When I started this column several fortnights ago, I was guided by a simple goal: to provide CC students with helpful information about different coffee shops around the Springs, so that they too could enjoy and support the businesses in the area.
Like a Squirtle becoming a Blastoise, this column has evolved (this is where I am going to shout out the substack I created for Coffee Chat — if you want to continue hearing reviews, you should subscribe for free @CoffeeChat on Substack), and I have ranked everything from the tiny but mighty little hut that is Story Coffee to establishments that are closer to cafes, such as Good Neighbors or Bird Tree. While these all have great things to offer and are worthy of a review and a visit, I am ashamed that I have ignored what is undoubtedly the most popular coffee shop for students: Susie B’s.
It would be criminal to write a coffee review column without a piece on the shop. There is no more fitting way to end my time as a writer at The Catalyst than to write about the place that got me through so many essays, readings and group projects during my four years at CC. Without further ado, let’s get into it below.
Location: 10/10
I mean, it has to be a ten, right? As I said above, the founding goal of this column was to provide students with information on coffee shops around town, and so if you’re a student looking to get coffee, nothing quite beats this place in terms of getting there. It’s almost too convenient, as you can be grinding away on the third floor of the library (although I will die on the hill that nobody is actually getting work done on this floor, as consistently seeing a stream of your friends walking by cannot not be distracting), and practically reach your hand over to the register and tap your Gold Card. The bottom line for this category is simple: for a CC student, who’s either on the meal plan or has a friend with extra Tiger Bucks, the location can’t really be beat.
Vibe: 7.5/10
While the vibe isn’t going to beat out the mythic establishment that is Misty Mountain Collective, or have a barista as animated as the one at Bird Tree Cafe, Susie B’s keeps it simple, and I, for one, appreciate that. They aren’t trying to do too much, and while some of the workers have definitely given me a difficult time on occasion, there isn’t much to complain about in this category. Plus, because it’s in the library, you’re guaranteed to run into friends who are also looking for a quick caffeine fix to get them through the rest of their class.
Price: 10/10
Again, objectively speaking, the price category has to be a ten, right? I mean, assuming you’ve got Gold Card money or, in my case, a generous friend. You’re playing with monopoly bucks here. I honestly couldn’t even tell you how much a coffee here actually costs. While it’s probably overpriced, like everything at Local Goods or the Preserve is, it’s worth it regardless. I think it needs to score a perfect in this category.
Taste: 9/10
There’s something about the medium iced coffee with a splash of oatmilk — the order that was a constant in my morning routine my first few years at CC — that just hits me with a wave of nostalgia. Maybe it’s the fact that the order is the reason I was able to write a ten-page research paper in a day, but something about the coffee just, quite simply put, hits different. It might not be the best coffee objectively. If you blindfolded me and had me taste different shops’ iced coffee, I probably wouldn’t pick it. But, like many things in life, it’s not the thing itself, but the memories that accompany it.
Bottom Line
With graduation coming around faster than that guy who just broke the world record in the marathon — and this being the last coffee chat I’m writing for the Catalyst — I’m beginning to reflect on which shops I’ll miss the most. While I’ll always have the mason jar from Misty, and might even pick up a bag of overpriced coffee from Loyal, there is something that Susie B’s offers that no other shop does. Grabbing an iced coffee, going down to the basement of the library, and locking in for a research paper in the fourth week will be something that I might actually miss. While Susie B’s might not be a coffee connoisseur’s first choice, for the CC student, it’s a humble and worthy establishment. It’s a worthy runner-up in my final rankings.
Current Rankings
- Misty Mountain Collective: 37.8/40
- Susie B’s: 36.5/40
- Subaru Service Cafe: 35.5/40
- Switchback Roasters: 35/40
- Story Coffee: 34.8/40
- Bird Tree Cafe: 34.5/40
- Good Neighbors: 32/40
- Loyal Coffee: 29/40
- Frankly Coffee: 28.5/40
P.S. Going to plug my column one more time. If you like these reviews, consider following them. @RexKarjian on Substack.