A superb route by reservoirs might’ve led me to Valhalla

The Ride

Another New York coffee shop in our Upstate Coffee Crawl series, our destination today was Valkyrie Coffee Roasters in Chester, NY.  Departing from Cross River, NY, the Beeline Moto indicated 35.1 miles as the crow flies.  The straight line to my destination passed right by the Bear Mountain Bridge, so that’s where I planned to cross the Hudson River aboard the BMW R18 Classic I was riding today.  See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.

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I embarked on a thrilling journey north on Route 121, a road that winds its way past the picturesque Cross River Reservoir, a gem among local motorcycle roads. A quick detour on Route 22 near Croton Falls led me to the scenic Stoneleigh Avenue, which hugs the Croton Falls reservoir on its way to Carmel.  In Carmel, I ventured onto 301, a road that is renowned as the most popular motorcycle route in Putnum County.

When it joined with Route 9, I made a left heading south to grab Snake Hill Road, which, like its name, snakes its way past a golf course as it descends toward Route 9D, which runs along the Hudson River. I headed south on Route 9D toward the Bear Mountain Bridge, then passed by the Bear Mountain Inn as I took Seven Lakes Drive to Arden Valley Road.

I grabbed Route 17 heading north at the end of Arden Valley Road and then took the first left onto 17M heading toward Monroe, which aligned with the Beeline compass heading. It became a strip mall road around Monroe but opened up as I left that village. I broke off it as I entered Chester, following the Beeline toward the destination.

I grabbed a spot just across from Valkyrie, though most spots on the street were filled. Rever had recorded a ride of 70.7 miles, so there were many diversions from the straight-line distance. See the route below.

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The Coffee Shop

Chester is a town in Orange County, NY, with a village of the same name.  The economy was focused on dairy products aided by the Erie Railroad building, which ran through the town, enabling their goods to be transported to other markets.  Here, Philadelphia-style cream cheese was created by William Lawrence, a dairy owner from Chester, N.Y., who began distributing bricks of cream cheese in foil packets under the label Philadelphia in 1880, a brand eventually bought by Kraft in 1928.

The Village of Chester’s Main Street is a narrow street with brick buildings on either side, indicative of a bygone era. Just down the street, it joins Railroad Avenue, which paralleled the earlier Erie Railroad. The Erie Railroad Museum is a short walk from the coffee shop.

A small round yellow sign with the Valkyrie logo of a Pegasus alerted you to the entrance. In Norse mythology, the Valkyrie were the guides who brought the dead warriors to the great hall of Valhalla. It was often written that the Valkyrie would bear horns of mead or ale to the warriors in the great hall.

The front window has large panes of glass, allowing a lot of natural light into the space. The top panes have the swirls evident in glass made by hand many years ago, evoking the timeframe of when the building was built.

Inside the left wall is exposed natural-colored brick. Next to the chalkboard menu was a larger icon of the Pegasus, with some backlight creating an aura around it. A few tables were directly in front. On the other side was a white wall with some other artwork featuring the Pegasus, and a small sofa and fabric chairs were around a coffee table.

Beyond that, there are a couple of round tables and a counter with an espresso machine.  The counter had corrugated aluminum on the front, giving an industrial feeling to the decor.  Some bar stools at one part allow you to drink coffee at the counter.  Small barrels are on either side of a small table holding sugar, stirrers, and napkins. The ceiling was painted black with tin roof-style tiles.  Opposite the counter in the corner was their roaster and bags of fresh beans waiting to be roasted.  Just beyond the roaster was another window next to the door to the restroom, bringing in more natural light.  A door leads out to a small parking lot behind the shop with plenty of spots.  By the counter, there is a selection of bagged coffee beans roasted in the shop.

I was quickly greeted by the barista with a friendly smile and “What would you like?” I’d missed the menu sign, so I asked if they had cortado, to which she replied that it was her kind of drink. She also asked if I’d like anything to eat and directed me to the fridge filled with pastries. She suggested two options she really liked, and I chose the Cruffin from her suggestions.

Beyond the cortado I’d ordered, you could choose from drip coffee, French press, pour-over, Vietnamese KaPhe, espresso, latte, mocha, cappuccino, and americano.

Many other teas were on the menu, including loose-leaf organic wild Thai, Earl Grey, wild Thai, chamomile, hibiscus berry, and several chai and matcha.

A couple of tables had patrons at them.  Several regulars came in and had some friendly banter with the barista as they got their drinks. I grabbed a table opposite the counter, near the roaster. My cortado was served in a small glass cup, which the barista walked over to my table, as it was very full.

It had beautiful espresso art on the top, and the caramel color set off nicely against the black of the round table I sat at. Espresso was evident, with a chocolate note almost like baker’s chocolate. The slightly chalk texture was pleasant, and the temperature was perfect.

After the pastry had finished warming up, the barista brought over the Cruffin Dulce de Leche.  It was similar consistency to a criossant but with both a savory & sweet blend of flavors.  The delicate nature of the pastry had a great texture.  I liked it as a compliment to the cortado.

It was a warm, welcoming space. The natural light brought out beautiful colors in the cortado, so much so that I got a second one. I may have found Valhalla.