From left, Ziggi’s has plenty of flavor options, the Scooter’s drive-thru is lightning quick and Aroma Joe’s earned a thumbs up with its affordable coffee and treats.
I’m rarely blown away by a coffeehouse—especially a chain. Coffee is coffee, and I’m not picky. It’s an oversaturated market and there are only so many ways to make an iced latte. That said, the customer service at a Ziggi’s Coffee cafe between Denver and Boulder, Colorado, made me feel like a regular, even though it was my first time visiting. Waiting for my 16-ounce cold brew with cream and Irish cream syrup (about $6), the baristas were making drinks all over the color spectrum at lightning speed to get drive-thru customers on with their days. My drink could’ve used an extra pump of syrup, as it was lacking the sweetness I prefer—and typically I order my drinks with a pump or two less than standard. For a Saturday morning, inside the café was dead, aside from my friends and me, but the drive-thru line was churning. I was most impressed by Ziggi’s long list of flavor options, many of which were sugar-free. There were the classics, like vanilla, but some of the unique flavors caught my eye, such as English toffee and amaretto. The Colorado-based franchise also serves Italian sodas, “Fresherz” and energy infusions.
The upshot: Minnesota doesn’t have Ziggi’s Coffee, but if it did, I would add it to my usual rotation. — E.W.
Some coffee shops are made for lingering. But sometimes, a person is on the go and needs to hit the coffee fast lane. That was me when I visited a Minnesota Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru, and it lived up to its speedy reputation. Even ordering a muffin, a sandwich, a plain latte and a specialty drink—and with a few cars ahead—the Scooter’s experience was quick and efficient. With faster service can come quality concerns, but the biscuit sandwich tasted fresh, the muffin was satisfactory and the simple iced latte had a nice, traditional balance of robust coffee and milk. The specialty drink, however, a Peanut Butter Crunch Blender, was over the top. While tasty, the peanut butter flavor was on the overwhelming side, with the sips simply being too rich. On the price front, the total bill came to $20.63, which averages out to just over $5 per product. It’s comparable to most coffee places competing for that morning (or sometimes afternoon and evening) customer, with similar menu pricing to Starbucks.
The upshot: Not necessarily a coffee place to go out of your way for, but if you need something good and quick, and Scooter’s is close by, drive on through. With nearly 700 stores in 29 states, the chances of Scooter’s being nearby are only going up. —M.L.
Coffee shops come in all shapes and sizes now, and the Aroma Joe’s we visited recently would probably best be described as modern, clean, cozy and geared toward those on-the-go customers. Most of the action took place outside, where five cars lined up for a single drive-thru window. Venturing inside to order a pair of drinks, a small brewed coffee ran $2.70, while a Witches Brew of half coffee and half hot chocolate was $3.05. We also added a $3 banana nut muffin and an $2.50 apple fritter. Thumbs up all around for the food and service. I’m no coffee connoisseur, but even I noted that mine was fresh and full of flavor. Aroma Joe’s offers an assortment of hot and cold drinks, and the young barista was spot on in the preparation of my order, light on sugar and cream. My friend liked his Witches Brew, which wasn’t overly sweet. The muffin and fritter also earned top marks and weren’t dried out like baked goods at other chains. The store, located on a busy street near my home in Andover, Massachusetts, had room for just three small customer tables inside.
The upshot: A growing drive-thru coffee franchise with more than 100 stores, Aroma Joe’s stands out for its premium coffees and service that emphasizes accuracy. — J.H.