There are many different local coffee shops close to Milligan. But which is the best? We visited four different places so you don’t have to.
Josh Nickens, a junior here at Milligan, and I went to Dos Gatos, Open Doors, Blue’s Brews, and Coffee Company. At each place we ordered an iced mocha and a drink recommended by the barista. We reviewed each drink based on overall taste, strength of coffee, and price as well as the coffee shop’s location and service.
The overall winner of my coffee comparison was Blue’s Brews. This coffee shop is in a traveling airstream, and they typically park in front of the Cookie Crate unless they are at an event. In addition to the iced mocha, we also got a s’mores latte. Both were $4.50. The service was wonderful and it may have helped that we were served by a Milligan graduate. Their iced mocha had much stronger coffee notes than chocolate. It had a slight nutty flavor as well.
The s’mores latte was also excellent even with flavors to balance. We were impressed when we could taste an even level of the coffee, chocolate, and marshmallow flavors.
I would have to say that this is my new favorite place. At Blue’s Brews you’ll find a great variety of choices from different latte flavors to smoothies and other non-coffee drinks.
Next is Open Doors in Johnson City. We ordered the iced mocha and a Butterbeer Italian soda for our specialty drink. While I am a big fan of Open Doors and would never turn down a trip, I probably won’t be ordering another iced mocha. The coffee was weak, and it tasted like I was drinking chocolate milk. On the other hand, the Italian soda was very delicious. While we didn’t pick up the butterbeer flavor, it was still a good drink.
Open Doors isn’t as close as other options but there is a drive thru if you’re in a hurry. The service is great and the staff creates a nice environment. Both the regular iced mocha and the regular Italian soda were $3.75.
A popular spot for Milligan students is Coffee Company in Elizabethton. Both 16oz drinks were $4.50. The iced mocha had an average coffee strength but the taste was different. You could definitely taste the chocolate but there was an unexpected caramel aftertaste. For the specialty drink we ordered a snickerdoodle latte. Sadly, there wasn’t much of a snickerdoodle taste. You could tell that there was an added flavor but it mostly tasted like regular coffee.
Coffee Company is my favorite place to go for a study spot. There is free wi-fi, plenty of seating, and they sell food as well.
Finally we have Dos Gatos. This shop is in downtown Johnson City near the train station and is about a ten minute drive from campus. If I am being completely honest, Dos Gatos falls to the bottom of my list. While the iced mocha had the strongest coffee taste of all the places I visited, the mocha flavor was lacking. It was $4.50 for a 12oz. As for the specialty drink, we got a brown sugar latte. It was $5 for a 16oz cup. The coffee wasn’t as strong in this drink and the overall taste wasn’t what we hoped for. When you think brown sugar you expect something sweet, but it didn’t quite meet the mark.
Overall, the service was mediocre. We waited a while to order because no one was at the counter. However, if you are a fan of strong coffee, Dos Gatos could be for you.
After a week of going to different coffee shops I would have to say where you go depends on what you’re looking for. For coffee that will wake you up quickly, stop by Dos Gatos. For coffee on the go, drive over to Open Doors. If you need a place to get work done, look no further than Coffee Company. And finally I would have to say for overall taste and experience, I highly recommend Blue’s Brews.
| Coffee Shop | Price | Flavor | Strength | Weakness | Rating |
| Dos Gatos | Iced Mocha: $4.50 Brown Sugar Latte: $5 | Iced Mocha: strong coffee Brown Sugar Latte: lacking sweetness | Strong Coffee | Slow Service | 4/10 |
| Open Doors | Iced Mocha: $3.75 Italian Soda: $3.75 | Iced Mocha: little to no coffee Italian Soda: very sweet | Fast Service | Weak Coffee | 7.5/10 |
| Blue’s Brews | Iced Mocha: $4.50 S’mores Latte: $4.50 | Iced Mocha: good balance of coffee and chocolate S’mores Latte: good balance of all flavors | Flavor & Variety | Farther from Campus | 9/10 |
| Coffee Co. | Iced Mocha: $4.50 Snickerdoodle Latte: $4.50 | Iced Mocha: notes of caramel Snickerdoodle Latte: little to no snickerdoodle flavor | Atomosphere | Slow Service | 6.5/10 |
Headline Photo: In downtown Elizabethton you’ll find the Coffee Company, perfect for studying with a cup of coffee by your side.