Recently, I pitted three of Lawrence’s popular coffee houses against each other to find the tastiest home brewed coffee and the best atmosphere.

Best Coffee:

I began my search at La Prima Tazza. When I walked in, stereotypical college-aged hipsters sat quietly at tables with their eyes locked onto their MacBooks and their ears plugged with headphones. After typing intently for a few seconds, they casually sipped their premium roast lattes.

The atmosphere was dull and seemed too sophisticated for my taste. I wasn’t in the mood for a stuffy, boring coffee shop; I was in the mood for a fun, interesting venue.

After ordering my coffee and letting it cool for a bit, I took my first sip. My initial reaction was one of delight. The coffee tasted like the nectar of the gods. I repeated the phrase, “Wow that tastes amazing, that’s really amazing,” to the irritation of those around me. It even made me forget that I thought the place was boring.

Once I downed my first cup, I went back for more. In an attempt to satisfy my enamored taste buds, I accidentally burnt my tongue and mouth and was unable to enjoy the taste I craved.

Best Atmosphere:

The most striking thing about Java Break was not its coffee, but its style and personality. Complete with old TVs playing black and white cartoons, leopard print seats and retro signs, the coffeehouse gives off a unique vibe.

Open 24/7, Java Break offers a variety of unconventional breakfast items and pastries to go with their coffees. You can even put together your own mix of up to three cereals (I chose Reese’s Puffs, Cookie Crisp and Cocoa Puffs) and toppings (I got butterscotch chips) to eat in a Chinese take-out box, or you can design and devour your own cupcake (I made a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles).

Honorable Mention:

Although Aimee’s Café and Coffeehouse wasn’t my favorite in either of the categories, it was still a nice place. The atmosphere was similar to La Prima Tazza’s; it was quiet and would be a good place for studying or getting homework done.

The coffee also tasted satisfactory, but was comparable to free hotel coffee. It failed to surprise me, and after buying it, I figured I should have gotten a smaller size.

Best Overall:

Out of the three coffeehouses I stopped at, my favorite is Java Break. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I went back again and plan on hanging out there more often.

While the coffee didn’t taste as good as La Prima Tazza’s, it was still a great blend. Plus, the environment of Java Break suited me much better than either of the other coffee shops. The wild style makes it the perfect coffee shop for Lawrence.