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I have had many arguments with friends about which coffee place is best. I tend to go for the more expensive places, and they tend to pick the basic places, like Starbucks and Caribou. I wanted to prove that different shops have distinct coffee. For instance, some coffee is more bitter than others. Others taste more acidic, while some taste more mellow. To judge fairly, I picked the same drink, cold brew, from each place. Cold brew is coffee made from ground beans steeping in cold water for a long period of time.

Cold brew is typically served over ice as the name suggests, but sometimes the drink is served with no ice at all. The difference between this and iced coffee is that no cream or sugar is typically added. The coffee is typically watered down. This is because after steeping the ground coffee in water the end product is highly concentrated. However, if made right, it doesn’t taste that way. In my opinion, the flavor of coffee should stick out, but it shouldn’t be pungent. It should taste smooth and light.

In order to make my final decision about the best cold brew, I went to three well-known coffee shops around the city and tried their cold brew at each one.

A previous article on the Viewfinder website named DSM Brew Coffee Co. No. 1 for black coffee. I decided this would be a good first place to go. Walking into the shop, I immediately loved the atmosphere. It was simple but beautiful. The all-white walls, with subtle decorations which made the neon lights stand out. The cold brew came in a cute little glass. The coffee looked a little lighter than I expected. Upon taking the first sip, I was surprised at how little flavor this coffee had. It was very watered down, dry and boring. The coffee flavor was all I could taste, and it was too bold. I even added cream and sugar, which actually made it worse. This surprised me because I was expecting a little bit more from this place. It wasn’t horrible, but I can’t see myself getting it again. It was time to move on to one that had the best reviews by my friends: Horizon Line Coffee.

I had talked to two people who said that this place served the best cold brew around. I was excited to put this to the test. This cold brew was served in a mason jar and was aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The first sip was even better than expected. The coffee tasted silky smooth. It was light at first but the aftertaste was more powerful. I truly enjoyed this coffee without even needing any sugar or cream, which is a must with the usual drinks I order.

I was on a coffee high and ready to try the last place, which was Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure.I had heard of this place from many people, but I had never gone out of my way to try it. This place was cute; it had houseplants sitting around, and I loved the atmosphere. This coffee was served in a glass cup, similar to DSM Brew Co. This cold brew tasted the strongest out of the three shops, but I wasn’t sure I liked it. It basically tasted like a cold black coffee. I decided to experiment and see if adding cream and sugar would help. It did not!

All in all, each coffee tasted different. We had one flavor that was too strong, one thats flavor was too light, and one that was just right. The coffee that was just right was from Horizon Line. It was easy to drink because of the smooth flavor. It had the perfect amount of coffee flavor. Next in line would be Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure. This coffee had too strong of a flavor. However, it was still better than no flavor at all, like my experience at DSM Brew Coffee Company, which came in third place.

If you are ever craving a cup of cold brew, make sure Horizon Line is first on your list! Don’t settle for Starbucks.