“We should get coffee sometime!”
“Let’s grab coffee.”
“Would you like me to grab you a coffee?”

Coffee such a part of all cultures, but for someone who doesn’t like coffee, sometimes you can really feel like an anomaly when everyone around you is having their daily Starbucks fix. Coffee is so popular, that I think everyone assumes everyone likes it, but for me, I have never understood what people are tasting that I’m not.

So I set out on a little experiment in the fall of 2024. I love tea – all kinds of tea actually. Sweet tea, hot tea, cold tea, unsweetened tea, milk tea, boba tea…and some of those are coffee adjacent. So there must be a coffee drink out there I like, right?

Since I don’t want to spoil the ending, you’ll have to keep reading to see all the local coffee shops, national chains and variety of hot and cold espressos, lattes and seasonal offerings I sampled to find a coffee drink (or two??) that I liked.

Starbucks

It was PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) season when I started my quest. So what better way to kick things off with the seasonal favorite at one of America’s biggest coffee chains? It was disgusting. I tasted no pumpkin and things didn’t get better when I tried the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. Strong, bitter, burnt coffee flavor = not something I enjoyed at all and I can’t help but wonder what everyone loves about these drinks?

Then I decided to try their blonde roast. The Iced Starbucks Vanilla Latte to be exact. It was GOOD. So good, I got it again a couple days later and added two pumps of pumpkin sauce. Now that’s a great flavor combo! I finally found my Starbucks coffee drink and decided their regular espresso was never going to be for me, but at least I have something there to drink now other than the Pink Drink and the Honey Citrus Green Tea.

Coffeehouse Five

Coffeehouse Five is a for-benefit local coffee shop with three locations on the south side of Indianapolis. They roast their own beans, which they get from ethically sourced wholesalers. A friend suggested that I try their honey lavender latte and I had a gift card. Plus they’re literally a few steps away from my office!

From the first sip of this one, I knew it was a winner. So smooth and the honey lavender combo gave it some sweetness that helped cut through the coffee flavor. It is a great balance of all the flavors and I liked it so much, I got it twice in one week!

Parlor Public House

The award for the most beautiful coffee shop in Indianapolis goes to Parlor Public House. I visited during the holiday season and all the decorations made it so festive, but from pictures I’ve seen, it’s always super vibey, which I loved. Parking wasn’t great – only a few spots in front and some tricky paid lots around the neighborhood, but the drinks were fun.

I actually had two of the holiday offerings – one without coffee and the Snowsparr, which had puppy chow syrup and more of a chocolatey flavor. This one was hot and had a pretty presentation, but while the flavor was fine, it’s not something I will return for. I DO want to go back to try some other coffees and cocktails sometime because they switch over to a cocktail bar in the evening hours.

Strange Brew

Strange Brew is a super funky coffee shop in Greenwood, Indiana. A friend on Instagram recommended the cinnamon mocha with all the “extra cinnamon” and the best way to describe this is Christmas in a cup! I did not taste any coffee flavor; it was really mocha forward and I got more chocolate milk with cinnamon and it really overpowered the coffee flavor. Overall, I liked this one a lot – it’s one I would get seasonally and was super sweet, so I think a good option for people who do not like the taste of coffee.

Dunkin

I tried Sabrina Carpenter’s Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso and thought it was just ok. The value for the size is pretty decent at Dunkin, but the coffee was kind of burnt tasting and definitely tasted cheaper than the other coffees that I’ve tried. It wasn’t undrinkable, but it wouldn’t be one that I would return to over and over again.

Bovaconti

Super cute coffee shop in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis, Bovaconti opened their second location in Carmel this year. Their coffee is from local roasters, the story behind the name is historical and they have the prettiest coffee cups in the city – focusing on local artists to design them.

I tried their Mayan Mocha, which is served hot. A combination of chocolate, espresso, honey, cinnamon and cayenne, this had a very unique and distinct taste. The spices gave it a little something extra, it was not overly sweet and the chocolate paired pretty well with the espresso. I did find it kind of bitter still, so I likely wouldn’t pick this up again, but it was alright!

Java House

Java House has a few locations in the Indianapolis area and surrounding cities – I stopped in the Fishers location while out and about for the Indie Indy Book Crawl. A friend recommended the Cloudy Daze, which is a vanilla latte topped with blackberry cold foam.

This coffee was super smooth. Not a heavy espresso taste and really worked nicely with the blackberry foam flavor. Like spring in a cup! I don’t know if I loved the cold foam because I found it hard to mix in with the coffee and it kind of just sat on top of the drink. But the flavors were there and I’d definitely have it again!

Runway 19

Located adjacent to a new apartment complex and close to the Greenwood Airport, Runway 19 coffee shop has a unique aviation theme and a really nice space for co-working or group study, however the coffee was really mediocre. The latte that I got was really watered down and I can’t recommend it. (edit: since I visited, this location has now closed.)

Fresh Pots

I LOVED this coffee shop in downtown Greenwood and my drink was delicious. It was incredibly busy on a Saturday afternoon, but it’s very cozy inside and they have plants for sale as well. I believe they are moving to a new location sometime soon, but I just thought this spot had a lot of charm. My Butter Beer Latte was more like a desert drink (I was glad I got a small), but the flavors were really good. I returned for a dirty chai and have gone back multiple times – this one is highly recommend!

Epic Coffee Company

A newer north side coffee shop, you can find Epic in the Noblesville area. I reached out to the owners before going in for a recommendation and they suggested the blackberry cobbler, which had just rolled out for summer. This one has oat milk and tasted so good – they really nailed the blackberry flavor.

Prufrock Coffee

You can find Prufrock in south Broad Ripple or Carmel and they have very unique coffee cups! Served in a can, the coffee is still prepared in house but the packaging really makes them stand out. The line was long at the Carmel location, but I waited around to get their vanilla latte. Sadly, I was not impressed by the flavor – it mostly tasted like milk, even after shaking it up to mix everything.

Tinker

Widely believed to be the best coffee in Indianapolis, Tinker has lots of locations around Indianapolis, including the airport. They’re doing some cool stuff with unique flavors! I actually tried their matcha here too and while I usually hate matcha, this one was really good! For the coffee, I went with the Five Spice, which is thai chili & black peppercorn combines with anise, clove, & cinnamon. Very unique. I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first, but it grew on me the more I drank it.

Black House Cafe

This is a very unique spot in the Fountain Square neighborhood! Black House Cafe is horror themed, with drinks named after some of the most popular horror movies. There are special seasonal drinks that can change monthly and overall this place has such a cool vibe. I had the Fear Street Latte, which combined espresso with white chocolate and raspberry and it was fantastic!

Calvin Fletcher’s
Another Fountain Square favorite, Calvin Fletcher’s partners with community organizations to donate profits to local causes. I tried a seasonal drink called the Sunny, which is made with orange & coriander syrup. I appreciated that this drink was not overly sweet and you could taste the coffee notes, but I wasn’t blown away by this one.

Niyyah

Niyyah means intention in Arabic and that’s what you get here with their coffee. Every flavor feels intentional and the people working in their Hub & Spoke location were so kind. I ordered The Bumble, which combines honey, vanilla, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder. The spice blends with traditional coffee flavors took my drink up a notch and is one of the best coffees I have tried this past year! The only downside? They are about 40 minutes from me, so I can’t make this a regular stop. I will however pick it up every time I am on the north side of Indianapolis!

Pearl Coffee Company

This coffee truck makes its way around Johnson County, brewing up some pretty cool concoctions and has developed a pretty loyal following the past year. Over the summer, I loved the Leggo My Ego (a waffle flavored syrup with brown butter sauce and freeze dried blueberries on top) and this fall I am loving the Route 66 (yam sauce and marshmallow cold foam).

It’s easily one of my favorites and probably good they aren’t always near my office or I just might stop by multiple times a week, which wouldn’t be good for my wallet! Highly recommend you check out Pearl Coffee Co. – they post their schedule on their social media channels!

So there you have it! My year of trying coffee. I had some really great brews and some I definitely won’t get again. Local coffee spots are far superior to the chains that I tried and I really loved several of them. With many, many more coffee spots to try, I’ll definitely be doing a part two.

Where should I go next??