Lost dog coffee at Shepherdstown  happens to be one of my favorite places in the whole planet. It was the first place we went when arriving to Shep. Instantly my taste and preferences were recorded and the next time I went there I was given the right size of cup and recommendation of which of their three coffees that day were good ones for me. Quality service!

  Coffee is something I take very seriously. The brownish decaffeinated liquid that is called coffee in USA is not – if anyone asks from me – coffee but something completely different. I love my coffee strong, tasting and with caffeine. I also love art, odd things and good music. Lost Dog Coffee has all of them.

   Pictures don’t have sound and smell so imagine music, played loud. Something indie or maybe classical music, or jazz. Depending on who was working and how they felt. Coffee beans bagged onsite, smelling wonderful. Tea from Darjeeling to Rooibos. Fruity mixatives from peach to apple and some bakings with cinnamon and sugar. Man outside smoking pipe, an university student with strong aftershave, a lady that just walked from shower and whose wet hair smells like roses

Pörrö Sahlberg is an artist and crafter from Helsinki Finland. She teaches mostly polymer clay related crafts and hand dyed yarns. Her shop, www.askartelumassat.com

I love this place. I've been getting coffee here for years, traveling to the area from my native Pittsburgh to visit my in-laws in nearby Maryland. My ritual is to wake up, go for a run along the C&O Canal tow path, then go to the Lost Dog for some of the great strong coffee there.

You can tell by looking around the place that the guy who owns it loves coffee and tea. I like that, next to each brewed carafe of coffee, he has a handwritten description--filled with poetry and the hyperbolic enthusiasm of the true fanatic--of each of the blends on offer. I always opt for the darkest and strongest, and it never fails to deliver.

For what it's worth, I'm a bit of a coffee snob, and this is probably my favorite place to get coffee in the U.S.

Quite simply, this is my favorite coffee shop on the planet, bar none.

With an eclectic interior jammed with oddities and marginalia, the Lost Dog is like an island of personality, a bastion of bona fidity, amidst a homogenized world of reliably caffeinated sameness.  The walls feature the work of local artists: some good, some struggling to achieve goodness. You may encounter soundtracks that veer from classical to jazz to alternative to god-knows-what.

All this is secondary to the coffee. This is coffee from people who really care about, and possibly worship, coffee. The lattes are the best you'll find for miles and miles. The Wet Dog is a strange and wonderful concoction, sort of a vanilla cream soda slammed with a double expresso. The Avocado Smoothie... well, when was the last time you tasted something wonderful that was a total surprise, not just a minor variation of the usual? It sounds weird, but it's heavenly.

If you're a serious coffee aficionado, the owner can expound on the subtleties of the various coffees they sell, much of it organic and fairly traded.

I consider this place to be the very nerve center of Shepherdstown, and a must-visit for those who are only in town for the day. Don't be put off by the kids and their dogs lounging around in front; this is one of the least pretentious and most genuinely cool places you will encounter. Go on in, and order something unexpected.

Stopped in at Lost Dog this afternoon for some caffeine. What a strange little and eclectic coffee shop! Upon entering - the first thing that hit me was a musty odor of sorts - it immediately elicited memories of the smell of my Grandmother's old house in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Very powerful. The place had a number of small cafe tables and chairs with burlap bags draped over the chair backs - gave the place a bit of a rustic feel.

Jazz music was loudly playing, the place was decorated with a mish-mash of traditional, antique-ish looking items, plus funky modern lighting such as a plasma lamp.

Ordered a triple shot Cappuccino, the drink was strong, delicious, and creamy!

do the sixties still exist? i stepped through a time warp when i entered the lost dog!!!! my senses were immediately and stunningly bombarded by the nutmeg, cinnamon, fresh roasted expresso beans, neon and...the music!! eclectic, positively..one-of-a-kind, absolutely! see garth for  socio-political banter and the best caffeinated works of art that you will ever taste.
the "coffehouse" lives! i am addicted to the drinks, the different characters, the struggling artist displays, the cozy womb factor on wet cold days, and the experience. are you experienced? have you ever been?i'd rate it six and half stars, but i only have five to work with. (no wifi though)

Yummy strong coffee!!
  Located just blocks from Shepherd University.  Unique local artwork on the walls and funky music.  This is not your quiet Starbucks.  My daughter took ballet for 10 years in Shepherdstown...and this is a great place to grab a pick me up and relax with the locals.  

  If you are feeling adventurous try a Vanilla Wet Dog....a super interesting twist on an iced coffee.  DELICIOUS!!

  I was in Shepherdstown for the first time this past weekend to run a road race, and visited this place, like, 4 times.  I was pretty much ready to move in.  The combination of weirdness and amazing coffee = perfection, and I could stare at the walls all day (if you visit you'll see what I mean).  I miss it already.

• Garth knows his coffee and creates an ersatz caffeinated decor to suit the over-caffeinated crowd. One of the most original, memorable, and yes, oddest ,coffee shops I've ever encounterd. Actually one of my favorites too!

 No free internet, closes at 6pm. Sounds like they need to upgrade to compete in a world of other coffee shops providing such features/functionality. And as for no-name reviewer #3 comments - http://www.manta.com/company/mmj6d6v Up to 2.5 million in annual revenue, and they cant afford internet or to stay open past 6pm? Its a college town! Freeloaders? ... How about those who are paying 5 bucks for a stinking coffee or want to stay up late studying with coffee and internet? Go Starbucks! Least they compete in the modern market. Garth was given this place by his mommy... get a real job Garth! Learn to work an honest day in your life. Hand-me-downs must be nice.

  Ok place, and as for closing early, Gary....independants do not have the budget to support freeloaders who get a small coffee and hang around for hours using internet that costs businesses 3 times as much as your home service to have each month. Support your local independant coffeehouse and actually BUY something while surfing and doing your homework and then maybe they can afford to pay someone to keep the doors open, instead of the owner working 16 hours a day. Sheesh....some people just want it all for nothing.

good dudes.and really good too

Great variety of coffees from around the world.  The staff is very knowledgeable about the subtle nuances of the various beans.  

The Lost Dog is definitely coffee nirvana and is more than worth the drive from Alexandria, VA.

IKUBYU hands down the best.....Purchased a gift basket for my mom who lives in Ohio and she just called and placed and order for 3 pounds.....LOVE IT!!!!!

Best cappuccino I had in my recent tour of Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Beats the chain coffee shops hands down!

AWSOME: WHEN VISITING LAST WEEK I BROUGHT HOME YOUR "WERKIN' DOG" ESPRESSO BEANS AND THEY MADE THE BEST ESPRESSO I EVER HAD. WILL BE CALLING THE SHOP FOR A MAIL ORDER. GOOD -BYE STARBUCKS!!!

Lost Dog rocks: couldn't ask for a better coffee-house. great atmosphere, great coffee, great people.

best coffee in U.S.!: very cool atmosphere and you can't find better coffee and a greater variety anywhere else.

The Lost Dog has been a part of Shepherdstown, WV for as long as I can remember. Located directly across the street from Shepherd University, this college town loves great coffee and The Lost Dog supplies that coffee.

Upon entering the front door of The Lost Dog, you will notice the plethora of unique art. This art is contributed by local artists and varies from classic acrylic paintings to doll heads mounted to an old 1970's record player.

Coffee's are ordered in person from the barista, who makes each coffee to order. Only two barista's work at the same time, so be prepared to wait in line for this great coffee. My favorite drink is a Vanilla Wet Dog. Keep reading and I will give you the recipe to try this awesome iced coffee drink at home.

The Lost Dog offers great seating, great ambiance and great conversation. It is nothing to hear a heated conversation about the state of the nation at a table right beside a heated conversation about the best fishing spot in town. The patrons of The Lost Dog are as varied as this eclectic town and are truly a part of the business.

The Lost Dog in Shepherdstown, WV is the best coffee shop I have ever frequented. Even though my parents live only 30 minutes from this shop, if I were to visit one place back home again, I would choose The Lost Dog over my family. It is that darn good!

Your pup can follow you indoors at the Lost Dog Coffee shop, which boasts loads of flavor in every sense of the word. Take in the local artwork covering nearly every square inch of wall space while ordering caffeinated specialty drinks, like the tasty iced Vanilla Wet Dog — available with two straws!

One of my favorite places in the world is Shepherdstown, West Virginia and one of my favorite coffee shops just happens to be along their main street, which is actually called German Street. The Lost Dog is a home grown, indie establishment built in the mid-90s (I think). It hasn't changed much since then. The owners and employees have a laid back approach to barista-ing and tend to prefer an irreverent, [some would call it] hippie aesthetic over the clean lines and soulless design of urban coffee shops.

The drinks there are amazing, diverting from standard fare and experimenting quite heavily with what tastes good rather than what seems most orthodox. The Lost Dog has employed baristas, including the owner, who have gone on to national espresso competitions. I went to Shepherd College and I probably spent $3-5 a day (on my miniscule student's wage at the neighboring flower shop, that was indulgent!) at Lost Dog, always focusing on one particular drink. Garth, the guy who I believe still owns the place, would make the drink for me more often the not and he'd coat the top with deliciously colored sugar sprinkles in various tie-dye patterns.

Garnished with an orange wedge, the Wet Dog is essentially an espresso cream spritzer. Having worked at coffee houses since my experience with Lost Dog, I took it upon myself to experiment with various ingredients and steps in order to perfect what I consider my Wet Dog knock off. It is SOOOO impossible to explain this beverage to the robotic drones at Starbucks, but sometimes I can find a good homespun coffee shop to mix this up for me. Since I discovered my dairy allergy last year, I was terrified that my days lapping up the Wet Dog (no pun, ewwww) were over, but I went to Shepherdstown last fall and asked the barista if she could make a soy Wet Dog and she nodded approvingly. The drink was heavenly.

A wonderful little coffee shop in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, that is much more than just a coffee shop. It is an art gallery, a concert venue, and a meeting place for many local groups. Purveyors of a rotating selection of daily blends and a mind-boggling selection of loose teass, as well specialty coffee drinks and baked goods by local food artisanss. This is no ordinary trendy coffee shop: it is great in every way that Starbuckss is awful.

Hilights:

• For coffee, try San Francisco Blend or Lost Dog Blendd -- those are my personal favorites.
• If you want something sweet, order a café mochaa -- the number of chocolate powders and syrups and whipped cream that go into this creation: it's amazing.
• The biscotti are not to be missed.
• The baristas are something else. Son of, and the lady who owns the building (from whom I rented an apartment above), are pieces of work, believe me.

Can you imagine what it was like waking up each morning to the smells of the coffe shop downstairs? Grabbing a mocha or a cup of S.F. on my way to work accross the street? To know any moment I needed refulling that this little bit of heaven was mere steps away: that was the good life. Lost Dog is the reason I love coffee -- good coffee -- and it pains me to drink the swill Starbucks has the gall to call 'coffee'.

 One of my favorites is out in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. If you're out that way try the Lost Dog Cafe. It's a throwback to the 60's and they have wonderful, inventive coffee creations that they spend time making and it's worth the effort. It's a funky little joint and very fun that also sells their own blends