Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Andrew's Coffee and Tea

Andrew's Coffee and Tea

123 Belmont St., S. Easton, MA

Andrew's Bakery Coffee & Tea is a small shop on Belmont Street in Easton, Ma, right across the street from Stonehill College. They only have a few choices of coffee, but the quality and taste made up for the limited options. The choices were House Blend, which was just a light roast, La Minta decaf, and Dark Roast. I had the house blend and it was really good, I tried it black, but I'm a cream and sugar guy so I ordered that on the side. They had some iced options as well, my girlfriend went with me as she was very interested in the visit. She's a JWU student so they don't have classes that let you visit a coffee shop for a grade. She ordered a French Vanilla iced cappuccino, a little sweet for me, but its a favorite for the college students. I would definitely go back here again for their delicious coffee. The lunch menu 
seemed pretty good too. They served traditional deli sandwiches like tuna, ham, turkey, etc. with a variety of breads. 
  

Atmosphere 

I went on a Saturday around 11am and me and my girlfriend were the only two people their. From the outside it doesn't seem very welcoming, but when you walk in it has somewhat of a cozy atmosphere. It's very wide open with plenty of seating. You enter from the side and there is the seating area to your right and the register and pastry cases to your left. Once you walk in it is a welcoming atmosphere. Even though the woman at the front didn't know much about the shop, she was very pleasant with us. 


Planning to go?

For anyone who is like me and doesn't like to walk into a new place and stare at menu forever feeling like you're holding everybody up, here's a menu if you decide to go.

Andrew McCormick














Sol Bean Cafe

Sol Bean Cafe

    Hey everyone I'm Tim Felix. For my coffee shop, I went to Sol Bean Cafe in Middleton, MA on rt 119 main street. I live in North Reading, MA but pass by Sol Bean to go to my workplace Richardson's ice cream. Sol Bean opened up in May 2006 and has progressed substantially. Sol Bean has won awards for best North Shore coffee, and also best lunch, breakfast, and takeout.
   When I went in, there were lots of people. Most of them were business people not so much college students. This was not the area where you could sit and be on your laptop. It is a place where you grab a quick bite to eat or the type of area to catch up with an old friend.

As mentioned, Sol Bean is located on 119 Main street. There are 2 Dunkin Donuts close to Sol Bean that are both under a mile apart. Sol Bean is also surrounded next to McDonalds, Cumberlands, and other small shops. Even though there is a lot of competition, Sol Bean does well. 



Sorry that this is a bit blurry. When I went into Sol Bean for the 1st time, it was very decorative. This is what they offered for coffee which I found to be a big list. The line was huge and scattered. Several people were waiting for what they ordered. But a lot of people were walking out with a bagel and a coffee. I went into Sol Bean on Friday morning around 10am.


   Sol Bean offered a lot in terms of food. It was to the point where the letters were so small on the board. Even with a lot on the board, they only had a staff of 3 people working. I waited about 1/2 hour to talk to one of the staff members but they were in busy mode the whole time. Being the 1st time I went to Sol Bean, I didn't expect it to be that packed.
   Inside, it was very small. Lots of people were cluttered up, most of them waiting for their orders. What I liked the most about this was it was decorative on the walls. Sol Bean had its awards and had an artsy side to it. Sol Bean seemed to care about the roots of coffee and definitely displayed it with a cultural sense

I pass by Sol Bean every time when I go to work. It was cool going into Sol Bean. But, I would most likely stick to Dunkin Donuts because I'm so use to it.
Another reason ironically why Sol Bean has done well is because it is under 0.1 miles of my ice cream parlor. Our ice cream parlor delivers all over New England ( In BSU, we deliver to Skinners, Sugar Hill Dairy). We've won awards for our ice cream as well. When people go to Richardson's, they pass by Sol Bean so that could give it attention. But, Sol Bean deserves credit because they have progressed year by year. Even though I may not go back, I would recommend it for people who are into small cafe's or a get together.

Nu Cafe

                                             
Nu cafe is a local cafe located on 335 Chandler Street in Worcester, Ma. 

It was 1:03pm on March 9th when I had stepped foot inside this fine establishment. The first time I was here, it wasn't called Nu Cafe, it was called Java Jump'n Juice. It has been years since I've been back and all I can say is WOW. The modifications that the owner has done to the place is quite remarkable. During the day, you will notice people from all ages, reading, socializing, eating, drinking, using the free wifi or even using the conference room. After 5pm, it turns into a restaurant where they completely change their day menu, to their "After 5pm" menu. During this time, they host local acts such as comedians, and musicians to perform for the customers and staffs. 

                            
                                                      Here is a map of Nu Cafe

Upon entering, I could just see the variety of food and coffee that they offered through the glass door. On this day, (with the help of a staff) I decided to indulge in a medium white mocha espresso, and hummus with pita bread, carrots, and cucumbers. My meal had cost me around $8 bucks and I recommend both of the items in the picture below. The prices are fair and the quality of the food is quite exquisite. The coffee offered here is organic and fair trade. They offer 5 different roasts of coffee. 

1. Light Blend
2. Medium Blend
3. Dark Roast
4. DeCafe Blend
5. Espresso


















I highly recommend this place to anyone who loves coffee or food in general. It's a great place to come and catch up with an old friend or even have it be your personal hangout spot. The staff here are very friendly and extremely helpful. If you are ever in the area, a visit to this place is a must!! You will not be disappointed.

A Worthwhile Trip To Cup 2 Cafe

Cup 2 Cafe is a local cafe and coffee shop located at 3175 Cranberry Highway in East Wareham, Massachusetts.
 
When I was younger, my grandparents had a summer vacation house in Onset, Massachusetts. Within walking distance from our house, there was a coffee and breakfast shop called "Cup of the Bay." Over the years, "Cup of the Bay" outgrew their Onset location. The business moved to their current location and changed their name to "Cup 2 Cafe." My family members are all big fans of this local shop.  Cup 2 Cafe is a very welcoming shop located on Cranberry Highway. Complete with an outdoor patio, wifi access, and multiple seating areas, Cup 2 Cafe offers costumers the perfect place to catch up with friends, do some homework, or relax and read a book. I visited Cup 2 Cafe on a Saturday morning around 10:00 during mid-April. When I visited, there were families, couples and individuals of varied ages enjoying coffee and breakfast. There were both take-out and dine-in orders. The woman at the front counter knew many of the customers by name and greeted them like they were old friends.

 

Cranberry Highway has a variety of stores and restaurants to offer. Some of these include Walmart, Stop and Shop, 99, and Papa Ginos. There are also some major attractions on Cranberry Highway including Water Wizz, mini-golf and go carts, local gift shops, and a marine animal rescue center. Cup 2 Cafe is located 2.5 miles from the Bourne Bridge and about 1 mile from the nearest 
Dunkin Donuts.



 Cup 2 Cafe has a wide variety of drinks and food to choose from. They offer hot or iced coffee, lattes, teas, and expressos. They have a wide variety of flavored coffee. Cup 2 Cafe proudly brews the flavors into the coffee. If you can't choose from one of their brewed flavored coffees, they also offer flavor shots. Cup 2 Cafe has a variety of frozen drinks and fresh smoothies as well. For food, they have extraordinary bagels topped with a variety of flavored cream cheeses, fresh pastries, breakfast sandwiches, lunch items, and salads.



While visiting, I ordered a plan bagel with plain cream cheese (boring but delicious) and a caramel iced coffee with skim milk. 

I would recommend Cup 2 Cafe to anyone traveling to the Cape this summer. It is an easy stop off the highway with excellent coffee and food! (It's even an excuse to get out of that Cape traffic!)

Review by: Robby Lawrence 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Taylor Shelton

The coffee shop I chose to visit was @UNION. 
@UNION is located on Harvard Ave in Allston MA.  As you can see Harvard Ave is right off of Commonwealth Ave.  The green line takes you right into that area, where the "T" is and from there the cafe is just down the road on the right, as shown.
All of these red dots are the surrounding Dunkin Donuts that were located around the cafe.  As many as you see they Dunkin Donuts really had no affect on the cliental that @UNION has.



The coffee from @UNION is from Colombia and Brazil.  A waitress had informed me of this, along with it being organic coffee.  To top that off, all the coffee here is certified for fair trade, which I was very glad to hear.  I personally did not try the coffee; although, when walking into the cafe the smell of the brewing coffee was delicious, strong and bold.  I also noticed a banner outside the cafe that stated the coffee was roasted there daily.  It is hard to see but it is in the picture below.
This is the inside of the cafe, very bright and welcoming.  This area was spacious to fit many tables, maybe too many in my thoughts.  However, people were very friendly and the experience was overall uplifting so I did not mind sitting so close to other friendly people.
Below you can see an image I captured of the coffee menu.  Almost all of the items are actually coffee related, besides the bottom right where you can see smoothies.  I was one to purchase a smoothie, fresh fruit, and I must say it was delightful!
I was lucky enough to visit this cafe with a friend Jack Franklin, who also did his project on @UNION.  

He was one to try the coffee, iced, and mentioned that it was a bit too watered down.  When I did take a look around I noticed that mostly everyone had a coffee, none that were iced though.  Even people coming in and out for take out always left with a coffee in their hand either with or without the food.  Speaking of food, I got Eggs Benedict on a bagel with smoked salmon and I have to admit it was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. 


Overall I had a great experience at @UNION and would recommend the cafe to everyone!