Coffee in hand, big girl panties pulled up, fire in my eye and lipstick applied. I am now ready to face the day. Given enough coffee, I could rule the world. I was once told, if you are not shaking, you need another cup, and do I ever live by that rule.
Obexer’s General Store
5300 W. Lake Blvd., Homewood, CA 96141
http://obexersgenralstore.com
Coffee, lakes and chocolate bacon, oh my! That is a fierce threesome. During my spontaneous and random trip to the lake, I noticed I felt “off.” I was still tired from my grueling 65 hour work week I had just wrapped up and was dragging. I checked my hands, and sure enough, they were calm and collected, so clearly, I did not reach my coffee limit yet.
First off, there are not too many places on the north shore of Lake Tahoe that offer coffee. Living in Reno, there are coffee shops on every city corner. I was a little surprised to be driving for miles and miles and not come across a small café or coffee shop, which in a way is nice that the beautiful trees and natural land have not been destroyed by a Starbucks Drive-Thru.
As we were approaching a bend on a two-lane highway, I noticed a deep red building with cute green awnings and written right across in big white letters were the words, “Fresh Coffee”. I immediately spun my head around like “The Exorcist” to make sure I saw those words right and I did. Hubs immediately knew to pull over on the side of the road and flip around.
The adrenaline and curiosity were building inside me like volcanic pressure. I don’t think the car was quite done parking yet as I jumped out and told my husband “Sayonara”. As I approached the front door, I noticed a little sign that said Obexer’s General Store. I walked in to find it was an antique looking grocery store that had a full deli inside, along with liquor, groceries and of course, coffee.
I asked the gal working the register what the story on the coffee was and if it was local. It was! They serve Alpen Sierra Coffee Company. They have a little coffee bar set up in the middle of the store with the beans, grinder, and bags for you to help yourself. They also serve it brewed hot, and have bags for sale as well.
The coffee is certified organic and carefully crafted. I chose the Costa Rica La Amistad blend. This is a full body blend with sweet aromas and a bold, satisfying finish. I was curious about this delicious coffee, so I did a little research on the roaster, and this is what I found directly from their site –
“In 1988, while on a rainy day trek in the Rohrmoos Tal, near Schladming, Austria, founder and Roastmaster, Christian Waskiewicz, was inspired with the vision to create Alpen Sierra Coffee Company in Lake Tahoe. Having spent much of his life in the Alps of Europe and the Sierra Nevada of California, Christian’s pursuit of the good life has become the foundation of Alpen Sierra’s goal of providing a quality experience through the enjoyment of excellent coffee, tea and chocolate.
Serving its first cup of coffee in an historical log cabin on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe in 1991, Alpen Sierra has grown to become recognized as the premier craft roaster of specialty coffees in the Sierra Nevada. Locals and visitors enjoy Alpen Sierra Mountain Roasted coffees at home, in many coffeehouses and specialty food establishments throughout the world.” – Alpen Sierra Coffee Company.
Alpen Sierra will ship coffee, tea, and other products the same or first business day following your order date. Order online at www.alpensierracoffee.com.
Back to Obexer’s General Store.
After sipping on my coffee for a few minutes, I started to inquire about the adorable general store I was standing in. The gal at the register was so friendly and helpful. She told me that Sarah Obexer and the Obexer family were the first family to settle in Lake Tahoe and helped establish the West shore. The general store is over 100 years old and was established in 1911. I was also told, that the Obexer family is very hands on and is very involved in the daily operations of the store.
As I looked around, I noticed the deli counter that was over in the corner and saw they had thick cut, smoked, chocolate covered bacon slices. I absolutely had to have one. I was told there was a man in the store earlier who ate 12 pieces of this chocolate bacon, challenge accepted. I quickly paid and went out to the dock that sits right behind the store and drank coffee, ate chocolate covered bacon and watched the boats sail across the lake. The bacon was salty, sweet, savory and devilishly delicious. My trip was now complete.
If you are a local, then I am sure you already know about this darling general store that has so much to offer. If you are a tourist driving through, or live in Reno, I highly urge to visit Obexer’s and get the true meaning of what a “mom and pop” shop experience.
Thank you for an excellent snack and dose of coffee!
