Local Eats: Bloom Coffee & Tea

If you know me in real life, you know that I’m a coffee drinker.  Some people just think I’m obsessed or addicted but I think I’m more of a coffee connoisseur (besides, how can I be addicted to decaf?).  I worked as a Barista at Seattle’s Best for a while where we were taught all about coffee, not just how to make it and it pretty much stuck.

So needless to say, I’m frequently at Starbucks and I own my own espresso machine.  I have a number of coffee makers at home that don’t require power also – just hot water.  So when a new local coffee shop opened just around the corner from my house, you know I had to try it!

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Both times I went to Bloom Coffee & Tea, it was excellent!  The building and the interior is very modern and clean.  It had a great vibe, a place I could see myself just hanging out, sipping my coffee while I surf the internet (on free wi-fi!).

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One thing I really enjoyed seeing was all the healthy snacks.  While they do have a wonderful pastry counter (which we’ll see samples in a moment), they also have oatmeal, Clif Bars, LaraBars, and even fresh fruit.  I picked up some Nonni Biscotti to take my mom since we both love them.  On my second visit, Rob and I indulged in some pastries – the Oreo Brownie Bar and the Coffee Cake. 

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Both were amazingly delicious!  The coffee cake had little pockets of cinnamon syrup inside and the crumble on top added a bit of texture.  It was pretty close to the perfect coffee cake!  The Oreo Brownie Bar was just to die for.  The rich chocolate was amazing and perfectly complimented by the cream cheese based center.  The oreos on top pulled it all together.  Yum!

As for drinks, I sadly got the same thing both times.  They make the most amazing iced coffee by cold-brewing it (same as I do at home and same as Seattle’s Best!).  It makes a smooth tasting coffee without any bitterness.  I had them add a pump of sweetener the first day but the second time, I just added a dash of creamer.  I could even drink it black if I wanted to!

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For my mom, I picked up some Lavender Lemonade.  It had the most amazing flavor but was way too sweet for both of us.  I think it was because of the added lavender flavoring (since the regular lemonade is probably already sweetened).  If I could water it down a bit, it would be one of my favorites!  You can get a lot of flavors here though I don’t have a list (another that was suggested was the Blackberry Lemonade).

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Rob is the fru-fru coffee drinker around this house.  In the summertime, His regular at Starbucks is the Java Chip so he decided to make his own thing at Bloom.  He added chocolate and espresso to their Cookies & Cream blended drink.  It was pretty good but it had an off flavor.  We can’t decide what we didn’t like about it but let’s just say don’t order this combo again.  We think it was their chocolate flavoring.  I think it had a milk chocolate taste while we prefer dark chocolate.  I’ll have Rob get something else next time and report back, okay?  LoL.  Maybe his other usual – the Triple Grande Mocha.  It wasn’t that bad though – he still drank the whole thing!

While we are talking about the drinks, here is a menu they gave me of their beverages (click to enlarge).  It is just a basic coffee shop menu as you can order pretty much anything at any coffee place (as long as they have the right syrups). 

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I almost forgot to mention their frequent coffee-drinker card.  For each drink you buy, you get a stamp and after 10 stamps, you get one free (up to $6 value).  Awesome!

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Finally, the service is awesome there.  Both of the owners (who also work the place) were extremely friendly and helpful.  I really hope that this place lasts and by the sounds of it on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook – people are very pleased.  I even overheard a couple of women talking while they sat drinking their coffee that they are so happy to have another coffee place around that isn’t Starbucks.  Let’s hope lots of other people agree!

Bloom Coffee & Tea
1600 New Road
Northfield, New Jersey 08225
(609) 241-1775

Hours
Monday – Thursday: 7AM to 6PM
Friday & Saturday: 7AM to 8PM
Closed Sundays

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Use their personalized hashtag #bloomnorthfield

6 thoughts on “Local Eats: Bloom Coffee & Tea

  1. Sounds wonderful! I am a black iced coffee addict (decaf!)…you’ll have to share with me one day how you cold brew it!

  2. Super-cute! I love local coffee shops!! I’m an iced coffee drinker in the summer and a latte girl in the winter!

  3. I just got a keurig for my bday, where do you get your cups? I have way too many flavors I want to try. its a pickle I tell ya haha

    1. Target has some off-brand ones that are cheap but taste good. Otherwise, I just buy whatever comes in decaf (very few brands). I think its cheapest to buy them online (like on Amazon). My favorite thing though is the reusable cup (like the one made by Ekobrew with the snap lid – the one that came with the machine will get grinds in your cup). I just buy bagged coffee then and its so much less waste!
      ~Ang

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