As a college student, I thrive off of my fun caffeinated beverages. Whether it is after a hard test, a day full of classes, or just a fun time with my friends, I will find an excuse to go to any Quad Cities coffee shop. As a student at Augustana College, I have access to our campus coffee shop, The Brew. Though the Brew does have an amazing selection, I tend to go off campus to grab caffeine! Below, I rate four popular coffee shops in the Quad cities based on location, taste, price and its atmosphere for studying.
Kick Serve: Kick Serve Coffee is a small coffee and energy drink drive up shop that is based around the sport of tennis. Their website states “Our goal is to kick it up a notch by serving up fast and friendly customer service along with the most amazing drinks!” and trust me, I can confirm that they have achieved their goal every single time I have gone to get a drink. Not only is their coffee delicious, but their workers are always helpful, friendly and go out of their way to assist me with whatever questions I have. The drive from campus to their closest location (they have two in Moline) is about a seven minute drive, making it a great location to grab a drink when you are in a time crunch. My usual order is a medium Match Point, an iced latte with peppermint and chocolate. This drink, along with other medium lattes, costs $4.69. Their energy drinks, an item on the menu I have never tried but my friends do strongly enjoy, costs $4.49 for a medium. Because Kick Serve is a drive up coffee shop only, I am unable to review its atmosphere for studying.
Atomic: Atomic Coffee Bar is a Quad Cities favorite, and in my opinion, the most commonly cited on campus. They are most popular for their energy drinks as they have a menu of 20 different combinations of energy drinks, my favorite being PMS. Their energy drinks (in large size) cost $4.00. As a die hard coffee lover, I tend to order an iced coffee. I recommend anyone who loves coffee to order their Nutty Professor. The Nutty Professor contains espresso, caramel, peanut and mocha. You can order any of their coffee drinks as hot or iced with add ons like oat/almond milk costing slightly extra. The cost for a large coffee drink is $4.75. In the Quad Cities, Atomic has 3 locations, the closest being about an eight minute drive from campus. Similar to Kick Serve, Atomic is a drive up coffee shop only, so if you’re looking for a place to study, I recommend looking elsewhere. But this should not stop you from adding Atomic to your list to try!
Cool Beanz is located extremely close to campus! Being only a four minute drive from campus, it is very easy to swing by and grab a drink. Similar to the other coffee shops, Cool Beanz makes coffee, smoothies and energy drinks. My recent go to when ordering is the iced Oatmeal Cookie Latte. I have also tried a few other drinks, all being above average! Cool Beanz has a drive up option along with an indoor shop too! The indoor seating area is very big, making it an amazing place to work on homework or read. It also is quiet and most customers are also either completing work or engaging in conversation. Though Cool Beanz isn’t my favorite, I recommend it if you are looking for something to grab in a pinch!
Coffee House: Coffee House is a small coffee shop located across the river in Davenport, making it an eleven minute drive from campus. I have only visited this place a few times, but the times I have, I have never been disappointed. I usually order a chai latte with added flavors depending on my mood. Most recently, I ordered the brown sugar chai and firmly believe that it is the best chai I have ever had. Coffee House has quite a few seats in the shop to sit and study (or if you aren’t a busy college student like me, to enjoy time with your friends!) When the weather is warm out, Coffee House has a great area to sit outside decorated with plants and beautiful flowers. Along with the study atmosphere, the staff is extraordinarily kind and provide excellent recommendations! Overall, if you ever find yourself across the Mississippi, I highly recommend stopping at Coffee House!