Coffee in the East Bay’s Tri-Valley is highlighted in the ‘Caffeine Trail’

Call it the anti-wine trail: In Contra Costa County, there’s a network of coffee and tea shops meant to get you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed called the Tri-Valley Caffeine Trail.

At least so says Visit Tri-Valley, a Pleasanton-based organization that’s marketing this trail as a destination for buzz-seekers. “Rise and grind, caffeine-lovers!” they say on their website. “The Tri-Valley Caffeine Trail is a unique collection of cafés, coffee houses and tea rooms in the Tri-Valley, each with their own special set of peps and perks. Sip on craft coffee creations, sweet boba tea and steamy artisanal teas as you explore the most creative caffeine connoisseurs of the Tri-Valley.”

The trail includes 17 businesses in an area from Danville to Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. Remarkably, there’s only one Starbucks on there, and it’s a fancy Starbucks Reserve. The focus is on neighborhood shops and cafes and even full-on kitchens like Sideboard. There are plenty of milk-tea places and even a kava joint, Steam House Coffee & Kava Bar, that pours mind-expanding elixirs and kombucha on tap.