Page 10 Arts & Culture October 30, 2012 COOL BEANS

Page 10 Arts & Culture October 30, 2012

COOL BEANS

As the weather cools down, turn up the heat with these four local coffee shops.

STEPHANIE PAUL MEKENZIE KERR

Visuals Editor

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Starbucks

With over 15,000 locations around the globe, Starbucks is the iconic coffee shop that has found itself a home in cities big and small. Known for their green goddess and Pike's Peak coffee, Starbucks has become a high trafficked spot for java-addicts around the world. As soon as you enter a Starbucks, it's easy to recognize the deep brown and dark green hues of the emblem. These two colors, when blended together with the other colors in Starbucks, create a calming atmosphere?something that I would beg all coffee shops have. Starbucks makes itself a desirable place with vibes and drinks to warm yourself up with.

The menu seems infinite, and according to a Starbucks claim in 2006, over 87,000 options are available; the amount does seem pretty vast compared to a simpler coffee shop. Starbucks presents a menu of drinks ranging from iced (like a Frappuccino) to warm (which could be anything from a caramel macchiato to a chai tea latte).

While the drinks are delicious (and from Starbucks to Starbucks I've seen consistency in taste), the prices may make you rethink your quick coffee run or intimate java date. While Starbucks isn't the most expensive, it will still leave your pocket considerably lighter than when you came in. A plain, black coffee is the cheapest item, only costing a couple of dollars; as you climb up the intricacy ladder of coffee beverages, the prices climb as well; some iced drinks cost up to five dollars.

Taste is impressive, but prices are nothing to brag about. Though iconic and slightly clich? as a place of decent coffee beverages, Starbucks provides a range of options that only leads me to suggest something for your next visit: try something new, try something different ? at Starbucks, that's encouraged.

Double Shot

A cozy little coffee shop in the center of Omaha is a perfect place to read a book or do some homework. Double Shot is a small business located just north of Dodge on 50th Street. The shop has many different kind of drinks to offer, from smoothies to espresso to big, delicious muffins.

On a cold day they may suggest a hot chai tea latte, or a steaming cappucino. On the blended drinks menu, there are tons of different and unique choices; one can choose between flavors like cookies `n' cream, s'mores and chunky monkey.

On cold days the coffee, which is brewed fresh daily, is always good. But as a specialty drink, "Spotted Cow" is the best coffee drink they have (in my opinion), with tons of different chocolate flavors all mixed into one delicious steaming cup.

The prices at Double Shot are altogether reasonable. I would say that they lie in the middle: not outrageous, but not dirt-cheap either.

The vibe of the shop is friendly and hip. With two sofa seats, a huge fish tank and three small tables inside, Double Shot has a completely down-to-earth atmosphere. The furniture is the perfect spot to hunker down and finish some homework. For warm and sunny days, Double Shot also has a large shaded patio with plenty of seats to relax in, complete with a charming fountain in the middle.

Double Shot may not be a big chain with thousands of locations in the United States, but the shop is a friendly, locally owned business with nice people, great drinks and a hip, earthy vibe.

Blue Line In the evenings, locally owned coffee shop Blue Line is quite busy, filled with college students and young adults relaxing after a long day. Located both on Underwood Street in Dundee and on Mike Fahey Street in North Downtown, Blue Line, is a fun place to grab a cup of joe with some friends. In the early evenings, when Blue Line is the busiest, it's fun to hear people play their guitars or other instruments outside of the shop while drinking one of the many beverages Blue Line serves. When it gets later in the night, though, Blue Line tends to calm down. On a cold winter night, it's the perfect place to sit in with a big cup of coffee and listen to jazz music that they typically play. Altogether, Blue Line is the host of a very laid-back atmosphere. With many different vibes, some may say that the shop gives off a very "hipster" vibe-the location certainly contributes to this title (the shop is located in the heart of Dundee, home to many hip young folks), as does the interior of the shop (artwork, dark-paneled walls, jazz music and the thick-rimmed glasses-wearing regulars). Regardless of its supposedly hip vibe, the shop is located in the middle of a neighborhood teeming with friendly individuals who frequent the coffee shop. Blue Line serves smoothies, which taste amazingly homemade, healthy and of course fruity. And when it's downright chilly out, the mocha drink that they offer can warm just about anyone up. A fun and lively community with delicious drinks and a fun atmosphere, Blue Line is a great place to warm up this coming winter.

Scooters

Returning to the Midwest, Don and Linda Eckles took on the valiant task of opening their first drive-thru coffeehouse in Bellevue, Nebr. back in 1988; enter Scooter's Coffee.

While many might not be aware of it, Scooter's coffee is in fact a Nebr.-originated coffee venue. Scooter's Coffee has become successful outside of state-boundaries, expanding into seven other states and operating over 90 different stores. Scooters has recently been expanding into a shop that offers more than coffee; it has recently began serving frozen yogurt.

Scooter's coffee shops tend to show less consistency from venue to venue, although all possess their own little bits of character. Many Scooters are drive-thru buildings, where people cannot sit down and enjoy the blissful cup of joe they've purchased ? something that can be inconvenient if you want a coffee date. The Scooters that are actually sit-down venues, such as the one in the Old Market, make up for the lack of invitation provided by the smaller buildings. They are modern and reminiscent of what an urban coffee shop would be.

The menu options are somewhat lackluster. While all of them are a grade A taste, the options provided are limited. The format of the menu itself doesn't look entirely appealing, although the option to have any drink mixed (or iced) is a twist on all drinks that make them each a little bit more enticing.

All in all, though originally local to the state, Scooters is a pricey, sub-par coffee shop stop in comparison to other chains and local places scattered around Omaha.

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