Every day, coffee shops on Nassau fill with Princeton students looking for their morning cup o’ joe, a midday pick-me-up, or an ambient study spot. Most people have a familiar, go-to order: Small World’s Nola, a strawberry matcha at Ooika, or illy’s classic cappuccino — but what about the unusual orders? The crazy concoctions and unexpected genius combinations? To discover the answer to this question, I visited a coffee shop every day this week to find out the weirdest orders they’ve received lately. I even tried a few myself.
Sakrid
I started my caffeine adventure at Sakrid. The Monday morning atmosphere was bustling as usual, stirring a sense of excitement within me as I waited to order. As a tried-and-true fan of their maple latte, I was hesitant to order anything else. When I asked the barista for the weirdest order she’d heard recently, she countered with a question of her own: “Something that tastes good or terrible?” I requested both. For the “good” drink, she described a gingersnap mocha that takes Sakrid’s seasonal gingersnap syrup, typically paired with a chai latte instead. The “gross” drink consisted of a latte with half-and-half, which she felt was way too thick and creamy for a drink that’s already mostly milk.
I decided to order the gingersnap mocha, which I found to be a brilliant idea. Though it’s sweeter than my usual latte, it’s an indulgent treat that I would definitely order again. The cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg fusion of the gingersnap perfectly complemented the rich, chocolatey mocha, creating a unique, layered flavor. I highly recommend trying this order while they still have the specialty seasonal syrup, or you could try your hand at a personalized combination of syrups.
Ooika
On Tuesday, I made the trek down Witherspoon to Ooika. I’ve never been the biggest matcha fan, so impressing me would be an uphill battle. Similarly to Sakrid, their weirdest order contained a seasonal syrup only available in February: a cherry chocolate matcha latte.
Despite my aversion to matcha, at first taste, I quite enjoyed the drink. The chocolate and cherry paired well with the matcha’s subtle flavor, adding an extra sweetness and tartness. However, with more sips, I felt as though the cherry flavor became lost amid the overpowering flavors of matcha and chocolate. If you’re considering ordering this drink, I would recommend adding an extra pump of cherry to balance the flavor.
Small World
For a mid-week interlude, I ventured to Small World, which unsurprisingly was packed with what felt like every Princeton resident, student, and professor alike. After finally making it to the front of the line, the barista offered an immediate answer to my inquiry: a mango cappuccino. I knew right away that I was not going to sacrifice my morning coffee for this adventure. A cappuccino is creamy and frothy with rich espresso. In my opinion, it’s the perfect coffee drink, and mango would make it far too artificial and sweet. I can potentially see the appeal of a mango latte, but a cappuccino? Unfortunately, a hard pass from this writer.
illy
I found myself on Thursday at illy, a block off Nassau. While one of the quieter coffee shops in the area, illy always has exciting monthly specials and an extensive range of syrups, so I was ready for something crazy. The barista exceeded my expectations, recounting, “One time, someone ordered a latte with no milk and six shots of espresso. We said that a latte has to have milk, so he asked for a splash of half and half.” Just when I thought there was no way I could handle that much caffeine at once, she then told me about a matcha with cookie butter syrup, an unusual addition to the earthy, grassy flavor of matcha.
This odd flavor combination certainly made for a unique drink but not special enough to recommend. The notes of caramel, butter, and gingersnap in the syrup clashed with the matcha's freshness, lacking the balance of Ooika’s cherry chocolate matcha.
Coffee Club
Finally, on Friday, I visited Princeton’s very own student-run cafe, Coffee Club. Knowing how creative Princeton students can be, I was excited to try their unusual drink order — until the barista told me that it was a cherry chai. Much like the cookie butter matcha situation, these two flavors did not sound at all appealing together. To me, chai, with its warm, aromatic flavor, wouldn’t complement cherry. Therefore, like at Small World, I wasn’t quite brave enough to order this strange drink.
During this bizarre caffeine odyssey, many of the orders may have sounded ridiculous at first. Yet, as I made my way through the good, the bad, and the ugly of Princeton coffee, some concoctions grew on me. I even found a new potential go-to: the gingersnap mocha from Sakrid. While it’s important to have your staples and go-tos, it’s equally important to, once in a while, take that step outside your comfort zone and get that mango cappuccino (even if I couldn’t).
Lulu Pettit is a member of the Class of 2027 and a senior writer for The Prospect from the suburbs of Philadelphia. She can be reached at lp3153[at]princeton.edu or her Instagram @itslulupettit.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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