REVIEW: Steady Eddy's

FINAL SCORE: 85%

The month of October was all work and Mock Trial and school and Mock Trial and studying and Mock Trial and Mock Trial…

I was very excited for November. My obligations would dwindle and I’d be free to romp and roam about the town like old times. That’s why, on All Hallows Eve, I seized my first few hours of free time and made my daring escape. When the clock struck 2:30, I launched myself out of my apartment and took refuge in my unwashed mini cooper (named Miles). See, a few weeks earlier, I had driven around a small town called Winters, California; the image of a coffee shop lingered in my mind (you know I’m such a fool for youuuuu. You have me wrapped around your finger. do you have to let it linger? do you have to? do you have to?)

I knew I had to go there. So I drove a half hour west on a narrow, two-lane road twisting and turning around the hills and fields of Northern California. Billy Joel serenaded me as I narrowly missed a squirrel. I arrived at my destination determined and in need of caffeine. So, lets’ get this show on the road and review… Steady Eddy’s!

1. Location: 4/5

Steady Eddy’s resides in Downtown Winters, on a street that serves as the locus for local businesses. It’s on a big lot across the street from a park complete with a gazebo! The Gazebo, known best for its supporting role in Gilmore Girls and Sound of Music, but so many of its better works are underrated. Comment your favorite role the Gazebo has embodied over the years.

Anyway, good location. Let’s move on.

2. Aesthetics/vibe: 9.5/10

I was almost overwhelmed with nostalgia at the sight of this place - nostalgia for what or where, I’m not quite sure. I think its reminiscent of brunch joints in Colorado or the cabins in the woods of northern Arizona. The long wrap-around porch makes this place feel more like a home than a business, and anyone who eats there more like a resident than a customer.

Inside, the pine paneling on the ceiling is exactly what I’ve seen in Colorado, Payson, Washington. The cheesy wall hangings remind me of those locally-owned diners you’d stumble upon in a small town. The kind of places that have an unexplainable nostalgia affixed to them. It’s something lovely and sentimental, and it made me happy.

After I got my coffee, I wandered around the town for a bit, pretty enamored by the Halloween decorations. I took a quite few pictures that I won’t bore you with, but safe to say the townsfolk know what to do with pumpkins, haybales, and scarecrows.

3. Coffee options: 9/10

Steady Eddy’s is actually just a block away from Steady Eddy’s Coffee Roasters. And you’ll never GUESS what they do there!

So the fact that they roast their own coffee is always really cool! As for the menu options, a quick glance at the menu reveals some pretty cool options: spiced chai, Monticello Mocha, Nut-n-Honey, and White Raspberry in addition to all the regular drinks. Their cold drinks are also pretty fun, like the frozen creamy caramel or vanilla chai freeze. They certainly know how to put a fun twist on caffeine!

4. Actual coffee: 15/20

I slipped in there ten minutes before they closed and asked the barista to make me their favorite espresso-based drink. She gave me something called a Berryessa: an iced latte with white chocolate and berry syrup.

It was just alright! It tasted like a very adequate iced latte; if you had handed it to me and had me guess the flavor, I wouldn’t have been able to. Not because it was unusual or hard to pinpoint, but rather because it tasted like any other flavored latte. I enjoyed it, but wonder if I’d have been more satisfied if I tried something else.

5. Prices: 9.5/10

My 16oz was $5.04, which is a good good deal. Sometimes I truly forget how expensive espresso drinks have become. I’ve become sadly accustomed to shelling out 7, 8 dollars for a 16oz. I actually did just that this morning, but that’s a review for another time. So shoutout to Steady Eddy’s for being reasonable.

6. Cups: 4/5

As you can see above, my iced drink was a plain plastic cup with no bells or whistles. All y’all here KNOW how I feel about a good logo. If Steady Eddy’s put a sticker logo on their iced cups, they’d be golden (note that their hot cups do have logos on the cup). I actually deducted half a point from this score for the weird straws.

Sorry to be so superficial, but the straw weirded me out. It was like, too long.

FINAL SCORE: 51/60 = 85%

My lil’ adventure was a great getaway. Steady Eddy’s was a lovely place to visit, and I was satisfied. The end. *applause*