Cozy place at Coffee Bene'

Well, living in Minnesota you can't predict what the weather is going to be like today or tomorrow. It can change from bitter cold to hot and sunny, blizzard to thunder storm, windy to foggy. It was nice and warm, but this week (today) is cold and snow. Late April snow? Yah!! This is Minnesotahh!

With an unpredictable weather, my partner and I could not decide which coffee shop we should try today. We were browsing around St. Paul area (between the intersection of Dale & University and the intersection of Snelling Ave and University Ave) to see if there were any "cozy" coffee shops. Some coffee shops do not have free WI-FI, and others were like a deli or restaurant rather than coffee shop. Finally we ended up in one of our usual spots - Coffee Bene'.

Coffee Bene' (pronounced Ben-nay means "great" in Italian) is located right next to Davani Pizza and Hot Hoagies, at the intersection of Grand and Cleveland, and right accross from St.Thomas University. As you would expect, the student a crowd from nearby St. Thomas University carry in their own fancy laptops sipping coffee in order to stay awake during exam season. Otherwise, regular customers normally are the neighbors around Macalester Groveland of St. Paul. Also, it is a good coffee place to hang out for the first date.

My partner and I have been here several times for several reasons. Although only 2-hour free WIFI is available for the customer, the atmosphere, friendly staff, and nice decor are probably our primary reasons for us to stop by. The place looks homey, cozy, and plenty of tables and big chairs. We love to sit in the comfy sofa chairs.

I normally have a regular mocha which is good. Today I tried 20 oz. of "White Mocha"- White Ghilardelli Chocolate & espresso & steam milk, and my partner tried a plain dark roast Americanna. Well, just like the weather that is difficult to predict, the White Mocha turned out to be just fine. It was sweeter than I expected, the coffee flavor was mild. I think they might have added to much milk. The dark roast was fine as well and a bit strong.

We had asked them if they could make a Cafe' Miel - Single shot latte with honey and vanilla - but they didn't know how to make it. It would be nice if they had a bigger coffee menu than just the regular items that every coffee shop has.