At Capital University, we have several options of places to fuel our caffeine addictions, whether with fresh coffee or bottled — we have a lot to choose from.
I took it upon myself, as an incredibly caffeinated person, to rate all the Starbucks within comfortable walking distance and that are heavily used (and highly debated about) to figure out which place is best.
I ordered the same drink every time: a grande white chocolate mocha, with almond milk, an extra shot of espresso, and no whipped cream.
Typically, if I get charged for my add ons, this costs me $6.35. An extra shot costs me $0.70 and almond milk costs me $0.90 (any alternative milk costs extra, and as someone with an intolerance to dairy I find that to be really annoying).
And, as someone who has used every single one of these coffee places multiple times, I find them all to be pretty good places to get a coffee; so this review is completely unbiased and is wholly based on the taste and quality of the drinks I bought in lieu of writing this article.
I will be rating these drinks on a scale of 1 to 10 coffee beans—1 being the lower quality side of the scale and 10 being the tastiest coffee I’ve had since 2019.
Starbucks in Market District; 7/10 coffee beans
It tasted normal, but it doesn’t have the it factor that I’m looking for in my morning, afternoon, dinner, and post-dinner coffee.
There was almost a grainy quality to it. It made my throat feel like it was being softly exfoliated. It still tasted wonderful and was worth waiting forever at the crosswalk. But! It only cost $5.65, since I did not get charged for getting almond milk! So, solid taste with less money out of my pocket.
Starbucks in One Main Cafe; 3/10 coffee beans
It had almost a nutty aftertaste, and it tasted burnt and sad.
It was literally so gross that I actively gagged at the first sip. It left my tongue feeling like there was a film on it, but it also dried my mouth and throat out so completely that it just hurt my feelings.
It wasn’t completely mixed, and there were less than seven pieces of ice (which is absolutely not enough). It was disgusting and a complete let down: One Main did me dirty.
I didn’t even want to finish it but because of my insane caffeine addiction and miniscule amount of self control I did, and again, gagged after chugging half of it down in three drinks. I don’t know the cost breakdown that is used in One Main, however it cost $5.80 without tax and $6.24 overall. Complete waste of my CapBucks.
Stand alone Starbucks on East Main Street; 9.5/10 coffee beans
This coffee might have been the best that I have tasted all year. It was incredibly well-balanced. The espresso and milk complemented each other better than the other drinks I had bought and tasted. The initial aftertaste was bitter as it wasn’t fully mixed, the rest was practically perfect.
I finished it within half an hour because of how good it was—I wish I had ordered a bigger size.
It had the perfect amount of ice. The syrup wasn’t overpowering, it was just right. It didn’t have a burnt taste, it was smooth, it didn’t taste nutty, it didn’t dry my mouth out. It was all I could ever ask for in a coffee. I got charged full price ($6.35) for the drink.
