Most of us start our mornings off with a cup of coffee, to get us up and prepare us for the day ahead. Here at Bellevue East, our school coffee shop, the Beast Brew, is a convenient and accessible option for many students who want a little pick-me-up. However, Scooter’s Coffee is another cafe franchise with locations all across Nebraska, and unfortunately for the Beast Brew, they take the cake.
Scooter’s Coffee is known for their wide assortment of drinks and treats including their Caramelicious Lattes ($4.25 to $5.50), S’mores Cookies ($2.25), and Everything Bagel Sandwiches ($4.50), which have helped them earn their popularity among Nebraska residents. I recently had the pleasure of tasting their Iced Vanilla Latte ($3.75 to $5.00), and I was not disappointed.
When I initially received my Iced Vanilla Latte, it seemed to just be a simple and unremarkable drink. However, once I took that first sip, I was struck by just how refreshing it was. Its sweetness combined with the subtle hints of espresso made the Iced Vanilla Latte stand out despite the simplicity of the drink.
The Beast Brew, on the other hand, is known among students at East for its availability and affordability. Their menu contains beverages such as flavored cold brews ($4), teas ($4), flavored hot coffees ($3), along with snacks such as muffins ($2), chips ($2), and cinnamon rolls ($2).
In order to ensure a fair comparison, I ordered a drink that was most similar to the Iced Vanilla Latte I got from Scooters, which ended up being the Beast Brew’s French Vanilla Creamy Cold Brew ($4). Much to my disappointment, any hopes I had for the Beast Brew died after that first sip.
Upon tasting my drink, the first thing I noticed was the fact the overly sweet vanilla flavoring was not mixed into my drink, instead being stuck to the bottom of my cup. The fluid itself was not much better; its taste reminded me of watered down milk. Each sip was like the worst of both worlds, either being sickeningly sugary and sticky, or bland liquid.
In terms of presentation, Scooter’s Coffee definitely met the mark. The cups that each drink comes in has the Scooter’s Coffee logo on it, and each lid is topped with an adorable smiley face sticker. In contrast to this, the cups used to contain drinks at the Beast Brew were just plain plastic, lacking creativity and imagination.
However, one thing that I commend the Beast Brew on, is the fact that they do not charge any sales tax on their items, unlike Scooters. This means that on top of their already inexpensive menu, I did not have to pay anything extra for my drink. Unfortunately, that is one of the only positive things I have to say about the Beast Brew.
Another thing that I noticed was the variety of Scooter’s Coffee’s menu compared to the lack thereof on the Beast Brew menu. Scooter’s Coffee offers more types of hot drinks than there are total items on the entire Beast Brew menu alone.
While the Scooter’s Coffee menu prices do tend to be on the higher side, I believe that this is balanced out by their quality. It was worth paying a few extra dollars if it meant that I was going to enjoy my drink more, cough cough, Beast Brew.
All in all, I definitely preferred Scooters over Beast Brew. Their Iced Vanilla Latte sealed the deal for me, along with their extensive menu. I would rate them 4 out of 5 stars, while the Beast Brew was only a 2.5 out of 5 stars for me. This review is not intended to criticize the Beast Brew, but rather inspire small improvements that may improve the quality of their drinks and boost funds raised for Bellevue East.
