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| - A few disclaimers: 1. I'm not that picky about my coffee which leads to 2. I don't really have a discerning palate to really judge good coffee over bad coffee. I mean, I can tell when the coffee is REALLY bad, but subtle differences? No.
My criteria for good coffee places are 1. price; 2. convenience; 3. incentives to return (e.g., rewards programs), and well, taste for sure - if it tastes horrible I'm certainly not coming back. Generally I hit up Starbucks, simply because it's convenient and they have their star program. There's a small part of me that hates giving my money to them and for buying into their marketing. Anyhow....
I pass by this place on my way to work every day and I have never stopped, until today, when I heard on the radio that this was one person's favorite coffee place in Pittsburgh. Now you have me interested.
The barista was super nice, and after telling her it was my first time there (mostly I apologized for not really being familiar with their menu), she gave me a welcome card to sign up for their mailing list and giving me 25% off my next purchase to use within a week. Ok, I'm definitely going back within a week.
The coffee was good - I got a non-fat vanilla latte - it's one of my go-to drinks. I really liked the drink - just as good as Starbucks, perhaps a smidge better. Retrospectively, I like the fact that it came from a local business. We shall see what the mailing list perks wind up being, but, Island Bean Company is definitely now in the mix for where I will be getting my coffee in the morning. I'm glad I stopped.
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