A tale of three lattes

One sunny Sunday morning, three of my colleagues and I embarked on a quest to sample coffee from three Phoenix locations within walking distance of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications in Downtown Phoenix.

In order to showcase each store’s craftsmanship —while preserving the flavor of each distinct coffee blend— we ordered a hot vanilla latte at each location, putting one of the most popular coffee drinks served in the country daily to the test.

First was Press Coffee, a new brick and mortar location part of the eight other Press Coffee Roasters chain locations, found at 200 E. Van Buren St.

Located on the first floor of the Arizona Republic building a short walk from Cronkite, the walk was quick and shaded by tall buildings, shielding us from the sun.

Press Coffee’s vanilla latte was decorated with an artful design. Kate Ourada, a student at Arizona State University who frequents Press Coffee during her workdays, typically gets caramel lattes.

“I’m here really often just because they’re really fast, they’re close to campus, and they’re a non-Starbucks option,” Ourada says.

Kirsten Dorman, an ASU junior, describes herself as an experimenter. She likes to try something new, with an emphasis on strong flavors, but she found herself surprised with the simplicity of this drink.

“This latte really felt like a warm hug. It really feels like a warm blanket that you just throw over your shoulders and snuggle on the couch with this drink, and I really like that. I could definitely see myself listening to any of Taylor Swift’s new releases and feeling very ‘sad, tragic, beautiful,’” Dorman said. “I could [definitely] see myself getting something like this on a bad day. Normally I get a hot matcha on a bad day, but I really liked it. Maybe this is something to think about.”

The store maintained a minimalist aesthetic, largely black, white and concrete with wood accents. With bar-style seating along a wood-paneled accent wall, cafe seating in the center and a semi-secluded corner, the many seating options have something for everyone. The coffee bar dominated the space along the west-facing wall with the many seating areas gravitating around it. The space felt modern, minimalist, hangar style. Hard to relax in, but a place meant to work, to energize and foster productivity.

Our next stop was Fillmore Coffee Co., an independent coffee shop located on the base floor of Skyline Lofts Apartment Homes at 600 N. Fourth St. Neighboring buildings don’t keep walkers safe from the sun, however. Chances are, you’ll arrive with a thoroughly-baked back after a few minutes in the Arizona heat.

For those wanting to try something new, Fillmore Coffee Co. sells a sampler of four hot drinks —a vanilla latte, a chai, a mocha and a macchiato— available for curious customers. The vanilla latte was presented, like the other drinks, in a glass for sampling. It featured a rather simple latte art design, compared to the vanilla latte from Press, and was served on a wood tray.

As we sipped on the various drinks in the sampler, including the vanilla latte, the general consensus was disappointment. Even with a variety of palates and preferences, none of us felt like we got what we wanted.

Jamie Montoya, an ASU sophomore, likes her coffee black. Despite her preference, she tried to enjoy Fillmore’s vanilla latte and found herself feeling underwhelmed.

“I think I’ve had worse, but it just tastes very milky and not very vanilla. The coffee is there, but it’s maybe an aftertaste. I feel like I can’t taste the coffee, like this wouldn’t wake me up,” Montoya said.

Latte aficionado Ourada agreed.

“If we’re comparing Press’s latte to this one, I would say I liked Press’s more. I would say it’s... fine. It did not impress me. The coffee flavor is a lot more present, but I don’t like it,” Ourada said.

Fillmore Coffee Co. had a cozy, cluttered atmosphere that made Press Coffee look sterile. With pothos descending from the ceiling, other plants everywhere you look, and art on every wall throughout the store, the variable lighting, the seating —from cafe to couch to bar— and the table to play chess on in the back, made Fillmore a location meant for socializing.

While the store missed the mark in its drinks, Fillmore delivers in food, menu to plate. Featuring goat cheese as a common staple, a house-made tomato-onion chutney emphasized in the grilled chicken panini, and an acai bowl breakfast delicacy, the food and the atmosphere redeem the underwhelm of the drinks.

Our last stop of the day was at Songbird Coffee & Tea, a small, rustic coffeehouse tucked away behind construction at 812 N. Third St. While the heavy construction around might deter some, it’s almost imperceptible inside. The shop was teeming in the afternoon, with people seated on the couch or on desks indoors, on one of the many tables outside, or on the signature green porch swing.

Even with a drink as standard as a vanilla latte, Songbird Coffee & Tea shows an element of care and quality in their product that felt unmatched by the other two locations. So much so, that the vanilla latte (and the other drinks) sampled at Songbird changed our perception of Press Coffee and Fillmore Coffee Co.

Dorman found her opinion on vanilla lattes changing after sampling Songbird’s.

“I felt like it had really great body to it. I really love the flavor profile of the coffee blend,” Dorman said. “I think if I was on my way to class in the morning and I had a bit of extra time and some extra cash, I would definitely make this my stop and maybe get a vanilla latte for the first time.”

Songbird’s storefront, which resembles a tiny house turned coffee shop, balances indoor and outdoor seating as what feel like equal priorities, in contrast to Press and Fillmore, the former of which has no outdoor seating available, and the latter feels like an afterthought.

At the height of the pandemic, Songbird Coffee & Tea closed indoor seating temporarily, letting customers choose from the variety of patio-style seating, or sit on the coveted porch swing, which is often occupied for its comfort. Another understated feature of Songbird Coffee & Tea is Inky Bob, a small, black, tail-less street cat and local legend who calls Songbird home.

After a day of coffee tasting, it was unanimously agreed that Songbird Coffee & Tea presented the best vanilla latte and most preferable ambiance of the three locations. Each coffee shop brought something different to the table and provided its own unique experience.