Column: 1418 Coffee Review

About 1418:

This past holiday season, due to local demand, the local cafe 1418 has made another appearance in downtown Prosper. The three-store franchise established its roots in Historic Downtown Plano, which opened in 2013. The craft coffee shop prides itself in “creating the perfect drink and experience” for each and every customer. The shop’s emphasis on “Coffee, Community and Compassion” allows them to pursue their aim towards creating the perfect cup of coffee.

1418 creates a variety of brews using the meticulously roasted beans they acquire from their sister company, Celina Coffee Roasters. This company sources beans from farms all over the world, and sells them within the McKinney, TX area. These exclusive beans are then ground and sold at all of the 1418 locations along with merchandise, including apparel, stickers and mugs.

Upon entering the coffee shop, you are greeted with a warm and cozy environment. The strong, sweet scent of brewed coffee saturates the air as the soft sounds of music play in the background, creating a relaxing atmosphere. 1418 has a rusty wooden aesthetic, similar to that of the iconic coffee shop in the TV show “Friends.”

The combination of dark furniture and brick texture on the walls evokes a soft, comforting ambiance many desire from a coffee shop. Though there aren’t many windows to maximize the amount of natural light, the dim lighting establishes a subdued mood in harmony with the furnishings.

The coffee shop offers an assortment of seating options, including various sofas, tables and long tables for the community to share. This variety in seating helps create the perfect setting to talk, complete homework, work or simply relax. Though this could easily become cramped, 1418 does a great job at maintaining a spacious floor pan. The cafe didn’t seem crowded despite the constant flow of customers entering the shop. To help create a sense of seclusion, there is a unique brick wall in the middle of the cafe with glass windows that help buffer noise.

As many cafes do, 1418 offers outside seating. The black wooden pergola attached to the side of the shop creates an inviting setting for warm Texas months. Even though road construction is underway, there are no awfully loud noises disrupting the ambiance. Both the outside and inside of the cafe are neatly maintained, making for a great place to relax while reading a book or chatting with friends.

As we take time off from schoolwork, we want to share our opinions on some of this year’s 1418 seasonal and original drinks.

Iced Purple Haze:
Introducing 1418’s most popular and signature drink: the Purple Haze. It tastes just as it sounds, with hints of lavender and vanilla syrup drizzled in. It is a latte that can be ordered either iced or hot. In contrast to the bold flavor, the drink’s consistency is liquidy due to the amount of ice inside. There is nothing fancy about this coffee, but it does offer a great price for 12 ounces of coffee. Finally, the aftertaste of the drink is better than the drink itself. This is a much sweeter coffee than the rest, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re trying to find a stronger drink with coffee at the forefront.

Our Rating: 8.5/10

Beez Kneez- Honey and Cinnamon:
Take a moment to imagine yourself walking around the streets of Europe with this cup of coffee in your hand, getting ready to enter your workplace. Upon tasting the coffee, the first thing that comes to mind is buttered toast. As the flavor progresses, it takes on a honey cinnamon flavor. This is the epitome of a fall drink and not as sweet as other coffees. It is a suitable drink for people who are looking for a mature, simple drink.

Our Rating: 6.5/10

David Mason:
The David Mason is the perfect fall, subtle coffee for sitting in a library while reading a book. It is very calming, yet the flavor of maple syrup and brown sugar offers a bit of sweetness. If you get this drink in a hot in-house mug, the foam blocks the taste of the actual drink itself. There will be an aftertaste in your mouth for an hour or two, so you’ll likely be savoring this drink for quite some time. Because of this, the David Mason has a strong sense of deja vu.

Our Rating: Our rating is inconclusive due to the many aspects you can rate it on. It tastes like a coffee we have drank before, so it’s not necessarily unique. If you want a more subtle flavor of coffee, not as strong as others, we would recommend this to you. We would rate the flavor of the coffee a 9/10. However, if you’re looking for a strong, unique coffee, we may not recommend it as it’s nothing to get excited over.

The Sgt. Pepper:
Once you sip this in either latte or cappuccino form, you get a whiff of cayenne pepper. The initial taste of the spice makes your eyes open wide out of shock. Though, as you keep sipping, you start tasting the sweet white chocolate underneath the spicy flavor. We would call this coffee a “wake-up call.” If you are super tired and want something to kickstart your day, we definitely recommend this drink to you. The spice does not tend to overpower the drink since there is a foamy texture on top, acting as compensation. However, we did add an extra shot of espresso for a stronger taste. We are still amazed at the spice as every sip is like a “bam.” Compared to the other drinks we tried in this shop, this coffee has a much thicker consistency. It’s not something we would likely order again, but a great experience if you want to try something new.

Our Rating: 7/10

Our Reflection:
As we sat inside the shop, we were provided with exceptional service throughout our “coffee break.” Because it is a new location, some of the workers were still in training while serving. In spite of this, the employees were great at offering recommendations and descriptions of the drinks you may like.

Due to the coffee shop being relatively new, there is a lot of construction occurring around the cafe. As a consequence, there is little parking, especially at rush hour. However, there are many entrances to the place, preventing long lines from forming.

Although there were customers constantly entering the cafe, the wait time for our drinks was not as long as we expected, as it was around 5-10 minutes. Before noon, the shop was a bit loud, but that’s understandable, as everyone wanted a cup of coffee before they went about their daily errands. However, the shop got quieter closer to noon as there was a slightly smaller crowd.

Aside from the regular caffeinated drinks and pastries, their food menu has a lot of varieties to offer. On their website, 1418 displays a special offer for a “meal bundle.” This includes four sandwiches, chips, drinks and cookies, all of your choice. The shop also sells a wide selection of vegan and gluten-free snacks, including brownies, cookies, oatmeal and “energy balls”. Specific to the Plano location, the cafe also sells Emporium Pies that are delivered fresh every week from the Pie Palace in Bishop Arts. They also offer complimentary water for those who need to cleanse their palate.

Once we picked up our drinks, the first sip we had was shocking. We did not expect the coffees to taste exactly like their name and description on the menu. In addition, we loved the unique names offered in their menu items as we don’t see that very often.

They serve their hot in-house beverages in black mugs, serving to create aesthetic drinks. If desired, you can customize your drinks with additional flavors or extra espresso shots. The baristas also add pretty, intricate latte art on top of the drink.

Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the drinks we tried. Although the drinks were a bit pricey, we did appreciate the presentation, atmosphere and detailing of the latte art.

Thus, if you are looking for a relaxing place to read a book or chat with friends while drinking a nice cup of coffee, 1418 is the place for you.