7 Brew: Review of a Coffee Shop Coming Near You

7-Brew Logo
Photo credit: https://www.ucbjournal.com/7-brew-coffee-opening-in-cookeville-part-of-national-expansion/

By: Abby Kornele

Like many other high school students I have a severe caffeine addiction and usually can’t go a day without consuming some form of it. Whether it be coffee or an energy drink I have tried so many different kinds. We’ve all tried the current chain coffee shops by our school like Starbucks and Dutch Bros, but a new phenomenon is currently being built, and it's known as 7 Brew. 

The company was started in Rogers, Arkansas in 2017 with the concept of quick delicious coffee on the go. Our Jenks locations’ construction started in October on the corner of E Main St and S Riverfront Dr and has just recently opened. 

Because of this opening I decided to review their drinks and atmosphere and see if it’s actually worth your time. I created a criteria discussing their most popular drinks, how they taste, their price, what the drive through atmosphere is like, and the organization of their menu. 

• The Blondie

The Blondie Drink
Photo credit: https://7brew.com/location/metcalf-avenue-overland-park-ks/

The first drink I tried is one of their most popular ones, a caramel and vanilla breve. With the first sip all I could taste was a bitter coffee flavor, it was completely overpowering the caramel and vanilla flavor that was supposed to be there. This specific drink was not that sweet so I’m assuming they put less pumps of syrup than they were supposed to. I think this because several of my friends have tried this same drink and felt as though it was too sweet for them. While the breve wasn’t completely bitter I was able to find some sweetness in it after I drank it more. My only issue with this was that I couldn’t make out any vanilla or caramel. It was more like a sweet cream flavor. This also supports my hypothesis that there was not enough syrup added, because a breve is simply made with espresso and half and half. 

Despite my several issues with this drink I have hopes that this was just poorly made and if I were to retry it then my experience would be much more positive. The price of this drink was $3.50 which I find to be a very reasonable price for a 16 oz drink. Especially when compared to a company such as Starbucks, where a 16 oz drink would average to be around $6.00. 

• Ocean Breeze

Cup of Ocean Breeze Drink

The next drink I tried was an Ocean Breeze, which is one of their Energy drinks. It can come iced or as a chiller but I tried the iced version. Before trying I was unsure of what actual flavors it was but I would describe it as the exact taste of a blue sunny sky in the summertime. It is the perfect summer drink. After drinking I looked up the flavors and learned it is a combination of blue raspberry and coconut. The drink itself wasn’t overly carbonated which I was afraid of, instead it had a much more smooth flavor and not crazy crisp. Another thing I really enjoyed about this drink was that the energy drink flavor wasn’t overpowering. When I go to other companies such as Dutch Bros and get one of their Rebels, it tends to be too sweet and way too strong of an energy drink flavor. 7-Brew has the right proportions down and knows how to properly make an energy drink. 

I had actually already tried this drink a couple weeks prior and I loved it so much I knew I needed to include it in my review. I got a size medium which cost me $6.25. Another important thing about this drink is it is sugar free and you can’t even tell. This drink is absolutely perfect to me and is literal summer in a cup. 

• Sweet and Salty

Dutch sweet and salty stock image

For the third drink I tried I asked the worker for her recommendation of what she is currently liking. She recommended the Sweet and Salty which is a salted caramel and white chocolate breve. Unlike the Blondie this one was extremely sweet and the syrups completely overpowered the coffee flavor. I could also taste the caramel way more than I could taste the white chocolate. I would describe it as very smooth and not at all bitter. The taste is very comparable to a caramel macchiato that one would find at Starbucks. 

I was unsure if I would like this one so I got a small one and the price totaled to be around $5.00. If you have a huge sweet tooth then I think you would absolutely love this drink, but if not then this may not be the one for you.  

• Atmosphere

The awning that you wait under while in line for your drink.

As I mentioned before, 7-Brew’s goals as a company are to produce good tasting coffee at a fast speed. Implying that they are a strictly drive-thru only place. As I pulled into the drive- thru I was greeted with a girl standing outside with an iPad, they don’t have any intercom speakers to order through. As I pulled up and waited for my drink my car was able to sit under an awning that helps them stay open easily if there are any weather issues. Another thing I found super interesting was that instead of a window like most other fast food places, they had doors allowing their workers to walk up to each car in line. I felt like this really added to the face to face experience and I enjoyed getting to be so interactive with the workers. Overall the workers were very nice and made my drinks in little to no time. 

• The Menu

The first time their menu was displayed.

One of my biggest cons about their drive thru set up is that I was not presented with their menu before I ordered. Luckily I had decided beforehand what I was planning on getting, but if I hadn’t it would’ve been difficult for me to decide on the spot. This can be an issue many people face considering most people going to Jenks’ new location probably have never tried 7-Brew before and won’t already know what they want. So I would definitely recommend researching beforehand if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy being put on the spot. Once I pulled up to the awning I was then finally displayed the menu. They do a good job at displaying the drinks they are most known for and the variety of drinks they offer. Although, I would’ve enjoyed it if they showed the additional list of what syrups and sauces they have in case someone wanted to create their own concoction. Those were my only big issues with how their drive-thru is set up, if they fixed those then the atmosphere would become that much better. 

Overall I really enjoyed my experience at 7-Brew and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to try more drinks. Like many other places I think it may take some tries to find the perfect drink for you, but once you do I think it can very easily become an addictive place. 

I think if you love caffeinated drinks as much as I do then trying 7-Brew is 100% worth your time and you will not regret it. For a similar story like this one check out Halle Hess’ story rating different holiday drinks!!

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