As a Magnet student, you’re more than likely no stranger to a hot cup of coffee in the morning on your way to school. This caffeinated beverage has probably saved your grades on more than one occasion, whether you’re trying to pull an all-nighter to finish your latest project or trying to wake up after a long night. An under-appreciated part of Charleston is its coffee shop culture, as there are a wide variety of cafés all over town – Starbucks being one of the most popular, with over twenty locations scattered around the city. However, there are many smaller, family-owned coffee shops around Charleston that deserve to be appreciated just as much. With this in mind, the two of us set out to try as many coffee shops as we could.
As appealing as a nice evening in a quaint café sounds, neither of us are the coffee types. Despite this, we decided to taste test local shops around James Island for their quality of drink, food, and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the coffee was not the only bitter taste in our mouths as weather and traffic almost ruined our whole day. Maybe this was a sign to leave the coffee for the real connoisseurs, but we still managed to hit three quality areas and enjoy our time.
Location 1: Highfalutin’ Coffee Roasters
Our order: Cortado and Almond Brown Sugar Banana Bread ($9.50)
Lillian’s thoughts: For the first full cup of coffee I’ve ever had, it was incredibly bitter. I struggled with getting it down on more than one occasion, but paired with the bread we ordered, it tasted really nice. It also came with stunning latte art, and the overall aesthetic appeal felt really nice. This is the kind of place that I’d want to come back to, just to taste some of their other menu options.
Peyton’s thoughts: Our first location was not killing it in terms of taste. The coffee was far too strong for me and the bread had an oddly clumpy flavor, but what it lacked in flavor it made up for in atmosphere. The latte art was gorgeous and the plates were porcelain with beautiful blue paintings of flowers on them. The walls were covered in decorative vines and there was charming outside seating. The people sitting next to us had a kid that was attending a school my mother used to work at and I heard his mom was getting him a hot wheel. I am a little jealous.
Location 2: Baguette Magic
Our order: Honey Lavender Latte and Coffee Cake ($13.25)
Lillian’s thoughts: Baguette Magic is one of my favorite cafés, and I usually order the same thing every time I go, but this time, I decided to diversify my order a bit. The latte tasted a bit like plants – likely a result of the lavender flavoring, and it was warm and had less of a strong aftertaste. This café was a little less aesthetically pleasing than our last stop, but the taste of the food and drink more than makes up for it. The coffee cake was absolutely delicious, nice and sweet but not too sweet, and it paired really well with the latte.
Peyton’s thoughts: This was not my first time at Baguette Magic, but it was the first time I did not have to wait in line for an hour. This place was delicious. The coffee was not bitter and the extra taste of honey and lavender really knocked it out of the park. The coffee cake also had a bit of saltiness which I very much prefer in my baked goods. The aesthetic was not as good as the first, since the latte art was a little sloppy and it felt much more like a restaurant. Nonetheless, the music choices were bangers. They had a mix of Chappell Roan, the Neighborhood, and Cage the Elephant. We very much enjoyed it.
Location 3: Smoky Yolk Café
Our order: Caramel Cappuccino and Sourdough Toast
Lillian’s thoughts: Overall, this place wasn’t the greatest café compared to our other two stops. It felt like more of a diner-style restaurant, which was a pretty cool vibe, but this isn’t the kind of place I would go to for a casual coffee meetup with friends. The coffee was quite hot and tasted pretty nice, but it also tasted like something I could get at a generic chain coffee shop, so it lost a little bit of its charm. However, they did have complimentary jelly for the toast, which was cool on their part.
Peyton’s thoughts: For a final location it was definitely lacking. It felt as though they had moved a diner into a warehouse. It would be somewhere where I would watch sports games (which I did, because NASCAR was on, so that was an added bonus), but it was not the place for an aesthetic get together. The coffee was good and tasted exactly like Starbucks. Plus, I am a bread enjoyer, so although it was plain, the toast was nice. It also helped soak the caffeine out of me. By this point I was a bit of a shaky mess. I definitely should have drank less.
Our trip was definitely enjoyable, with every area bringing its own benefits and perks. While we wish we could have traveled further for our endeavor, there is always next time. Coffee is still not on top of our favorites list, but I believe we have both learned to enjoy it more. We definitely enjoyed our experience, so please always try new things – because you never know what you could find. If there is nothing new, then at least you got to spend a nice morning hopped up on caffeine with a friend.
