A Taste Test: Coffee in the Square

L. loves coffee; E. loves fruit. You know how that goes. Okay, maybe you don't. The point is that L. knows what she's dealing with when she's standing in line at the local Starbucks, and E. would much rather order a carton of chocolate milk—or a hot chocolate, if she's feeling particularly adventurous.

So we ordered small black coffees at four different locales and added some cream and two packets of Splenda to each. And how could we forget HUDS—we grabbed a cup of that as well. Find out how we break them down after the jump.

J.P. Licks ($1.75): The coffee started out smooth and ended with a bitter tang. The latter effect didn't impinge the tastiness of the former at all—in fact, it added to the character of the drink, if anything. The more we drank of it, the better the drink became. But we both agreed that we couldn't have too much of this one in a single sitting.

Starbucks ($1.75): As an experienced coffee drinker, L. expected Starbucks to be her least favorite of the bunch; she's always had a prejudice against Starbucks regular coffee because the chain seemed to do specialty drinks better. After drinking the coffee, L. noted that while it was bold and consistent in flavor, the taste itself was unappealing.  E. found the drink a little harsh for her taste, and thought the drink exemplified everything she was wary about concerning coffee in the first place.

Peet's ($1.81): Unlike Starbucks, Peet's didn't have that initial alarming attack on the palette. Instead, it's nicely smooth, with that signature Peet's bite in the finish. The earthy, wholesome taste is peculiarly velvety. But the only drawback may be that it seems like a rather weak coffee.

Crema Cafe ($1.70): A real winner. We loved Crema Cafe for its silky deliciousness. It had that wonderful coffee flavor without the kick that turned us off from some of the other drinks. Both Peet's and Crema had a consistent flavor without that distracting "kick," but what distinguishes the two is Crema's hearty depth. The coffee seems perfectly blended with the added cream, yielding a soft mocha color. We could both imagine drinking large quantities of Crema during a late night without getting sick of it.

HUDS (Free!): Bland, watery, unexciting. HUDS' coffee may have lacked a bitter bite, but that was only because it tastes diluted. There's a difference between having a pleasantly smooth tastes, like Crema, and having no taste at all. Unsurprising and unadventurous. But I guess that's what we get for paying nothing. Also, with HUDS, you run the risk that the coffee might be cold.

The Verdict: We decided we both enjoyed Crema Cafe's coffee the most. Lacking the harshness of Starbucks but also avoiding the blandness of HUDS, Crema Cafe struck a perfect balance between smoothness and depth. We value smooth consistency in our coffees and a subtle kick that adds without distracting from the flavor.