‘We want to be a part of the community’: Coffee, Hemp & Tea readies for grand opening

Sometimes a coffee snob has to take things into their own hands.

Nia Rodriguez owns Coffee, Hemp & Tea at 313 W. Foster Ave. in State College along with her husband, Angel. After quietly opening their doors in April, they announced this week the shop’s grand opening will be held 2-6 p.m. Aug. 19.

Nia said she’s opened businesses before, but this was the right time to for her and Angel to start their own.

“I am a bit of a coffee snob. And I like certain tastes. I don’t want my coffee bitter,” she said. “I don’t want it to have to be drowned in sugar and I don’t want it to be too watered down. So I have a hard time finding coffee that I like.”

She found it at Prestogeorge in Pittsburgh (“It was the best coffee I’ve had in the United States.”) and works with them now. Her shop’s coffee is sourced from another Pittsburgh hot spot, Commonplace Coffee. Closer to home, Rodriguez said she has been in talks with the owners of Cafe Lemont about providing coffee.

What sets Coffee, Hemp & Tea apart from other shops is the Puerto Rican influence. One coffee is from Angel’s hometown in Puerto Rico and each bean is hand picked. The shop makes its coffee in a traditional way you would see on the island, he said, and the cafe con leche is made the way his family has for generations.

The shop also makes most of its syrups on-site and uses as few preservatives as possible.

As for the shop’s other offerings, the hemp is Angel’s area of focus. It’s grown on a farm in Clinton County and is 100% organic, Nia said. It’s natural, homegrown and certified by the state, she added. It’s sold in flowers, tinctures, gummies (CBD and Delta-8) and brownies. Drinks can be infused with hemp, and the shop also carries hemp dog treats. The tea is sourced the same as the coffee and is in a French press. They only use pour over and use real fruit.

Though the shop has been open for a few months, Nia said they wanted to get acclimated before the grand opening.

“We’re excited about the grand opening,” she said. “And we want to turn it into a block party because we want to be a part of the community.”

The shop’s decor has a personal touch: Angel built everything by hand, she said, including the garbage can receptacle. The colors are meant to evoke a happy atmosphere. Visitors can read or try their hand at a puzzle, and Nia hopes to host a sip-and-paint in the future. Outdoor seating is also available.

“We just want to make it friendly for the locals more than anyone,” she said. That includes pets, too, as they offer whipped cream cups for dogs.

The shop’s coffee menu includes cafe con leche, strawberry cheesecake, maple bacon as well as latte, cortado, macchiato, espresso and cappuccino. Tea options include desi masala chai, blackberry, Oreo matcha and watermelon mint.

Hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and closed Sunday. Right now, the store is operating on summer hours, which means it’s closed Sunday and Monday. Visit Coffee Hemp and Tea on Facebook or instagram.com/coffeehempandtea/ for more information.

This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 1:49 PM.