At the age of 17 and 18, my best friend Liz and I have developed an addiction to coffee. With such an addiction, we have tried many different types of coffees, ranging from hot to iced to frozen. There came a day where we realized we have never asked for a “most popular” coffee at any coffee shop we have gone to, we just ordered based on our personal liking.

We decided it would be a great idea to visit our most frequented coffee shops and order their most popular hot coffee. While we were on our way to the first location we thought “why not make fun out of this”. We decided that we would analyze them closely and find the best “most popular hot coffee”.

Liz and I hit a total of five different coffee shops, four local and one popular chain, where we asked for their most popular hot drink. After tasting, we rated the coffee in three categories on a scale out of five and added the numbers to get a total score out of fifteen.

We then arranged the drinks into a top five list based off of their total score. The three categories we rated them were, the flavor of the drink, the originality (how well the drink was executed + bonus for uniqueness), and the cost.

While having our own fun with this journey, we realized it would be something unique to share with the rest of the coffee community. To our fellow coffee lovers and even coffee newbies, this list contains new (and possibly old drinks) for you to go out and try along with coffee shops that may be new to you. Without further ado, here are the Top Five Most Popular Hot Coffees.

5. Starbucks Coffee (Heath)

Drink: White chocolate mocha with raspberry

Taste: 5/5 With the first sip you can tell how good quality the coffee is. Their own coffee brand really boosts them in this category. To the flavor itself, the raspberry, coffee, and white chocolate mixture was not overwhelming making the drink not too sweet and not too strong. 

Originality: 3/5 The flavor combination was basic, there was not much that stood out about this drink other than the execution of it. The drink was executed well. 

Cost: 2/5 This drink was definitely expensive for chain coffee at $4.95 for a small. There are definitely cheaper, equal quality options at local places. 

Total: 10/15

4. Village Coffee Company (Granville)

Drink: Valentine’s Day (White chocolate mochaccino with raspberry)

Flavor: 4/5 This drink definitely tastes like valentine’s day in a cup. The flavors are combined well, the raspberry flavor is not too overpowering. Our only complaint is, the coffee tastes a little bit low quality. 

Originality: 4/5 Again, like Starbucks, white chocolate and raspberry is not much of a unique flavor combo. However, they managed to make it taste different from other white chocolate raspberry drinks. The name and concept of the drink was also very cute and relatable to the holiday. 

Cost: 3/5 The drink was good for the price at $4.30, especially considering this was a specialty drink. However, for the quality of the coffee, the price was a bit high. 

Total: 11/15

3. Ragamuffins Coffee (Alexandria)

Drink: Buckeye 

Flavor: 3/5 The flavor was delicious, the peanut butter is perfectly balanced with the chocolate. The drink could have a little less syrup, the drink was a little too sweet. 

Originality: 5/5 This drink is certainly original. This was the first time we have ever heard or had a drink with the peanut butter and chocolate flavor. The execution was also on point. 

Cost: 4/5 The cost was affordable, $4.00 for a small (12oz). The coffee was also good quality so the pricing was reasonable. Total: 12/15
Tips: If you don’t prefer super sweet coffee, we recommend asking for half the syrup.

2. Snapshots Coffee and Kitchen (Newark)

Drink: Caramel Latte 

Flavor: 4.5/5 A tad bit milky but not overly sweet. You can taste both the coffee and caramel flavor which are mixed perfectly together. It is a classic you cannot go wrong with. 

Originality: 3/5 Has a similar taste to River Road but still has that Snapshot’s uniqueness. The actual flavor is common. 

Cost: 5/5 It was very affordable at $4.00 for a small (16oz) and the quality of the coffee. 

Total: 12.5/15

Tips: Almond milk is 50 cents extra.

1.River Road Coffee House (Granville)

Drink: River road (white chocolate and caramel)

Flavor: 5/5 A classic, which again, you cannot go wrong with. The flavors are not too strong and are well blended to where you will not feel sick drinking the whole thing. It actually tastes like you are drinking coffee. 

Originality: 3/5 This drink is a classic River Road drink and reflects their unique style really well. It is not a super original flavor, however, it is not seen as often in other chains. 

Cost: 5/5 Extremely affordable, being $3.50, for a small (12oz). The quality and amount of coffee you get for the low price is beyond better than any other shop. 

Total: 13/15

Tips: If you do not like the taste of milk, we recommend getting it with almond milk. 

General Tip: Always tip your barista.