The sight of impending 100-plus-degree temperatures on my weather.com forecast doesn’t faze me for a second. Sweltering heat might slow some people down, but for me, the heat speeds me up. I become a sort of heat wave Superwoman, thanks to my secret weapon: iced coffee.
I’m not alone: The very, very first signs of spring — one lone flower kind of sort of blooming somewhere on campus — send the Princeton masses straight to Witherspoon’s in Frist Campus Center to get their iced coffee fix. But if you’re one of us iced coffee fanatics, sometimes the Frist version of the drink just ain’t going to cut it — it’s overwhelmingly water-based and it’s definitely not going to give you that caffeine jolt that you’re craving. When looking for the real deal, it’s best to head outside the FitzRandolph Gates.
Small World
“Double iced joe to go”— that’s Small World lingo for a large iced coffee in a plastic cup. Substitute in “single” or “to stay” as you please, but beware: The two-dollar “single” size looks a lot like it was made for a four-year-old. If you want more than two sips of your drink, it’s in your best interest to order the $2.65 “double.”
When you get your drink, you can immediately tell it’s strong coffee: Unlike Frist’s version, which is totally transparent, thanks to all that water they use, Small World’s joe looks opaque, a sure-fire way to tell it’s a substantive drink. And sure enough, it has a rich taste, and it leaves me feeling a little more awake just minutes after beginning to drink it. But there’s one problem: The taste is bitter. Too bitter. I like my coffee strong, but this version leaves a somewhat unpleasant taste lingering in my mouth. I had expected more from such an expensive cup.
Halo Pub
The ice cream and espresso destination serves a mean cuppa. Here you’ll find yourself out $2 for a small, but this “small” is much more reasonably sized than Small World’s itty-bitty “single.”
This is strong coffee, but unlike Small World’s, it’s not bitter for the sake of being bitter. Instead, I’m impressed by its warm, almost nutty taste — not something you normally find in iced coffee.
The one flaw of Halo Pub’s iced coffee was that much of the ice melted merely minutes after I began drinking, and the flavor quickly became diluted. Melting ice is an almost unavoidable problem when it comes to iced coffee, but I was shocked when this great-tasting cup so quickly shifted to a mediocre one.
Panera
Though less known for its coffee, Panera is hard to ignore with its low prices and speedy service. At $1.85 for a small, this iced coffee is a good choice for an everyday drink that won’t break the bank, but you’ll definitely want to go elsewhere on special occasions.
When diving into your Panera cup you’ll be overwhelmed by the strong, powerful taste of the first sip, but you’ll quickly realize the coffee is much too watery. Here the flavor is not backed up by substance: It’s as if the Panera baristas have overcompensated with flavor in order to mask the lower quality of their coffee. Nonetheless, for an inexpensive cup, it’s not a bad choice.
Starbucks
The mecca of coffeeshops serves a fairly reliable cup of iced joe, and $2.45 will get you a well-sized grande comparable to Small World’s “double.”
Starbucks’ iced coffee isn’t bad. It’s just, well, average. The signature “slightly burnt” taste of the chain’s hot coffee carries over to the cold cup, so if you avoid Starbucks for that reason, don’t go expecting more from the iced version. That said, it’s a caffeine-heavy cup — points for the jolt! — that’s not particularly flavorful, but not particularly bland either. Starbucks definitely has the best service — the baristas always offer to sweeten your cup or add milk for you. And on those long, sleep-deprived days, nothing can make your day quite like a smiling, god-like barista who’s willing — and eager! — to dash your cup with some skim milk before it even hits your hands.
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