Café International
It’s a fresh morning and I’m ready to get my day started right with an iced coffee. Today I am truly going on a coffee adventure to a coffee shop I’ve never been to before: Cafe International in Cranston Rhode Island. It’s in a strip mall, so there is parking right in front of the building. Honestly, the front isn’t anything to write home about, but I am undeterred.
Let’s see what’s going on inside…
The cinnamon bun flavored coffee is actually better than I expected. I found out they use Mills Coffee, which is a Providence based coffee roaster who has been around for a long time (founded in 1860!). The flavored coffee that I chose is directly flavored on the bean, rather than from syrups, so it’s a bit better in my opinion.
There are only a few customers here, which makes it a little quiet, but I am here on a weekend, so most people are probably just getting coffee to go rather than staying and working.
I must say, overall this is a good spot I would like to come back to. I’m adding this to the list of coffee shops that are worth visiting!
The Coffee 401 Verdict
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Iced Coffee - 8/108/10
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Atmosphere - 7.5/107.5/10
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Place to meet a friend - 8/108/10
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Place for a coffee date - 8/108/10
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Place for a work session - 8.5/108.5/10
Summary
- The coffee is sourced from Mills Coffee Roasters, and is very good. It doesn’t quite get to the level of the best Providence coffee shops, but it’s close, and I only tried one flavor. Other flavors could be better.
- The atmosphere is quite pleasant, but looking out the window you’re reminded you’re in a strip mall and there are cars everywhere. Still, the interior is much better than I expected from the outside.
- Cafe International seems like a fine choice of place to meet a friend if you’re both in the area.
- It also seems like it would be a good place for a coffee date. It isn’t too loud, and there are tables that seem private enough.
- The tables are a decent size, and they have wifi and outlets. If it isn’t too loud during the week then this could be a very good place to dig into some work and get focused.
Cafe International is the kind of place that I’d expect after going a few times you’d become a regular and the staff knows you by name. The staff was friendly, and the customers I encountered were also friendly. Overall the vibe was really good. Is it the best atmosphere in the world? No, but it’s still very nice, and if you went 20 times and tried a different flavor every time, you’d probably still have more flavors to try at the end of it. As someone who likes to do work at coffee shops, I would definitely come back, and as someone who loves coffee, I’m looking forward to trying some more of their flavors next time I’m in the area. This one get’s a positive review from The Coffee 401.
