Peet’s Coffee and Tea
For an intro about how and why I am trying the cappuccinos of Madison, go here.
This semester saw the opening of a coffee shop in Memorial Union (the UW main student union) called Peet’s. The shop is next to der Rathskeller (the performance area and bar) but the part right by Peet’s has been remodeled and now sports comfortable coffee shop style seating. Peet’s is a chain of coffee shops, and this is the exact feel you get upon walking into the Memorial Union location. Well, actually the climate was more akin to the part of a school cafeteria that they try to dress up as if it were an independent store; the workers looked just like union employees except with ‘Peet’s’ on their aprons. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but just be prepared for it if you go.
Before I ordered I inquired about the size of the small cappuccino. It is 12oz. Ok, this is pretty normal, so I asked for a small dry cappuccino. What happened next actually impressed me quite a bit. The barista (she seemed new) made the cappuccino in the 12oz cup and, as it should have been, the drink didn’t come even close to the top. I get the impression that most baristas are told to fill the cup to the top (why would anyone want a half full drink?!), and she was no different. So, the puzzled barista asked the other barista there what she should do about this half-full cappuccino. The other barista told her to ask me. This may seem incredibly simple but I sure appreciated it. I told her that the drink looked good and I actually got a well proportioned cappuccino. It is probably worth noting that they only have paper cups regardless of whether you are taking your drink to go or not. I assume this is because almost all of their customers are taking their drinks to go and dishes add another unwanted dimension to their business (the seating area is also out of sight of the store front, so they are also probably worried about theft). So, I sort of understand the lack of real cups.
The foam was just ok; it was mostly course and not very smooth. The coffee itself was
uninteresting, though not bad. One redeeming factor is that the cappuccino was certainly strong enough; it was not a glorified latte that is so common in chain coffee shops. In fact the drink bordered on being a bit too strong and overly bitter, though I’m not usually one to complain about that. It is perhaps fitting that I was actually reminded of Starbucks; I suppose most large chains are similar in this way. Taryn just had their drip coffee and said it was quite good; when she ordered it they had to prepare a new batch, so that probably contributed to its deliciousness. Taryn’s friend Rachael had the chai latte and said it was a little weak and that the foam had the consistency of “dish soap”….so there you have it. The numbers for the cappuccino are below:
Presentation: 2
Smoothness: 2
Strength: 3
Complexity: 2
Foam: 3
Correctness: 4
Mean: 2.67/5
SD: .82
So, if you are on the east end of the UW campus and want a cappuccino what should you do? I would say walk a few more blocks to state street…..though I guess it all depends on how lazy you are. But, if you just want some drip coffee then maybe Peet’s is a good bet.