If I am going to pay upwards of $8 on a coffee, it better be the best $8 I’ve ever spent.

Therefore I’ve taken the liberty to embark on a coffee crawl on campus and rate each place on prices, taste and ambiance. The scale will be one through five for each category, one being this is downright horrendous to five being, “give me 14 of them.”

To keep the rating consistent when it comes to taste, I’ve decided to get the most basic menu item across each place, the iced caramel latte. 

That way you won’t have to worry whether your money was well spent the next time you’re craving a cup of coffee.

Kahwa Coffee

If you want the taste of espresso beans wafted into a plastic cup look no further than Kahwa Coffee. 

Upon entering I would automatically give their ambiance a two, considering there was lack thereof. Take out the coffee menu and the espresso machines and I would have felt like I was in a USF conference room. 

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In terms of taste, if the initial statement didn’t give it away then let me make it clear, their coffee was watery, burnt, and just poor quality placing them at a one for taste.

The worst part is I paid upwards of $7 for this, placing them at a two for prices. 

I rank this place an overall two. Unless every other place on campus is closed, Kawha is a last ditch effort.

Bay Coffee & Tea Company

If Kawha’s espresso is being wafted into their cups, the Bay Coffee & Tea Company’s espresso beans are telepathically put in their cups. 

Their desolant lighting and grocery store feel didn’t leave me salivating for their coffee upon entry, placing them at a one for ambiance.

It’s assumed coffee is what I would be paying for considering the name but it truly didn’t taste as such. I felt like I was drinking caramel-flavored milk.

However, for what it’s worth I didn’t necessarily break the bank placing them at a three for prices. I paid around $6 dollars which is not absurd but still not an optimal price for what I drank.

This place receives an overall rating of three. Not terrible, but not great either.

Starbucks – Library

Oh the beloved Starbucks, always blaring its green sign everywhere on campus. 

I decided to rate the Starbucks most central to the USF campus, the one in the Library. 

Their espresso is a touch burnt but luckily the sweet flavorings and milk help to mask it’s shortcomings placing their taste at a four. 

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But the pricing is a tad intense as coffee fans of Starbucks know, placing them at a three for prices. I had paid upwards of $6 for my latte, while their prices aren’t outrageous I still wouldn’t consider it budget friendly. 

But if you’re in need of a coffee to pick you up I wouldn’t be so quick to diss Starbucks, placing them at a four overall.

Buddy Brew Coffee

Ready to unlock the gates of heaven when it comes to coffee? Then you’ll find yourself outside the doors of the Judy Genshaft Honors College at Buddy Brew Coffee. 

Their unique study spots and alternative jams place their ambiance at an immediate five.

The espresso is not bitter but rather packs a punch in its boldness. Its decadent taste leaves the milk as a compliment rather than a coverup, placing them at a five for taste.

But this taste comes at a hefty price, reaching upwards of $6 to $7. While their coffee is sensational their prices aren’t, placing them at a one for prices. 

If I am going to spend my hard earned money, it better be worth it.