By: Ash Hochstettler
Staff-Writer
Welcome back to a new school year and a new semester of Sip & Study! For any new readers, Sip & Study highlights and reviews local coffee shops to give students recommendations on different spaces to hang out with friends, do some homework or just grab a quick cup of coffee. I’m so excited to be back for my final year of this column, and I look forward to trying some new coffee.
This week I visited Java Cafe in downtown South Bend located inside of the Barnes & Thornburg building at 201 S. Main St. Java is a popular study spot for many students and can get busy. They do have places to charge laptops and other devices if needed as well as Wi-Fi and outdoor seating when the weather is warmer.
Java’s interior is very sleek and modern with tons of natural light from all the windows. The cafe’s theme is based around rock music, which they play in the cafe. Many of Java’s drinks have unique names such as the Bowl of Soul or the Keith Richards (their own specialty mocha made with Mexican chocolate).
My favorite drink there is the Cocoa Blanco, or white mocha. I also like the chai there as well. Java bakes pastries every morning to make sure that they are fresh every day. Out of all the pastries, I like the muffins the best.
When asked to describe Java, Assistant Manager Conner Balciunas said he feels that “Java is a bright, upbeat place to grab coffee or have lunch with a friend”. As he said, many of the people there are doing homework, having business meetings or even having study groups at their larger tables. He also mentioned to stay tuned, as they have new fall drinks being released soon!
Overall, this would be an ideal spot to sit down, focus and get some work done. There aren’t too many distractions, and there are plenty of drinks, pastry and food items to choose from. I’d recommend giving Java a try sometime this semester!
4/5
