Panera Bread, Ron Davidson

Ha Ha, just kidding. I chose Panera Bread in Brockton, MA because it was in the town I live in, has been around for quite sometime and because I've always thought of it as a bit of a higher end place. To my surprise, when asked about the type of coffee, Arabica, Robusto etc. the young lady behind the counter had no answers, and simply said, "I think it's from Columbia but I don't really know about the coffee, since it isn't our main thing." Strange considering that on Google maps the only edible descriptive words for the business (aside from bread in the title) are coffee and tea.

So I place an order for a small coffee and remembered to say black as I wanted to get the full flavor of the coffee, that was when I was pointed to the thermoses behind me where I would be getting my own. Heading over with my paper cup in hand I was beginning to realize she wasn't joking about the second class outlook on coffee in this business. I looked at the dispensers and saw some plaques describing the coffees. No note of the bean type, but it did mention the regions of the blends, better than nothing anyway. There was also hazelnut and a space for dark roast where there was no container for it.

To my surprise, despite the lack of pride in coffee, I have to say that the light roast was actually pretty good. That is saying something for me, considering I don't drink black coffee because I usually find it to be too bitter. This however was smooth and had its own natural sweetness.
     The shop itself was set up with dividers so as to allow for some level of privacy/intimacy if so desired. There was a ranged of people coming in and out, from teenagers to collage students, to upper middle class moms, and a businessman sitting on his laptop taking advantage of the free WiFi. Although I was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm for product that gets so much attention I was adversely surprised by the quality of the coffee and the atmosphere was pleasant. I would go again but not make a habit of it, as I find $2 for a small coffee to be a bit much, and the rest of their products, (sandwiches etc.) are even more so.