Hello my fellow readers, as many of you know, I am Puerto Rican. One thing most Puerto Ricans have in common is our love for strong, sweet coffee. Trust me, I know my caffeine. I personally live off of energy drinks and coffee in my day to day life. For that reason, I have a lot of opinions about chain coffee shops and local coffee shops around USF, so let’s get right into it.
- Dunkin’
I am going to start off strong, really strong, unlike Dunkin’s coffee. Personally, I do not see the appeal. I don’t like flavored coffee, nor overly sweet watery coffee, which is what always happens to me when I order from Dunkin’. The first time, I thought that the coffee tasted too soft and too sweet. I decided to give them a second chance to woo me over, and unfortunately, it solidified my opinion. To all you Dunkin’ lovers out there, I am sorry, this is just my opinion.
- Panera
Granted, I only had their coffee once and frankly, I give it a 7/10. It isn’t half bad, and I personally enjoy the stronger taste. However I don’t personally enjoy it. The last time I ordered Panera coffee was right after my 8am organic chemistry peer leading class, running off of 4 hours of sleep and thinking I had a coupon from the company, which I did not. Overall, Panera coffee tasted better than Dunkin’ coffee.
- Starbucks
In the topic of Dunkin’ vs. Starbucks, I think you know where my morals lie. I personally prefer Starbucks more than Dunkin’. Most of the time they give me strong coffee, and when I feel like an iced coffee, it does not taste watered down half of the time. However, I do have a personal favorite: Cherry Iced Chai. People are excited for summer to go to the beach and to be out of college. I am personally excited to order that delicious, perfectly crafted drink from the heavens. It’s a seasonal item only served in summer and I will start a petition to make it year round.
- Felicitous
Now going more local, the coffee shop Felicitous has really good coffee. It’s a local shop next to USF or the off-campus apartments. The vibes are great, and it is a very comfortable environment to study in. The coffee and sandwiches are really good as well. Besides, it’s important to support small businesses, and that is one small business I would support. So far, it hits the spot in vibes and coffee.
- Myself
And now, for the last and final nominee, myself. I may be biased, but I say that I make really good coffee. The brand Mami in a nice Italian coffee maker on the stove and heating up some milk. It always hits the spot when I’m trying to fight off the grogginess, and let me tell you it’s cheap as well. Good for the soul, and good for my wallet.