Grab-A-Java, a local establishment in Springfield Illinois, where the coffee is freshly brewed and the customer’s experience is always valued. Grab-A-Java is different from the typical Starbucks experience, it is strictly drive-thru and it only offers outdoor seating. On one of my trips to Grab-A-Java, Jamie (an employee of seven years) spoke with me about the coffee shop while I enjoyed a small black coffee, for just $2, and a chocolate chip cookie.

The black coffee was strikingly hot and brewed extremely strong. The bitter aroma of the freshly brewed coffee was warm and inviting. After the first few sips, I could feel the caffeine flooding into my veins. This cup of coffee was warming my body as I felt the surge of energy rushing through me. This is perfect for coffee lovers or people in need of a quick “wake-me-up.”

According to Jaime, their beans are roasted specially from Oregon and they are ground right before it is brewed. This is most likely the reason for the fresh and delicious flavor. For those looking for something sweeter, they do offer a variety of drinks. One of their specialty lattes, which was approximately $5, that I enjoyed was the Tiramisu latte.

The latte was slightly better than average but was not all too special. The sweetness was not over-powering, which is a plus, but the overall taste was not too impressive. It took me a while to finish and as I was near the last third of the latte, it seemed thicker and somewhat powdery.

Though I would not recommend this latte, I would highly recommend their cookies. They offer chocolate chip cookies, snowflake cookies, and peanut butter cookies. The chocolate chip cookie was the perfect amount of sweetness, a good balance between crispy and soft/chewy, somewhat crumbly, and overall just plain delicious. At first sight, it is deceiving as it appears to be hard, cold, and generic. I purchased this cookie at 5:25p.m., which is around their closing time, therefore making the quality of the cookie even more impressive.

Along with their delicious pastries, another unique quality of Grab-A-Java would be the artwork and humorous t-shirts. The artwork is unique, vocal about local events, and most importantly- it is homemade in the basement of the owner’s home.

The owner’s husband, Pete Lazar, hand-makes banners and designs t-shirts for the coffee shop. The banners change as local events occur in Springfield as well as throughout the nation. A few of the recent ones included the “Barack-O-Java” from when Obama was in Springfield and “Grab-A-Java Trumps them All!” when Trump visited Springfield.

This café is small, but unique, and offers quality coffee for an average price. It’s definitely worth giving a try! The 6th Street location is open from 6a.m.-6p.m. from Monday-Saturday and 7a.m.-3p.m. on Sunday.