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| - I go to Xtreme Bean a lot, since I live nearby, and I've been a semi-regular for over a year.
Depending on the baristas working, your order could be a pleasant transaction where you feel they care about you and your business, or it could be a relatively curt, unsmiling affair that makes you think they maybe woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. The drinks are good overall, though they can be fairly inconsistently made (I tend to get iced lattes of varying flavors), for example, the Caramel Royale tends to be either a uniformly flavored caramel coffee beverage, or a latte with thick, unmixed globs of caramel in the bottom of the cup. It's sort of an adventure, I guess, to see what you'll get.
The baked goods are not made in-house, and they're relatively average. I do enjoy the bagels with veggie cream cheese (chopped bell pepper and scallions, I believe, mixed into plain cream cheese) that is made on site.
In warm weather or busy times, the indoor seating can be a little crowded. I tend to sit outside in the corridor when I visit, and even though I'm usually sitting amid nearby smokers, the outside seating area is a little more open and I don't feel like I'm eavesdropping on the person sitting at the table next to me. The outside seating provides a place to people watch, get some occasionally fresh air, and enjoy a little more peace and quiet.
One last note: Xtreme Bean, why must you constantly burn your coffee? I'm pretty sure that coffee roasting isn't supposed to result in your smoke detector constantly going off during roasting batches of coffee. The burned coffee smell permeates the building inside and out when y'all are roasting, and it seems kind of strange. Do the people put in charge of the coffee roasting get easily sidetracked? Are they not properly trained? I have no idea.
For all its quirks and junk, Xtreme Bean has character and it feels like a comfortable place. That's what keeps me coming back each week. I sort of view this place like a quirky, fun, sometimes-annoying friend that is always there for you. Thanks, Xtreme Bean, for being that friend to me.
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