How do these cups stack up?
I’m not a coffee drinker, so on one hand, I have no business talking about java right now. On the other, I think I’m in a unique position where I can form an unbiased opinion on what tastes better. So I give you: Pumpkin Spice Coffee (TM Ward) vs Pumpkin Spice Coffee (Brick City Coffee Company).
I drank these simultaneously, so there was little question to which tasted better. Let’s head to the ring for the weigh-ins:
Name: Pumpkin Spice Coffee
Hometown: TM Ward Coffee Company
Weight: 10 oz
Wait: As long as it takes you press the button on the cappuccino machine
Price: 90¢
The Skinny: The natural coffee flavor was subtle, so honestly, I could actually see myself buying this again. Hot, but not scalding. Sweet, but not an explosion of sugar.
The cheap lids at TM Ward are the bane of every car owner's existence.
Name: Pumpkin Spice Coffee
Hometown: Brick City Coffee Company
Weight: 12 oz
Wait: 2-3 minutes
Price: $3.35
The skinny: Too saccharine. It wasn’t bad at first, but after a few more sips I just couldn’t do it anymore. In BCCC’s defense, I may not have noticed this if I wasn’t drinking both cups-a-joe at once, so take that for what it’s worth. Extra points scored for the car driver-friendly lid, and the option of whipped cream, cinnamon and nutmeg.
THE WINNER: The packaging award belongs to BCCC, but at the end of the day, what’s more important? The product, or the box it comes in? TM Ward, your exponentially cheaper, tastier pumpkin spice coffee is my winner. (It looks like a general store from colonial Williamsburg inside TM Ward, and it also smells like coffee grounds, both of which I found to be cool little quirks that the sterile BCCC lacks. Get couches in there!)
TM Ward Coffee Company
944 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 623-1202
tmwardcoffee.com
December 1st, 2009 at 9:58 am
Quade, how can the two prices of the coffee’s be so different?? I mean $3.35- $.90 is a huge difference.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:17 am
I don’t know. Have you ever been to Starbucks vs. any local mom & pop coffee shop? Overpriced gourmet coffee is chic, but the good, cheap stuff is still out there somewhere (apparently).
And this is no disrespect to BCCC. The frozen hot chocolate is second to none, and the smoothies – also maybe toooooo sweet – are also delicious.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:57 am
You can keep the slick packaging, mocha-frappe-latte mixing barista’s and just give a good cup of coffee!! TM Ward’s is “simply the best”
December 1st, 2009 at 2:07 pm
TM Ward has my vote. Walking into that store is heavenly. The coffee smells are fantastic. When you order pumpkin spice coffee, you get pumpkin spice coffee not regular coffee with a flavor shot (which by the way are waaaaaaay to sweet!)like all the other wannabee coffee shops serve.
December 1st, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I have yet to do TM Ward which does make me feel like I have still missed out on a Newark Icon
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Like newarkdevil says, it really looks like TM Ward is the way to go! Brick City Coffee does really know how to work the frozen hot chocolate though.
December 6th, 2009 at 10:04 am
To follow up, I tried going to TM during yesterday’s snowfall before the game, but it was closed. What are their hours, QC?
December 6th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
You should gone with the season and sampled peppermint coffees! Those are my faves. Brick City could definitely use couches or some other more lounge-y type of ambiance.