Top Coffee Shops To Work From Home In Connecticut

The Daily Meal Staff|Sept. 10, 2014 7:00 am EST

Working at home has its benefits, but it can get lonely – and the coffee can get pretty stale, warming there all morning long in the pot. Fortunately, most towns and cities in Connecticut have good or even excellent neighborhood coffee shops – places to go to get out of the house, get a real, strong, flavorful and fresh cup of coffee, as well as a pastry or a cookie or some other treat. Here are just five of the top coffee shops for those who work at home in Connecticut to go for a real coffee break.

Klekolo World Coffee
181 Court St.
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 343-9444
www.klekolo.com

Getting out of the house to sit for a moment and sip a cup of coffee (or, better yet, its signature "Witches Brew" blend of espresso, dark hot chocolate, steamed milk and hazelnut and caramel syrups) at Klekolo World Coffee in Middletown is a true coffee break, in more than the traditional sense of the word. Here there are dragons indeed (as another of its concoctions is named The Dragon), but also peace. The walls are a funky purple color, the décor and mood are pure Seattle and the vibe is definitely green – as this is a fair-trade shop. There is live music some nights, but during the day, it is a caffeinated chocolaty oasis of a kind not found elsewhere in Middletown, or anywhere else in the Nutmeg State.

J. Rene Coffee Roasters
320 Park Road
West Hartford, CT 06119
(860) 461-7858
www.jrenecoffee.com

With its separate espresso bar and its menu, which specializes in "artisan coffee by the cup," for real coffee fanatics there are few places in the Hartford area that can compare to J. Rene Coffee Roasters. The shop opens its doors at seven every morning, even on Sundays, and there are always customers waiting by those doors. The menu is extensive and ever-changing, with the promise of at least a dozen different and usually exotic coffees to choose from. The baristas are both artists and entertainers, as they put on quite a show using the special "Siphon Brewing Machine" or the individual French Press. There are big, soft, comfortable chairs to sink into as well as stools for those who can only afford a brief respite in their day – until they spy one of the home-made pastries that go so well with any of the fine cups of coffee that J. Rene offers.

Cocoa Michelle
54 Railroad Place
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 221-0020
www.cocoamichelle.com

Very few coffee shops offer their customers sofas, but there are a pair of those (and some other comfy chairs) in the back at Cocoa Michelle. There is more than just comfort and caffeine here, however, as Cocoa Michelle is not only a coffee shop but also a place where chocolate is made. Michelle is first and foremost a chocolatier, but she is also a barista, and she knows her beans – coffee, cocoa and otherwise. Stamford's famous Bonjo Coffee Roasters deliver them to her fresh daily, and as such, Coca Michelle is a haven for those waiting for the morning train – as well as those who work from home and straggle in after the commuters have departed. That, of course, is the best time to claim a spot on a sofa.

Modern Pastry Shop
422 Franklin Ave.
Hartford, CT 06114
(860) 296-7628
www.modernpastryshop.com

The old fashioned sign outside may say "Pastry Shop," but this delightful treasure on Franklin Avenue is also one of the finest coffee shops in the city. A regular stop for students, office workers and those working from home who need a break, the Modern Pastry Shop is a bakery with an old-fashioned lunch counter, the kind with the stools that spin around. Coming here for a cup of espresso, cappuccino, hot cocoa or just a simple cup of java is a treat, especially when there is something from the bakery to go along with it. There are always at least 30 types of French and Italian pastries to choose from, as well as cookies (which can be ordered by the six-pound box from the online store).

Redding Roasters
81 Greenwood Ave.
Bethel, CT 06801
(203) 739-0510
www.reddingroasters.com

Tucked away on Greenwood Avenue in the tiny hamlet of Bethel is a coffee roaster of unparalleled sophistication, variety and charm. Redding Roasters prepares its beans in small batches – as the Diedrich IR12 model manual roaster it uses can only handle about 14 kilos of beans at a time. Like Heinz with its famous 57 varieties, so too does Redding Roasters offer 57 varieties of coffee (66 if the decaf varieties are included), both flavored and unflavored. It carries both traditional and specialty blends, and while not a traditional coffee shop, it does attract customers who come in for just a single cup of whatever varieties are brewing and then leave with a couple of pounds of coffee to brew at home.

Mark G. McLaughlin is a professional and prolific writer with a proven publishing record in a wide variety of fields. An historian, novelist, freelance journalist, ghost-writer, book reviewer, magazine editor, web and magazine columnist, Mark has more than 30 years of experience. His work can be found at Examiner.com.