By Emily Chan & Pham Tran
Are you minimalistic? Are you a typical Orange Countian who loves putting on full black outfits whenever you’re heading out? Then the new Grid Coffee located on Bristol Street in Santa Ana is just for you!
The spacious cafe is filled with lots of low tables and chairs, which makes it a perfect spot for studying or chatting with friends. The ambient lighting makes the place warmer and great for photography if you are a selfie queen. Grid doesn’t have so many decorations except for the black shelf of merchandise, such as hats and tote bags, yet the simplicity only makes the cafe better.
Double Matcha Latte | $6
The matcha comes in a nice green color with a thick layer of cream on top. When stirred up, the powder mixes in pretty well and joins the two layers of matcha and milk perfectly. However, the scent of matcha wasn’t as strong as we thought it would be. The taste was too bland and just wasn’t enough to wake up our sleepy heads. Therefore, we wouldn’t repurchase it again, which makes it deserve a 6.5/10.
Blue Lavender Matcha Latte | $6
Given that it’s a lavender matcha, don’t be too surprised when you’re hit with some extreme floral flavors. The lavender flavor is very strong and drowns out the matcha taste. The drink isn’t too sweet, which is a plus, but the flavor itself isn’t our cup of tea. We personally wouldn’t order this matcha again as it doesn’t fit our personal tastes.
Simply because the floral flavor is too intense for our tastebuds, we give this a 4/10.
Blood Orange Tea | $4.5
Do you know what happens when you leave a drink full of ice to sit on the table for way too long? Yes, that’s right, the taste gets very bland, no different than drinking water itself.
For this drink, you don’t even have to wait to let the flavor water down because it was already born watery. The clear red color can attract you to this drink, but the medicinal taste will definitely disappoint you right away. As people who hate taking pills, 5/10 is the highest we can give and wouldn’t repurchase again.
Strawberry Hibiscus | $5
This drink is refreshing and the strawberry bits at the bottom of the drink give it some good texture. The deep red color is also super pretty and really puts you in the mood for summer!
The strawberry flavoring airs on the lighter side, so if you’re more into strong strawberry drinks this isn’t the one for you.
For being a solid drink but nothing extraordinary, we’d give this a 7/10.
Berry Scone | $5
This scone is pretty decent. While the treat itself is quite dense and dry, it does have a pretty tasty berry flavor. The chunky sugar on top also gives this some much-needed crunch. Additionally, the blackberry filling on the inside helps with the dryness—we just wish there was more of it. Also note that this is a messier treat, so keep it in the bag as you enjoy it.
We wouldn’t order this again just because it’s so dry, but the flavor saves it a bit, so we’ll give it a 6/10.
Conclusion
The ambience of the cafe is very enjoyable. Although the drinks we ordered weren’t exactly our style, the aesthetic of the cafe certainly is. The music playing was very thoughtful and relaxing, making it a great place to work or study even without headphones. It’s very spacious and isn’t too busy so it’s the perfect place to get on the grind. We can easily see ourselves coming here with some friends for a group study session or individual work.
That being said, one caveat to the minimalistic style of the cafe is that it does feel more like a workplace than a place to chat with friends and family. All in all, it is important to have fun places to work outside of school, the home, or the office and Grid Coffee can be that place for you!
