Slumped, half-awake, college students struggling to make it through a whole day of lectures and keyboard tapping would find comfort at the bottom of a nice cup of coffee. However, this is not the case regarding Butte’s coffee stand, Wired Cafe.
I, just like every other college student, need a quick boost of caffeine to help me finish my day. When given the information that my very own school had a coffee stand, I was, as expected, extremely excited. A convent and affordable access to a beloved cup of coffee sounded like a dream.
I scoured the campus and found that Wired Cafe is located right beside the left side of Butte’s cafeteria. Wired is decorated with modern furniture, dim lights, and tall tables to enjoy a beverage or snack while studying.
The menu is full of items ranging from blended frappes to smoothies. Along with the usual beverages you could find at any cafe, Wired carried foods such as fruit bowls, beagles, muffins, and much more.
A great fact about Wired Cafe is that Butte College Dining Services operates it along with student staff. Wired Cafe was first opened in January 2008 and has continued statice since. They only accept cash or credit payments, no tap; however, the environment, menu, or payment method were not my problem.
My problem started the first time I entered Wired Cafe. I had just finished up a long 2-hour lecture starting at 8 am. Needing that instant caffeine rush, I navigated my way to Wired Cafe. I ordered my usual caramel blended frappe and paid about 6 dollars.
The process was fast, and the service was wonderful, which I appreciated. But the actual beverage was not my forte. I personally don’t prefer coffee grounds in my frappe, but maybe others enjoy that out-of-pocket crunch.
Not only was the texture unpleasant but the flavor was very artificial and had a very strong coffee aftertaste. I don’t mind the taste of coffee; in fact, I rather enjoy it, but with the expectations of frappe, I expected less coffee and more cream flavor. For the artificial part, I think they may have put a caramel flavoring pump which most cafes do but they must have put way too much. Instead of receiving a sweet, salty caramel, I was met with an unsettling bitterness.
I do give props to their homemade whipped cream. I loved their thick, buttery whipped cream. I could tell it was homemade by how thick the dollop was. I also really enjoyed their ice-to-coffee ratio; this is very important to me.
Now I know I can’t give a bad review after only one tasting so I went back the next day. I wanted to try a new fall item they were advertising at the time, so I ordered a pumpkin chia latte. I normally love this drink from Starbucks, so I felt pretty confident in my order.
Again, the service was great. Wonderful smiles, patient, helpful–overall, perfect. If only the drink was just as sweet.
The latte was again overpowered with artificial flavoring, only this time, due to the pumpkin, it was a little spicy. To me, this was such an odd flavoring for a latte. I couldn’t even finish my drink. I do think the actual latte itself would have been very good if I hadn’t gotten the pumpkin version. But I will never know because I don’t plan on going back.
I’m sure not all of their beverages are bad, but I would have to say that Wired Cafe is just not my cup of coffee.
