While juggling extracurriculars, homework, and, for some, adjusting to a new living situation, college can be extremely tiring. Coffee can be a perfect solution for combatting that exhaustion.
Coffee and custom lattes have also become extremely trendy, especially for Gen Z. My friends and I’s favorite activities are finding new coffee places where we can study after school.
The college decision process can be extremely daunting. After reading this article, you will be informed about the best coffee on each campus. If somebody else’s favorite order matches yours or the ambiance best describes you, maybe that is the coffee place and school for you!
In all seriousness, the college decision process is an extremely lengthy and important decision that considers much more than just coffee. However, wouldn’t it be nice if you knew your dream school had the best cold brew or maple sea salt latte? So, here are 5 of the best coffee shops on West Coast college campuses!
1. Scout
Scout is my favorite coffee place in San Luis Obispo due to its delicious lattes and beautiful mountain views.
My go-to order was an iced or hot oat milk latte until I met my friend and future roommate, Samantha.
Samantha introduced me to the famous maple sea salt latte. At first, the saltiness caught me by surprise, but then I took another sip and couldn’t stop sipping. I finally understood Samantha and others at my school’s constant craving for the infamous maple sea salt latte.
Drinking the latte was like being immediately transported into my favorite season, Fall, where I would watch Gilmore Girls in my fuzzy socks. I cannot wait for school to start and get to experience drinking my maple sea salt latte in the Fall. Now, I can’t imagine studying without Scout’s maple sea salt latte.
Scout also has delicious pastries, like the famous waffle or my personal favorite, the dark chocolate raspberry scone. What is coffee without a great pastry to enjoy it with?
Scout is so much more than just coffee. The first place my friends and I would go on Saturday morning to debrief our Friday night was Scout. Scout is where many of my group projects met and became the regular place where my friends and I would study.
Every time friends or family visit, they compliment the Scout on campus. I always tell them it tastes just as good as it looks!
So, if you like signature lattes that remind you of Fall and a place to study with friends, Scout is the perfect coffee place for you. Come to Scout to channel your inner Rory Gilmore and get all of those assignments you are procrastinating done!
2. Temple Coffee Roasters
Temple Coffee Roasters, located in the heart of Davis, California, is a crowd favorite for locals and UC Davis students as well! If you are someone who wants a good study spot, Temple Coffee Roasters is the perfect shop for you.
Temple is the perfect study spot as everything is within walking distance. If you want a quick bite, you are in walking distance to several delicious restaurants!
It is also a great study spot because of its ambiance. For extra background noise, sit outside and listen to the cars and people walking by. If you need it quieter, the inside seating is a great study spot as it is very quiet and serene.
Yelp voted Temple the best Espresso in all of Davis, and an incoming senior at UC Davis, Vivian Escobar, agrees.
The espresso is bold and smooth and blends so well!
Vivian Escobar
Vivian’s favorite order is the popular Iced vanilla latte. She even rates it the best vanilla latte in all of Davis! She loves the drink so much that she said it is comparable to the scene in the cartoon movie Ratatouille when the character Remy tried the cheese and saw fireworks!
Vivian says Temple Coffee Roasters is her favorite place to go with friends because it caters to all coffee drinkers. Both Vivian, who prefers her coffee more bitter, and her friends, who like their coffee sweet, can all enjoy a drink to their liking at the same place!
Vivian says that before coming to Davis, she “was no coffee connoisseur but couldn’t help but become one once (she) tried Temple.”
Temple coffee is so good they could be located in the middle of a scary alleyway and customers would still be lining up along the block
Vivian Escobar
If you like being able to switch from a loud to a quiet environment, want quality espresso, and crave a vanilla latte now and then, this locally-owned coffee shop in Davis, California, is the shop for you!
3. Farmers Union
Farmers Union Coffee Roasters is located in the Farmers Union Marketplace in Eugene, Oregon. The shop prides itself on its ability to be not just a coffee place but a community for all residents and visitors in Eugene, Oregon.
Many of Eugene’s residents are college students studying at the University of Oregon. While many are studying far away from home, Farmers Union has become a place for them to call home.
My sister Sofia Tourgeman, a former student at the University of Oregon, prides Farmers Union on just that.
Whether it be the warm espresso or the welcoming staff, Farmers Union just feels like home!
Sofia Tourgeman
So, if you are a student who gets a little homesick and wants a coffee shop that will remind you of a big warm hug from your grandma, Farmers Union Coffee Roasters is the place for you! As Farmers Union states in their mission, they “roast great coffee with love for the common good.”
4. Groundworks
Groundworks Coffee is an extremely popular coffee chain with several locations spread across Los Angeles, California, and Portland, Oregon. It is known for its organic coffee and its “deep understanding of flavor.”
Groundworks Coffee, located in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, was one of my favorite study spots after school in high school. I have countless memories of my friends or sister and me ordering as many oat milk iced lattes as we could afford while we crammed for our finals.
Groundworks Coffee, located in Santa Monica, California, has become very popular for students studying at Santa Monica College. Former student Maria Andrade votes that Groundworks Coffee is the best coffee in all of Santa Monica! Her go-to order is an iced almond milk latte that helped her get through all the late-night studying and university applications.
If you are visiting the exciting cities of Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, don’t forget to try this hidden yet extremely delicious chain!
5. Cafe Milano
Cafe Milano is home to some of the best coffee located in Berkeley, California! Cafe Milano is within perfect walking distance of those studying at the University of California, Berkeley.
Although the really popular coffee place in Berkeley was Cafe Strada, I was always a Milano girl
Natalie Silver, former UC Berkeley student
Natalie’s favorite order was a large iced latte with 2 percent milk, a carrot muffin, and sometimes a turkey panini. Cafe Milano became Natalie’s favorite place to study because of the calm and peaceful atmosphere.
When she was a senior, she took 2 PE classes and would run to Cafe Milano to study in between! Natalie also credits the amazing staff, who was always extremely nice and friendly.
With excellent staff, decent prices, and spectacular coffee, Cafe Milano cannot be beat!
Cafe Milano has been reported to have a great casual atmosphere with good seating and a cool and grungy vibe. If you are looking to study or read in an old-school cafe with incredible coffee, Cafe Milano is your place!
