A new Cornell semester means the return to the beautiful Ithaca fall weather, hanging out on the slope with friends, the existential dread of classes and, most importantly, spending all of the $500 allocated to my Big Red Bucks (BRBs) on fun little drinks.
My usual routine last year consisted of going to Olin Library to “lock-in” and instead spending seven BRBs on a brown sugar shaken espresso (along with yapping in Libe Cafe, of course). So on the first day of school, I was incredibly shocked to see that my usual Starbucks favorite was replaced by a whole host of new drinks by an unfamiliar coffee provider: La Colombe Coffee.
Cornell began looking for a new coffee vendor in 2024 after Starbucks punished union activity in Ithaca and announced La Colombe’s new contract with Cornell in February of this year.
However, a new semester means new beginnings, so I decided to embark on a new quest of trying to discern if La Colombe coffee is worth my BRBs. Thus, here is a comprehensive review of popular coffee orders to decide if La Colombe is truly worth your coin.
Iced Oat Milk Latte at Libe and Rusty’s:
Oat milk lattes are my go-to at any coffee establishment, and in my opinion, are an indicator of the quality of the café. When done right, a latte should combine the creaminess of milk with the slight bitterness and boldness of the espresso grounds into a tasty drink.
I first had this drink at Libe on the first day of school, and I left the café feeling incredibly disappointed. I found that the drink was too milky. The La Colombe espresso grounds were too mild for the nuttiness of the drink, to the point where I thought I was drinking straight oatmilk. Never a promising sign of a good coffee provider.
However, I had to hold out hope that flavorless coffee wasn’t going to define the future of drinks at Cornell. I had to give this drink another chance at Rusty’s.
To my surprise, this latte tasted totally different from the one I had at Libe. In fact, it had the opposite effect. This drink lacked the overwhelming creaminess characteristic of my original experience at Libe. This was a coffee worthy of its prestigious title, one reminiscent of a classic iced coffee lightly touched with a splash of oat milk.
Cold Brew from Rusty’s:
When I’m in a pinch and sleepy, and in need of caffeine, my go-to is always a cold brew. A bolder drink, I purchased it to stay awake in my 8 a.m. economics class (but ended up still sleeping right through it anyway). This cold brew was just simply too mild – it lacked the “wow” factor needed to fight my exhaustion.
To be fair, I did add a dash of oat milk, so maybe that diluted the flavor but I digress. Regardless, though, this drink still left a bad taste in my mouth. After one sip, my mouth felt gritty — an effect of the cold brew not being mixed properly, causing the grains to clump up at the bottom of my drink. I still drank this cold brew for caffeine purposes, but it wasn’t an enjoyable experience.
Caramel Macchiato from Libe:
I’m normally not a fan of flavored, sweet coffee drinks, but I bought and tried this drink for research purposes. And honestly, I was pleasantly surprised.
This drink was extremely creamy, even with the oat milk, and it balanced a perfectly slight coffee flavor. I will say, this drink was a little too sweet for my personal preferences. But even though I couldn’t get through the whole drink, if you’re not a coffee lover (or if you go crazy for a sweet specialty drink moment), the Caramel Macchiato is definitely worth your BRBs — and might be one of the best drinks on La Colombe’s menu.
And if you’re like me, someone who prefers unflavored, unsweetened coffee, this is still a pleasant sip.
Draft Latte
La Colombe offers a unique batched latte on tap called the “Draft Latte.” This latte is supposed to have a frothy and foamy mouth-feel due to the added nitro and is the same thing as the La Colombe bottled Draft Latte.
In my experience, though, batched drinks can be a red flag. They usually fall flat in terms of quality and flavor, and I would much rather pay for a latte made in real time (which is also a dollar cheaper). Additionally, because the Draft Latte is premade, the milk used contains dairy, a huge deal breaker for alternative milk drinkers.
I appreciate La Colombe delivering something unique; however, I found that this drink was, again, way too milky. La Colombe’s espresso is definitely not bold enough for whole milk, and this drink honestly tasted like drinking a glass of cold milk with a hint of coffee. The only redeeming quality of this drink is its above-average caffeine content: 160 mg.
La Colombe's Draft Latte
While I personally won’t miss Starbucks on campus, La Colombe isn’t much of a satisfying replacement for me. Most of the drinks fell short of my expectations. Rather, they drained my BRB balance.
If you’re going to spend your BRBs on any drink, you can’t go wrong with the Caramel Macchiato. But I’d steer clear of the lattes and instead order a Peet’s coffee at Café Jennie or Novick’s. Although, if you’re feeling nostalgic for the signature Starbucks taste, Mac’s Cafe will still provide Starbucks-based drinks till the end of the semester.
Sanika Saraf is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She can be reached at ss4353@cornell.edu.
