Hello, friends! Tis time I unclog my massive backlog of coffee reviews.
Oh, you thought my inactivity was due to a lack of coffee to rate? Wow, you must be new here. It’s so obviously because I’m lazy.
Now now, there is one place in particular I’ve wanted to rate since beginning this blog. Out in Pacific Grove lives a snug little caffeine dealer called Juice and Java. What’s so significant about him? Well, this little joint lives a hop, a skip, and a jump away from my therapist. I’ve been therapized by her since I was 13 (sometimes we unpack my perfectionism, other times we vibe). My frequent.. uh… frequency to her office means I’ve wound up at yee ol’ J&J periodically for as long as I’ve been therapized.
I love Pacific Grove, and J&J has long embodied the nice things I associate with the town: cozy spaces, friendly dogs, the comfort of that one blanket at my therapist’s office that she tells me literally no one has used but me in the past 5 years. Yunno, stuff like that. Relatable content!
1. Location: 4/5
Excellent. It sits on a corner- the BEST place to sit, and its residency on the main street of PG means it’s in close proximity to anything you might wanna do there. For my mom and me, J&J is the perfect location for a morning coffee followed by a walk to the beach up to the sea lions en route to Fishermans Wharf. These are our “coffee walks.”
Up until a few months ago, this was the closest caffeine dealer to my therapist. Now that spot has been taken by a Captain and Stoker shop, an offspring of the Monterey location I reviewed in winter. Captain and Stoker therefore also is great for coffee walks, but this doesn’t take away from J&J’s success.
2. Aesthetic/ vibes: 9/10
When I walk in J&J, I always feel like I’ve jaunted in someone’s living room, likely because it is littered with leather couches, armchairs, and mismatched tables, and cast in dim lighting. This is like a perfectly decorated coffee shop in animal crossing (currently I have two coffee shops on my island, and I’m modeling my third one after J&J).
This setting is so comfy and relaxing. I can sit and read, type, stare at the wall, etc and no one will even notice me. Yet at the same time I can indulge my main character syndrome and pretend everyone’s wondering what I, the curiously beautiful academic, is writing in between sips of her latte. I love indulging my little delusions. My therapist says we need to work on that.
3. Coffee options: 9.5/10
They got some fun little options! I took a leap and tried the popcorn latte, a misnomer because it was just caramel and hazelnut. The usuals were there and they had some extra-caffeinated options entailing extra shots.
4. Actual coffee: 18/20
The popcorn latte was… a lot, but in a good way. It was incredibly sweet, unique, and delicious. It’s incredibly fun to treat myself to something like this when the usual vanilla or caramel won’t satisfy me. Sweet and spunky, the Popcorn latte made me very happy! I pair it with one of their scones, and it’s heaven.
I almosssttt got something called the big white elephant, with chai, white chocolate, and espresso. Maybe next time.
5. Prices: 9.5/10
My 16oz cost me $4.40. I love my life.
6. Cups: 3.5/5
He was a handsome little man with the name of the caffeine dealer stamped on, as well as the year 1993, it’s, uh, birth year. It’s only 10 years older than me, but infinitely cooler.
I wish the stamp had a cute graphic, drawing, or logo instead if just words, but it was cute!
SILENCE PLEASE.
Okay thank you; I’m about to announce the score…
FINAL SCORE: 53.5/60= 89.1%
Just a tiny centipede away from an A, this caffeine dealer is quite a reliable spot. It perfectly satisfies a specific itch I occasionally have, and it has consequently earned a prized spot in my list of favorites here. As always, lots of love to Pacific Grove. Mwah.
Bye!
👀 mom gets a mention