The Drowsy Poet Coffee Company

If you're looking for a quality coffee shop and want to support local businesses,  I strongly suggest the Drowsy Poet Coffee Company in Pensacola.  Located off of Brent Lane right after Pensacola Christian Academy, it's easy to miss this place but it's sure worth the hassle of getting in and out during rush hour.  If pressed, I would say the Drowsy Poet resembles Starbucks but with one big difference.  The Drowsy Poet actually roast it's own coffee and espresso in house.  There's a similar coffee house in Mobile called Carpe Diem but that's another post.

Mocha Poetchino

It took me a long time to try out the Drowsy Poet.  Mainly because the Brent Lane location opened about two years after I moved away from Pensacola.  Coupled with how hard it is to get in and out of this particular location, the Drowsy Poet rarely crossed my mind when I need a coffee fix.  It all changed when one of my friends, Jessica, was kind enough to bring me one of the Drowsy Poet's frozen drinks. Aptly named the "poetchino", these are great little frozen delights. Made with real espresso shot and milk, these has more of a "coffee" taste than frappacinos.  When I get a frappacino, I feel as if I am drinking a coffee flavored smoothie while a poetchino is more of a coffee drink.  There are an array of flavor including the standard coffee, mocha, caramel and my favorite the toffee mocha.  These drinks are about $3.85 to $4.85 depending on size. 

The Milton

While the poetchinos may draw a younger or non-coffee drinking crowd, the Drowsy Poet also have plenty of traditional espresso based drinks as well.  I am more of a frou-frou espresso drink so I tend to stick with the signature drink menu.  I particularly like the Milton; espresso, steamed milk, chocolate, caramel, topped with whip cream and caramel drizzle.   You can definitely taste the bitterness of the espresso but of course the syrups help to balance that out.  It's not too sweet and not too bitter.  The drinks are just as expensive as the chain stores though. Expect to shell out at least $3.50 for one of these signature drinks.

Blackberry peach torte about $4

If you're like me, I love having coffee with a bit of sweet on the side. The Drowsy Poet has a lot of choose from.  This night, my friend and I decided to share blackberry peach torte.  I thought it was a great accompaniment to coffee.  It's not super sweet or rich.  The fruits were ripe.  The crust wasn't too thick either.  The only problem we had with it was the torte was still a little frozen.  We were given plastic forks to eat with and my friend broke his trying to divide it into two.  It makes me wonder how much of the desserts and muffins and such are made on premise.  I understand ordering some foods from a vendor is sometimes cheaper than making it in house, but there are a number of shops in Mobile that have their own pastry chefs.  I would like to think I am buying from the actual shop rather than paying $4 for something that was made somewhere else, shipped and thawed for my consumption.

The few times I went to the Drowsy Poet I never went inside.  It has a handy little drive thru where I can get my fix and go.  I was really surprised by how cozy it inside.  As soon as you get in the door, there's a little "living room" type setup to the left.  It consist of a few chairs, a coffee table, maybe a 2 or 4 top and a huge flat screen tv.  It looks very comfortable for someone to hunker down with a book or a few friends to chat.  There's also a second room.  There's a small stage for live music or poetry readings perhaps.  While I was there, they had a singer strumming some jazzy tunes.  I liked it.  There's quite a lot more seating in this room with at least four high tables and about 6 tables.  What I was really impressed with is the wall of bookcases in the room.  It's like a library where you can grab a book to past the time while you're there.  I worked for Starbucks for a number of years and I feel as if whoever decorated the Drowsy Poet based much of the color and design off of Starbucks.  Sure, there are few things that you wouldn't find at a Sbux such as the picture frames with quotes from poets but commercial looking photographs inside.  Overall, I do find the atmosphere very soothing and the product the Drowsy Poet churns out is very good.

Aside from coffees and desserts, the Drowsy Poet also serves up sandwiches, soups and breakfast items.  I can't tell you if they're any good because I haven't tried them.  You can check out the Drowsy Poet's menu for yourself by clicking here.  Be sure to check out their Facebook page to see what kind of live entertainment they have in store.