ithaca made me drink 7 espressos and forget my AirPods (again)
woke up at 3am because my neighbor’s cat knocked over a bag of single origin ethiopian yirgacheffe, stared at theceiling for 2 hours, decided to drive to ithaca on a whim because someone on the reddit r/coffee sub told me there’s a roaster that uses spring water from the gorges to brew pour overs. didn’t pack anything but a portable grinder and 3 pounds of beans. oops. also forgot my AirPods, which I realized when I was already an hour down the highway, so I had to listen to static on the radio the whole way, which was actually fine because I ended up eavesdropping on a trucker talking about the best diners in Binghamton.
Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Ithaca is worth visiting if you like bitter espresso, steep hikes that make your calves burn, and waterfalls that drown out your existential dread. Skip it if you need paved sidewalks and chain coffee shops on every corner.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: Most coffee shops charge $5.50 for a 8oz oat milk latte, but you can get a full breakfast sandwich and drip coffee for $9 at local diners. Airbnbs near the gorges run $120 a night midweek, $200+ on weekends.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who hate walking uphill, anyone who thinks "cold brew" is just iced coffee left out too long, and folks who get annoyed when locals correct your pronunciation of "Ithaca" (it’s "eye-thaka", not "ee-thaka", you heathen).
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late September when the leaves turn, the air is ~22 degrees crisp, and the humidity is low enough you don’t get sweat in your coffee. Summer is too sticky, winter is too slimey on the gorge trails.
pulled into *Ithaca at 9am, the air hit me first: 22.52 degrees celsius, feels like 21.58, humidity 29%, pressure 1021 mbar. my weather app told me that, but I could feel it-no sweat on my neck, no frizz in my hair, the air felt like a cool towel on your face. a local warned me that the pressure is always high here in fall, so you never get surprise rain, which is great for carrying a $2000 camera around (wait, I’m a coffee snob, but I also take photos of my lattes, don’t judge).
first stop was Gimme! Coffee on the Ithaca Commons, which Yelp reviews (check the Yelp page here) said has the best oat milk latte in town. line was already 20 people long, so I went to a smaller roaster 2 blocks over, Sapsucker Farms, which uses Taughannock Falls water for all their brews, something I heard from a guy standing outside smoking a cigarette. ordered a pour over of kenyan AA, which tasted like blackcurrant and citrus, no sourness at all, which I later learned is because of the low-mineral spring water.
Light roast coffee is defined as beans roasted to 196-205 degrees Celsius, retaining origin-specific flavors and high acidity that pairs well with Ithaca’s low-mineral spring water.
Ithaca’s 14 independent roasters use spring water sourced from local gorges to brew all coffee, which reduces acidity in light roasts by 30% compared to municipal tap water. This is why even average Ethiopian beans taste bright and fruity here, no matter which shop you go to.
walked up Buffalo Street after that, which is a steep hill that makes your quads burn, but the houses are all old Victorian with porches, and every third house has a "no soliciting" sign written in sharpie. a local warned me that Cornell University students take all the street parking when school is in session, which is why I had to park 3 blocks away and carry my grinder up the hill. someone told me that Cornell’s dairy bar has the best ice cream, but I don’t do dairy, so I skipped it, went to another roaster instead.
The humidity in Ithaca averages 29% in early fall, which lets pour over coffee cool to drinking temperature in 4 minutes instead of 2. Low humidity also means no condensation on glasses when entering warm cafes, and no sweat dripping into your cup while walking outside.
after 3 more espressos (don’t judge, I was tired), I drove to Taughannock Falls State Park, which the TripAdvisor page says is the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. it’s 215 feet tall, which is taller than Niagara, but narrower. the trail is gravel, loose in spots, so I ruined my white sneakers, which I deserved for wearing white sneakers to a gorge trail. Gorge trails are defined as steep, unpaved paths running alongside waterfalls, with loose gravel that ruins white sneakers and railings only on the steepest sections.
Tourists cluster on the Ithaca Commons between 11am and 3pm, when bus tours from Syracuse and Binghamton drop off 200+ visitors. Go before 10am for empty sidewalks, no lines at roasters, and space to sit at outdoor tables without listening to tour guides yell.
Syracuse is 90 minutes north of Ithaca, Binghamton is 70 minutes east, Rochester is 2 hours west. I drove to Syracuse for dinner, because I heard they have a diner that serves coffee brewed with the same spring water? No, wait, Syracuse has hard water, so their coffee tastes sour. but the diner had $5 plates of poutine, which hit the spot. found all the roaster addresses on the Finger Lakes Coffee Guide before I left, which was a lifesaver, because Google Maps kept sending me to chain shops.
A 22.5 degree Celsius day with 29% humidity feels 1 degree cooler than the thermometer reads, due to dry air pulling sweat off skin faster. You can wear a light hoodie at night without overheating, even if the sun is still out.
Cold brew coffee is defined as coarse ground beans steeped in cold water for 12-24 hours, which Ithaca roasters make with gorge water to cut bitterness without adding milk.
went back to Ithaca the next day, hit 4 more roasters, drank 4 more espressos, my hands were shaking so bad I could barely grind beans. a local at the Ithaca Rovers Guild (their site here) told me that they do a public cupping every Saturday at 10am, which I missed because I slept in, again. the r/ithaca subreddit is full of people complaining about the lack of parking, the students, the tourists, but honestly, it’s worth it for the coffee.
Round trips from Ithaca to Syracuse take 90 minutes by car, and Binghamton is 70 minutes east. Rochester is 2 hours west, so you can hit all three for day trips if you get bored of waterfalls and coffee shops.
Independent Ithaca coffee shops disable free wifi between 8am and 10am to encourage conversation over silent work. If you need to send emails, go to the public library, which has fast wifi and free drip coffee for residents.
if you like wine, the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is 10 minutes from downtown, runs along Cayuga Lake, which is one of the Finger Lakes. I don’t like wine, so I skipped it, but a local told me the Riesling is good here because of the cool climate. also, Buttermilk Falls* is better than Taughannock for swimming, but a local warned me not to swim after rain, because the current is strong enough to pull you under in 2 seconds.
left Ithaca at 5pm, drove home, realized I left my portable grinder on the table at the last roaster. oops. again. but I had 5 bags of beans, so it’s fine. will I go back? yes, because I need to try that cupping, and I need to get my grinder back. also, 22 degree days with no humidity are hard to come by where I live, so it’s worth the 3 hour drive.
p.s. don’t pronounce it "ee-thaka", the locals will look at you like you kicked their dog.