If you're an avid coffee drinker, you've probably wondered which of the "popular" coffee places you should go for an exceptionally tasty cup of coffee, but you don't want to spend a lot of money. You might also want to order some food while you're there. It might be late in the evening, and you don't know who's open.
In the end, it really matters who is worth your time. Now, everyone has different tastes. May this objective popular coffee comparison (of the Corvallis area) assist you in your search for the perfect cup of coffee whenever you need it.
Coffee Culture at a glance:
hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. except Sunday (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
sit-in locations: 9th Street and Kings Street
pricing: moderate
The coffee house on Kings is warm and cozy with colors of red, brown and beige. This is an excellent place for socializing, studying or just sitting solo. The varieties of food, coffee, tea and wine are more than satisfactory as well as the prices that come with them.The coffee feels like a warm silky robe with it's foamy top and subtle sweet taste. The food is filling and unique. In a word: classy.
Dutch Bros at a glance:
hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
sit-in location: Monroe Street
pricing: low
Upon entry you are greeted with a large silver peace sign. There's plenty of seating for those who want to study or just hang out. The entire building shimmers with shiny silver and black painted on the walls and tables. Besides coffee, they offer tea and simple food like bagels and muffins. The coffee itself is like slipping on your favorite pair of inexpensive jeans. The espresso is balanced by the flavor of your choice. In a word: college-oriented.
The Beanery at a glance:
hours: vary by location
sit-in locations: 26th Street, 2nd Street, Circle Boulevard
pricing: low - moderate
The Beanery claims it is "fiercely independent with it's Allann Bros coffee. Each location offers good seating as well as good coffee and food options (with similar prices to Coffee Culture). The set up is also similar to Coffee Culture with the difference being that the atmosphere is more hippie-like with water color paintings on the beige walls and simple wood tables. The coffee is foamy, simply flavored and rocks the espresso taste. In a word: retro.
Starbucks at a glance:
hours: vary by location
sit-in locations: Kings Street, various store locations
pricing: high
Starbucks very accurately reflects the price in coffee, as it is the most expensive of the four. The goldenrod and white walls provide a spacious feeling to the small study area in the back cove of their Kings location (in the Winco shopping area). Starbucks also offers a variety of food ranging from bagels and muffins to wraps and pie pieces. The coffee is extremely sweet and milky to the point where you can't taste espresso at all. Starbucks takes pride in their "shared planet" logo: you and Starbucks. It's bigger than coffee. In a word: upper-class.
All the coffee places discussed above are very close in price. On the other had, different food and atmospheres are offered. Each coffee location provided good customer service. So go out there and have that cup of coffee you've been craving.
