Bean there, done that

🎶 Welcome to the coffee shop!! 🎶

So here’s the deal, we are just a couple of “average joes” trying to figure out the difference of the many, many different coffee drinks. With so many coffee shops in Nashville, they are definitely the best places to hang out, study, or grab a bite to eat. Our go-to coffee drink is an iced cuban, which generally consists of coffee, brown sugar, and cream--all over ice. This drink is light and sweet, while still being caffeinated to help us get through the day. 

We decided to check out five different coffee shops, to find out which place makes their variation of a cuban the best.

Garage Coffee Company (Marathon Village)   

Ingredients: espresso, brown sugar, condensed milk, and steam milk

   

This coffee shop was located in a historical warehouse, a nook of local businesses, restaurants, and American Pickers, Antique Archeology shop. Garage Coffee Company plays off its history of what used to be an automobile factory in the early 1900’s. This place was cozy and rustic, which had thrifty decor, being decorated with old car signs, and headlight lamps. The baristas were definitely hipster, but they knew their coffee and were very friendly. The baristas prepared for us a very sweet, but very good variation of an iced cuban. Overall, we would definitely come back here to enjoy more of their drinks and pastry items. It's definitely more of a short hang out spot or intimate date setting, but not ideal for studying because of its dark lighting and sparse seating.

Just Love Coffee (Music Row)   

Ingredients: Double shot espresso, infused with raw sugar and steamed sweetened condensed milk.

    

“It’s getting hot in here, so hot,” or at least our drink was. While we ordered our drinks, we completely forgot to order it iced--oops. We had never drank a Cuban served hot so we were a bit shocked when we get them, but we were pleasantly surprised by this small drink that was not overly sweet, was slightly bitter, and full of flavor. This place was not super cozy, but was ideal to stay for awhile and get studying or work done, it had plenty of seating, and light music. It was not overly busy here, and the baristas were very helpful and bubbly. We stayed for a couple hours to get some homework done while we drank our cubans and snacked on some banana bread--YUM! As we were leaving they were setting up for their open mic night which they hold on Wednesday and Sunday evenings; definitely coming back for that.

Red Bicycle (Woodbine)   

Ingredients: 2 shots of espresso, 2 scoops of brown sugar, half and half

       

So this coffee shop was actually already one of our favorites, so writing this post was the purpose excuse to go to our usual spot. Red Bicycle has a very chill vibe, packed with students studying, and adults working. This is a great place to get work done, as it has tons of outlets, large tables, and is very peaceful. We would say that its very hipster, full of knowledgeable baristas, simplistic decor, plants, and of course stiff seating. Red Bicycle is located in a convenient location and has tons of (free) parking. On to the most important part--the Cuban, it is consistently delicious and sweet, and definitely easy to drink. We love this place, and you can definitely catch Ash here AT LEAST once a week before her dreadful THREE HOUR night class.

Flatrock Coffee, Tea & More (Woodbine)   

Ingredients: espresso shot with cuban twist

    

This place is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall. It is a family-owned gemstone that is filled with the surrounding community. There is a collection of thrifted furniture, with mismatched patterns and pieces, which makes it feel that much homier. Flatrock sells all sorts of local art and products, and has a large counter that showcases community events and social justice movements. Being the least hipster of the coffee shops we visited, the owner was so welcoming and so knowledgeable about their products, which were almost entirely locally sourced! Sooo, we originally ordered our regular iced cuban, but our barista let us know that a true cuban is served hot, and should never be iced. Nonetheless our drinks were heavily caffeinated with two shots of espresso. While it was not our favorite one, the roast was high quality and packed full of flavor. Overall, we would definitely come back to support this local business because they have a large, and comfortable lounging area AND their empanadas were absolutely delicious. 

The Well (Green Hills)   

Ingredients: espresso and steamed sweetened condensed milk

 

Last but not least. Coffee with a cause. The Well operates as a non-profit organization, taking revenue ONLY to pay their baristas and operating costs, but even the owner refrains from taking a salary (that's wild)! This coffee shop is located on the Lipscomb University campus, so there were plenty of parking, and a ton of seating. Our cubans were beautifully made, with a heart design crafted on top of our hot drinks, though we thought it lacked flavor. Our barista was so helpful in answering our many, many questions about their unique business. The earnings from this coffee shop go directly to third world countries that suffer from poor water quality and helps them dig wells and supply clean water to the people. The selfless mission of this business makes it that much better to support, as they also serve Fair Trade coffee (fair wages paid directly to the farmers in developing countries who produce their coffee beans). Fair Trade products are an amazing concept and we would love to see more businesses apply this!

Nic: This Tour de Cuban, was sososo fun (and pricey). Forcing ourselves to explore different coffee shops around Nashville brought us to neighborhoods that we don’t spend too much time in, as well as finding hidden jewels in our own backyard. Out of our five coffee shops, Just Love Coffee ended up being my favorite--it had a small, but tasty cuban AND hosts live music nights with local songwriters performing. Great coffee and great music makes for a great hang out place!! The list of coffee shops in Nashville are never ending, so we will definitely be continuing this coffee road trip…..but definitely less frequently because ya girl is ballin’ on a budget!

Ash: This experience was honestly amazing. Going to these coffee shops was an adventure from finding the actual location, to finding a free parking spot then talking to the entertaining baristas. I think we will definitely do a part two because the number of coffee shops in Nashville is endless but that will be done at a later time (because we are college kids and need to pay tuition and then some). To conclude the best out of the five would be: Just Love Coffee takes the win because this was my first time having a cuban served hot. I was actually shocked on how much I liked it even with the burnt sugar on top. But the real winner would be Red Bicycle. They have the ~iced~ cubans down to a T! The taste is the same even with different baristas and that is what wins me over; consistency is key...at least for my coffee!

We love iced cubans, and hope you do too, comment below and let us know what your favorite local coffee shop is. Wait and see what we’ll do next!