The Observer, September 26, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 5
Caffeine addiction: one man's search for the perfect coffee shop
In my beloved hometown of Milford, Conn., there is a locally owned café right on one of the busiest corners of the downtown area. There's a lovely outdoor courtyard, friendly staff (largely comprised of former high school classmates), and delicious, albeit pricey, food and drinks. It's basically the perfect hangout for my friends and me, and it sits high up as one of the most significant things that I miss about being home.
And so I decided to set out upon a multi-day trek that would prove costly for both my wallet and my health, but necessary to make this extended temporary residence, Case, as close to home as possible. I planned to hit five different coffeehouses on or around campus, ordering an iced medium caramel latté at each one, and measuring them up to each other, to see which establishment best suited my needs. My caffeinated coffee quest was about to begin.
I started on the north side of campus, at the Starbucks in the Village. I already had various preconceived notions about Starbucks (chalk me up on the list of the many who feel the faux-chic decision to replace "large" with "venti" is just silly), yet this establishment is not without its charms. The service is good, and there are plenty of comfy couches and chairs, plus it's located in the perfect area for both business and convenience. The latté though? A bit bitter. But such are the ways of the massive corporation.
Moving southward for day two, I happened upon the Arabica Coffeehouse on Juniper Road, next to Alumni House. Converted from an old mansion into a coffeehouse, this locale was much closer to the quintessential coffee shop in my mind. The service was good, but it was the layout that won me over. The building is dark and cozy, complete with fireplaces and a Baldwin piano, and on nicer days, the patio out front is ideal and relaxing. The coffee was a bit bitter for my tastes, but a wide selection of food helped make up for that.
By the third day, I was beginning to show signs of caffeine dependency, so it was to my great relief that I came upon Pura Vida in the Thwing Center in the Heart of the Campus. This establishment is hardly a coffeehouse, but rather a stand in the middle of the atrium. As such, it lacks a distinct coffeehouse atmosphere, but it naturally wins points for convenience, being located in the middle of campus and all. The service was fine and the coffee was good, although slightly syrupy. Alas, I had traveled to three out of the five locations on my roster, but the perfect medium iced caramel latté was still yet to be found. And my hands were beginning to quiver quite a bit.
The fourth and final day of my journey brought me two pleasant surprises, the first of which was a small coffee stand located in the main lobby of Crawford Hall, the appropriately named Sages Café. It was here that I found my perfect coffee. Finding itself balanced somewhere between bitter and sweet and full of flavor, this latté was everything I had hoped for. Unfortunately, its academic setting wasn't exactly cozy, but it was still very convenient, and the service was great. This looked to be a winner.
My final destination was also the last coffeehouse I had heard of in the area, as it is also the farthest away from campus. Located near the corner of Murray Hill and Cornell, Algebra Teahouse was just about as local as local could get. The building was full of handmade wooden furniture, arranged in that endearingly stereotypical artsy fashion, and the whole establishment had a slightly Middle Eastern feel to it. The service was great, and the taste of the coffee was far removed from what I had at all of my other stops. This was likely due in part to the wide variety of coffees (and teas) that Algebra had. I suppose that Algebra Teahouse is the anti-Starbucks in almost every manner.
So I never did quite find the perfect coffeehouse to match the one I was used to back home, but each of the five locations I purchased coffee from had something to offer, and lest I forget, all for very similar prices. It is unfortunate, though, that I will try to not return to any of these coffeehouses for quite some time, as after four days of constantly buzzing on caffeine, I am absolutely sick of coffee. Of course, "try" is the key word in that sentence.
