Coffee Tree is a good alternative both to the donut-shop ambiance of Coffee Time and the over-commercialized hipness of chains like Starbucks and Timothy's--all of which are within a block or two of Coffee Tree. They've got their own nice blends and gooey snacks, and while the shop follows the alternative coffee shop template pretty closely, it's not a cookie-cutter operation like some competitors.
You can tell that Coffee Tree roasts and grinds their own stuff because every once and a while there's some kind of snafu inside, and you can smell burnt coffee from a block away. Not the best thing to have wafting around, but I guess it's publicity of a sort.