SCENE | December 1, 2005 | Send features tips

Your Caffeine Fix
Area coffee shops provide students with holiday drinks

The Shorthorn: Michelle Proksell

By Megan Wright
The Shorthorn staff

Some students say they’re addicted to it.

They walk around campus feeling tired, red-eyed and craving a pick-me-up.

What they desire fits nicely in a ceramic mug — coffee.

Once the caffeine courses through their veins, students get that needed kick to make it through the next all-night cram session.

So where’s the best, closest place to get a fix?


COFFEE HAUS DOWNTOWN

Drink to try: The White Haus Mocha — While some mochas can be too sweet, Coffee Haus makes this drink taste perfect, right between a hot chocolate and an espresso.

Coffee Haus barista Eve Spayd said this mocha is made with French vanilla nut espresso, white chocolate and brown sugar.

“You can’t get that at Starbucks,” she said. “That’s a specialty of ours.”

What UTA students say: Marketing junior Ben Smithee likes to drink a caramel-flavored coffee at the Coffee Haus. He said the drinks aren’t the only great things at the shop.

“The people that work there are really nice,” he said. “They’re really friendly.”

Public relations senior Meridith Hardin likes the Eskimocha: a sweet, chocolate frozen drink.

“It’s a coffee slushy,” she said. “It was really good. They sprinkled chocolate shavings on top.”

Why it’s the best overall: This coffee shop has it all — great taste, ambience and variety. Located close to campus, plush couches and murals on the walls give this place a relaxed, chic feel.

Besides the drinks, customers can peruse the 48 cases of coffee beans that line a wall at the Coffee Haus. Spayd said customers can either purchase the beans to take home or have the baristas grind the beans for a fresh cup of coffee.

Singers perform Fridays and Saturdays, and the UTA Jazz Combo, including Smithee, plays Thursday nights.


COOPER COFFEE

Drink to try: White Chocolate Cappuccino — This drink tastes sweet on its own, so there’s no need for sugar. The added white chocolate puts a twist on this cappuccino.

Manager Dan Tran said the best drinks are made with espresso.

“Enjoy a quick coffee,” he said. “Hang out and do homework.”

What UTA students say: Angela Stodieck ordered a caramel cappuccino Sunday at Cooper Coffee. The English senior went to the coffee shop, which opened in October, with friends from school.

“It’s cool,” she said. “I’m excited about the couches.”

And her drink? She said it tasted good and not too sweet.

Why it has the best ambience: This über-hip coffee shop has funky furniture and walls brightly painted in shades of purple and gold. Vibrant, wild art decorates the walls, and Tran said students can display their work. He also would like to have some students paint the ceiling tiles.

“I actually e-mailed people who want to work on my ceiling,” he said. “Students are more than welcome to get my tiles.”

The funky feel continues on the weekends when area bands play, such as Agregate Demand, which will play at 8 p.m. Dec. 17.


STARBUCKS

Drink to try: The Gingerbread Latte — The coffee shop chain only offers this holiday season drink for about three months a year, barista Brian Booding said. Starbucks makes the drink with steamed milk and espresso, like a typical latte, but then adds gingerbread-flavored syrup and nutmeg.

“My ultimate favorite is the Gingerbread Latte,” Booding said. “It kind of has a cinnamon schnapps taste.”

What UTA students say: Hardin may like the Eskimocha at the Coffee Haus, but she still says she’d rather go to Starbucks.

Criminology junior Lydia Rickel said she doesn’t like coffee, but she loves the steamed milk at Starbucks, among other things.

“Well, I kind of like the atmosphere, but I mainly go there for their chai tea latte with French vanilla,” she said. “They’re the best.”

Why it has the best taste: No matter which Starbucks a person goes to, the coffee will taste the same, and that’s a good thing.

“I think that we do have the best consistent coffees,” Booding said.

Not only is Starbucks consistent, but all of their drinks taste absolutely scrumptious. Whether they order a toffee nut latte or a plain old mocha, customers will be pleased with the taste and the variety. The store also serves four holiday drinks, including peppermint hot chocolate and the eggnog latte.

While the consistency is good for taste, it’s bad for individuality. Starbucks coffee shops can be found almost anywhere, each one a clone of another.

“I always like the little indie coffee houses better than Starbucks because it doesn’t feel so far removed from the customers,” Spayd said.


JAVA CITY

Drink to try: Merrimint Javalanche — Java City makes this frozen concoction with
peppermint and white mocha. Only a seasonal item, this coffee drink goes down smooth.

Soban Babu, an electrical engineering senior who works at Java City, said most people seem to like the coffee shop’s caramel macchiato or the white mocha.

What UTA students say: Biology freshman Elizabeth Measday went to Java City for her second time. The white hot chocolate she ordered tasted good and rich, she said. While she thinks some drinks at Starbucks taste better, she said there are reasons why students should go to Java City instead.

“The price is better,” she said. “It’s a lot more convenient than going to Starbucks.”

Why it’s the best deal: Java City offers the best prices — cheaper than Coffee Haus, Starbucks and Cooper Coffee. Students also can save on gas money because the coffee shop is located on campus in both the UC and the Central Library. The price and convenience make this place worth a try.

The University of Texas at Arlington | Department of Student Publications
© Copyright 2001. All Rights Reserved. Corrections | Webmaster