, high-test espresso and smooth drip coffee.
They have a signature mocha—the Mocha Speziato—which I will state hands-down is the best mocha I’ve ever had in my life. It’s a blend of chocolate, cinnamon, and a bit of chili powder to give it an extra kick. I recommend getting it with two shots of espresso, because that way the flavor of the coffee is more prevalent and blends perfectly with the other flavors. It’s not too sugary, not too spicy (although they could drop an entire Carolina Reaper in it and both Joe and I would be fine). Seriously: the best mocha I’ve ever had. If you find yourself there, GET IT. It actually tastes a lot like the legendary Romanian Vampire Coffee that Joe and I consider one of the best coffees ever made.
I also really like the Wild Rabbit, a mocha variant that adds a touch of blackberry syrup. They use a lot of bespoke syrups and flavorings, too, which I always consider a good sign.
We’ll soon be doing individualized reviews of some of their coffee blends—I’m pretty psyched to try the Guatemalans—but, in the meantime, you can order all of their whole-bean coffees online. Their prices are actually on the lower side of average, which adds even more to the appeal!
So that’s pretty much it! If you’re in Morgantown for a football game, or you’re going to school there, sailing up the Mon—whatever—take some time to stop at Quantum Bean. You will be very glad you did, and if you see a big half-sasquatch guy and a weedy Goth there, say hey, because we go there a lot.
—Pegritz.
Pegritz and Joe Drink Coffee 
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