Bottled Water

Bottled Water is one of my greatest pet-peeves when it comes to drinking water. The pure convenience of drinking from a bottle and being able to seal the bottle back up again is one thing. But bottled water companies like Fiji charging upwards of 4 dollars a bottle for water makes me so irritated, when you can't tell a difference from the ones that cost .79 cents. Thank goodness Congress passed the law requiring all bottled tap water to be labeled as tap water and some people say upwards of 50% of the bottled water in the store today is just tap water, which is free mind you, bottled and packaged all nice and neat. I'm not exactly sure when that goes into effect but can't wait until the day when we can go through the supermarket and realize we're paying 8 dollars a case of something we get free at home anyways. DRINK YOUR TAP WATER... IT'S FREE AND YOU'RE PROBABLY DRINKING TAP WATER ANYWAYS FROM YOUR PRECIOUS BOTTLE!

Tropical Paradise

Well I'm off to spring break! I'll be in Florida for the week and my goal there is to come back with the best beach drink that the sunshine state has to offer. I'll keep my eyes open for new mixes and will report back in a week when I've sampled the local flavor.

Panera Bread (St Louis Bread Co)

Bleh! I really didn't enjoy my experience at Panera. The atmosphere tries to be like a coffee shop run by "ma and pop" but just ends up coming off cheesy. The food is decent but after more research, you're probably better off eating at McDonalds in terms of health value. The free wireless internet is a plus and it works very well and a sign on the door says that Panera operates the nations largest free wireless network. That's a nice bonus that will give the grade a boost in overall standing but not much else will. The coffee is bland and uninspiring, with only a few flavors that rarely change (if they ever do because I've been there a few times and have never seen different ones). The service is friendly enough and the best part was the bakery. The doughnut and danish selection is good but I personally am not that big a fan of things that sweet so I passed on without purchasing any of them. The prices were reasonable and the armchairs were comfortable enough but nothing about the common space intrigued me. Overall Panera wasn't a very good experience for me. Nothing about it was blatantly bad, but nothing stood out to prove that I shouldn't walk across the street (to either Kaldi's or The Artisan) and spend my money there. Decent enough but nothing to set the world on fire with, so Panera so far ranks last on my list.

Cherry Street Artisan

WOW! I was blown away by the artisan. I've never really spent much time in the artisan before. Thinking it was too trendy and too counter-culture for me to go there and not look like a goofball. WRONG WRONG WRONG. The eclectic atmosphere and live music coupled with the outstanding food menu make the artisan a great place to stop in for lunch or dinner. The coffee is second to none as well, and they serve alcohol and they have a very wide selection of wines, beers, and spirits to choose from if you're looking for some time to kick back. There are comfortable couches for relaxing and chatting with friends, tables for studying/eating, and a few wing chairs for the more intimate feeling of having your own comfortable space without sharing with others. The staff is friendly and prompt and seems to enjoy their jobs. The atmosphere is very conducive to studying, socializing or whatever you're in the mood for. Being a student I rarely make it up to the artisan for coffee because there are other places which are more convenient for me, but after this experience it's clear that I'll have to expand my sphere beyond the campus and check out the artisan more often. It's a winner on all accounts.

Kaldi's

Kaldi's Coffeehouse on 9th street and Cherry.
I went into Kaldi's expecting another run of the mill coffee house with some quaint decor and a few homey touches but nothing really spectacular. However what I found was something totally different. The inside is "green" using recycled carpets and reusable everything, they're dedicated to the planet (and don't ever get sick of telling you haha). The surroundings are comfy with enough seating to accomidate the rather large lunchtime crowd, there is a lounge area with couches and a TV in the back, I didn't make it back there but it looked very cozy. Even thought this blog is about drinks and devoted to beverages, i feel i need to take time out to compliment the food at Kaldi's. WOW. They have a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and other café fare for whatever you're in the mood for and it is fantastic. My favorite part however was the pita chips, they have freshly made baked pita chips that come out with your sandwich and they're to die for. They're nicely spiced with a good crunch and tons healthier then potato chips or any other kind of deep fried side that usually comes with sandwiches. Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can move on to the drinks. With a wide variety of coffee drinks, a nice selection of smoothies, teas, and sodas, Kaldi's provides a great selection of beverages. The coffee is tasty but ordinary and they've got a very large selection for you to choose from and an in-house grinder so you can take away freshly ground beans for your at-home enjoyment. Overall I found Kaldi's very pleasant and comfortable, however with this blog being about drinks I have to give it just an average grade in that department but if you're in the mood for café food, definatly head there. I'd give it a C for coffee and an A+ for food, so overall it felt more like a café/restaurant rather then a coffeehouse.

Starbucks

I'll start with the old reliable, the one that millions of people around the world depend on for their morning cup o' joe. Starbucks. As the largest coffee chain across the country and world, Starbucks has a reputation of quality, service, and great prices. The Columbia Starbucks on 9th Street has a prime location for people working downtown and university students and staff. The seating is comfortable but crowded and tables are hard to find during the prime hours on the morning to early afternoon, when the students are monopolizing most of the tables feeding their caffeine addictions. Relaxing music is played at a comfortable level over the nice speakers in the ceiling occasionally interrupted by the baristas calling out the orders. The service is friendly and prompt and the prices are reasonable for the amount you get in the cup. Now the important part: the coffee. With a wide variety of regular coffee and some good decaf options as well, the black coffee is the some of the best around. Also with a wide variety of other specialty drinks, lattes, mochas, espresso, machiatos, and others, anything you can dream up they can make for you. The rotation of the daily blend of coffee is good and the variety is shown off when they switch up the coffee's of the day. The cool drinks are also a staple, with the frappacino available at grocery stores around the country. They have blended drinks and chai drinks as well. The food is very plain. A few pastries and bagels and things but nothing overwhelming. They don't really offer anything other then breakfast food so if you're looking for a sandwich or soup for lunch you're SOL.
Overall Starbucks offers a very competitive coffee shop experience. They do a very good job at rejecting the cookie-cutter look that many national chains end up having. It doesn't have the local feel that many mom and pop stores have but overall it's a great place to go and grab a quick cup of coffee to go, meet a friend for a latte, or study for an important exam. They offer good coffee for reasonable prices and are readily available for everyone around the country.

Caffeine Corner

Sampling the local fare at coffee shops around Columbia is just a hobby of mine, so this week I'll head to 5 neighborhood coffee shops and bring back reports of ambiance, cost, food, and of course, the coffee.

Kauldi's- 9th and Cherry
It's a Grind- SouthHampton
Panera- Both South Providence and 9th Street
Starbucks- 9th Street
Cherry Street Artisan- Cherry St