It’s no big secret — at 7 am every morning, I love coffee more than I love my children. I also happen to know the secret to the best cup o’ joe on the planet: Ahrre’s Coffee Roastery in Westfield. If you too are a coffee lover, you’ll want to bring a beach chair into Ahrre’s shop and bask in the glorious aroma of freshly ground beans. One taste of their coffee, and you’ll never go back to your old stuff.

Owner Ahrre (pronounced like the letter “R”) was born and raised in Summit, NJ. He learned the art of coffee roasting on the West Coast and brought his know-how back to our area in 1990, when he opened his first Roastery in Cranford. By 1992 he had moved the shop to its current location on Elm Street in Westfield, and recently he opened a second location in Summit.

There’s good reason why Ahrre’s was named one of the top three coffee shops in NJ. According to Ahrre: “We are a micro-roastery. (residencyunlimited.org) We roast all of our coffees at our very own roasting facility in Plainfield. The coffee in our jars at the store is under a week old at all times. You just can’t get coffee FRESHER anywhere else in the area. Hence our slogan: ‘Ahrre’s is fresher than theirs!’”

Ahrre’s sells bulk coffee, coffee drinks by the cup, tea, and they also make gift baskets (coffee, tea, chocolate) for all occasions. Their bestselling coffee varietals and blends are Colombian Supremo, Sumatra Manheling, and Morning Blend; favorite flavored coffees include Hazelnut Creme and Golden Butter Nut. Some local eateries serve only Ahrre’s coffee, including Skolnick’s Bagel Cafe in Springfield.

Customers who buy from Ahrre become lifelong regulars. One older gentleman has been coming into the shop since it first opened, and he continually tricks other customers in the store by asking, “Has the Garlic Flavored Coffee arrived yet?”

Ahrre’s is located at 104 Elm Street.

HOURS:

Mon-Fri 7:30 am to 6 pm

Sat 9 am to 6 pm

Sun 9 am to 5 pm

Visit their website for more information or to place orders online at www.ahrre.com