Take on The Coffee Trail with us
I hate coffee. The taste. The smell. Can’t stand it. But I know that’s not the norm; most people love coffee. Lucky for those people, I decided to take on the Tri Lakes Coffee Trail, but with a few tweaks. Since I don’t drink coffee, my husband came along to be the coffee taster, and I got non-coffee drinks.
I will say, my go-to drink tends to be an iced chai made with either oat milk or almond milk. I usually add a pump of chocolate too. I tried to mix it up a little bit during my visits and see if I could find a new favorite in the process. My husband’s go-to is an iced mocha, and he pretty much stuck with that, but I think it led to an even rating system.
Below is a recap of each location we visited, the distance from the Golden Arrow, what we ordered, and our rating on a scale of 1-5. Read to the end to see our overall ranking of all the locations.
The Coffee Bar
Our first stop on The Coffee Trail was The Coffee Bar. The Coffee Bar is not on the trail on Wayfinder, but it should be. If you’re staying at the Golden Arrow, it’s the most convenient location to grab your morning pick-me-up. Located in the Alpine Mall, you can smell the fresh coffee as you enter, which I guess is a good thing if you’re into that 😏. The Coffee Bar offers hot and cold drinks, including coffee, smoothies, and tea. They also have quick breakfast and lunch options. The space is small, but there are a few indoor seats, as well as some bar stools outside that overlook Mirror Lake.
Distance: 430 feet / 1-minute walk
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – strawberry lemonade smoothie | $5.95/20oz | 3.5 Stars
*My dislike about The Coffee Bar is they don’t do iced chai, and as previously mentioned, that’s my go-to drink.
Joe – mocha iced latte with an extra shot | $6.65/20oz +$0.95/shot + $0.75/syrup | 4 Stars
Starbucks
Next up was Starbucks. While we like supporting our local small businesses, we know some people will always gravitate toward Starbucks. We go there our fair share too. We know the drinks will always taste good and the ease of ordering online and just popping in to pick it up is super convenient.
Distance: .2 miles / 2-minute walk
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – iced oat milk chai with chocolate | $5.25/Venti + $.80 (mocha) + $.70 (oat milk) | 4 stars
Joe – iced chocolate almond milk shaken espresso | $5.95/Grande | 3 stars
Origin Coffee Co.
We made a trip over to Saranac Lake for our third stop and headed into Origin Coffee Co. There is an Origin located in Lake Placid too and is an easy walk from the Golden Arrow. We decided to go to the Saranac Lake location on this particular day because we thought it would be less busy than the Lake Placid location. Plus it’s nice to just pop over to the other side of the tracks once in a while. Both locations offer similar menus with some great food options. They sell out quickly at both spots, but if you can, snag a cinnamon roll! Both Origin locations have indoor seating, but it is limited.
Distance: 9.4 miles / 18 minutes (SL) | 0.3 miles / 5-minute walk (LP)
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – iced oat milk chai with maple syrup | $7/12oz + $.50 ice + $1 oat milk +$.75 | 3 stars.
*My complaint is it’s very expensive
Joe – iced mocha with an extra shot | $6.75/16oz + $.50 ice +$1 extra shot | 3 stars
Capisce
Our fourth stop in the Coffee Trail was Capisce. Capisce is a brand new coffee spot, so they are also not on the Coffee Trail, but again, should be. Capisce is located just down the road from the Horse show Grounds and Olympic Jumping Complex. It’s a great spot to stop in if you’re heading out to visit the Ski Jumps or making your way out to Mount VanHoevenburg. There’s not a ton of indoor seating, but it’s great to grab and go. When we stopped in they even had ducks outside and a sweet cat. We only got drinks during this visit, but they do have a few food items. They were making a soppressata sandwich that looked absolutely delicious and we will definitely be going back to try one!
Distance: 1.9 miles / 6-minute drive
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – Oat milk maple chai (hot) | $6.25/12oz + $.75 oat milk + $.75 maple syrup | 5 stars
*I’ve been thinking about this drink ever since!
Joe – Caffe Shakerato | $5.25/12oz | 2 stars:
*Too bitter. Would try again, but get his normal drink
Nori's
Another Saranac Lake stop along the Coffee Trail is Nori’s. I’ve shopped at Nori’s a few times. They have a big selection of healthy foods and drinks. I’ve never gotten a drink from their cafe. They have a pretty good selection on their Espresso menu, as well as a big smoothie menu. After this trip, I don’t think we will be getting drinks again unless we switch over to the smoothie menu.
Distance: 9.4 miles / 18-minute drive
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – iced almond milk vanilla chai | $4.75/12oz + $75 oat milk + $.50 vanilla | 1 star.
*It had a really bad aftertaste. They put simple syrup in it, and that may have been it. It just wasn’t good and I couldn’t drink more than a few sips.
Joe – iced mocha | $4.75/12oz 1 star.
*It just wasn’t good.
A New Leaf
Our next stop was A New Leaf, or as we like to call it, the Pink House. A New Leaf is located inside an old big pink house. It’s a spot that we actually talk about stopping into all the time, and just never do. It is within walking distance from the Golden Arrow, located just at the other end of Main Street (and up the hill). It’s a unique spot that we will add to our list of places to go when we need that caffeine boost! They also have a variety of baked goods; the chocolate chip muffins are really good!
Distance: .5 miles / 10-minute walk
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – iced oat milk vanilla chai | $5.75/16oz + $2 oat milk | – 3.5 stars
*Too much vanilla. Would try again without it.
Joe – Iced Mocha | $5.75/16oz | 3 stars
*Tasted like it had vanilla in it.
The Breakfast Club, etc.
Last on our stops along the Coffee Trail was The Breakfast Club, etc. The breakfast Club is not new to us, we stop in for breakfast a lot. What we always forget is that they have a coffee bar in front of the restaurant. Not only can you get drinks, but they have baked goods like croissants and bagels but they also have a good size smoothie and bowl menu.
Distance: .3 miles / 7-minute walk
Drinks | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – iced oat milk chai with chocolate | $4.50/12oz + $.70 chocolate + $.75 oat milk | 4 stars
*Their hot chocolate is also yummy!
Joe – iced mocha | $4.75/12oz + $.70 chocolate | 3.5 stars
There are two more stops along the Coffee Trail that we did not try. They are both located in Tupper Lake and are worth checking out if you venture over there. Well Dressed Food Company and Larkin’s Junction Depot.
Overall Ranking
Here are our overall rankings based on how we liked our drinks, price, and likelihood of purchasing again.
Joell’s Ranking
Capisce
The Breakfast Club
Starbucks
The Coffee Bar
A New Leaf
Origin
Nori’s
Joe’s Ranking
The Coffee Bar
Origin’s
The Breakfast Club
Starbucks
A New Leaf
Capisce
Nori’s
The only thing we overlook is the lake
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