Coffee Slingers

[citizenkane]

Coffee Slingers has had a solid crowd the last few times I've been there, and unlike some on this board, I've never had a bad experience. I will continue to support this business as it undoubtedly offers the best coffee in town. You simply cannot beat their short water americano.

[Generals64]

All right, I'm an old man and like my coffee straight and strong.....There were 17
people at 9:45 this morning and the coffee was made fresh.....I had a hard time though watching a guy (ordered some goofy named coffee) pay 9.65 for a coffee and a muffin. They were very busy and very polite....even to an old guy...would I go back? sure my coffee was $2.00 but it was fresh and strong...
But, 7-11 coffee does the same trick for me ut once again, I'm an old man....

[murphyslaw]

I have buddies that are "coffee snobs", as I like to call them just to give them a hard time. But honestly, they're guys who know coffee much better than I do. But if I were asked to bring out my own coffee snobbery and choose the top two coffee shops in downtown OKC ...

I would say Coffee Slingers ... bar none.

And second ... 1st Edition Cafe & Espresso Bar.

Ground Floor and The Buzz are a joke.

[Steve]

Not sure the Ground Floor is trying to be a coffee shop - it's more a restaurant that serves coffee. As for the Buzz, well, they've got a very loyal following so certainly not everyone sees them as a joke. So, what's their opinion of Java Daves and the now closed Uncommon Grounds?

[GWB]

I have buddies that are "coffee snobs", as I like to call them just to give them a hard time. But honestly, they're guys who know coffee much better than I do. But if I were asked to bring out my own coffee snobbery and choose the top two coffee shops in downtown OKC ...

I would say Coffee Slingers ... bar none.

And second ... 1st Edition Cafe & Espresso Bar.

Ground Floor and The Buzz are a joke.

I'm from Seattle and consider myself pretty knowledgeable on this subject. I've been in countless number of coffee houses across the country and don't think that Coffee Slingers is all that great. My oldest son disagrees as he loves the place.

I do know they've worked hard to become more friendly to their customers, but they still need to learn how to make a decent cappuccino. Had one the other day that was filled to the brim with milk and espresso--no foam in it. A proper cappuccino has aprox 1/3 cup of foam in it, mine barely had any foam. The coffee roast that they use isn't a taste that I particularly care for, but obviously everyone is different about what they like and dislike. Just my opinion of course. Won't be going back anytime soon.

[fourthworldtraffic]

Where do you recommend going for a good cappucino then ......?

[BailJumper]

Where do you recommend going for a good cappucino then ......?

7-11 French Vanilla Cappucino!

[blangtang]

On xmas eve i rode the bus from the norman ou campus and got off on 4th 'n broadway. I walked up broadway and ended up at the coffee slinger shop around 230. there were 5 customers inside (granted xmas ever) and i ordered a drip coffee. they didnt have that. so i paid something like 2.42 for a french press that took 5 minutes to make. which was fine, i was waiting to meet a relative.

its a neat historical area, but i don't see how they pay the labor cost for the hour i was in there (2 employees) with the amount of biz they did (5 customers). let alone their other costs.

[soonerguru]

This thread is funny.

Here are my thoughts:

Braum's: dirty stores, slow service, food (especially hamburgers) not as good as it once was.

Coffee Slingers: very good coffee, perfunctory, sometimes even mildly hostile, service.

The Buzz: the only walkable option in the CBD, completely inconsistent, though nice, service (is coffee even ready by 9 a.m.?), coffee average.

Java Dave's: mediocre coffee, slow service, fictional drive-thru concept.

[Chicken In The Rough]

The lesson here: Don't stray too far from Red Cup. It's an ugly world out there.

[fourthworldtraffic]

It's an ugly world inside you mean.The ugly outside world gets it from somewhere.

[fourthworldtraffic]

Works by James Drought

[GWB]

Works by James Drought

What does any of that have to do with the subject on this thread?

[fourthworldtraffic]

read The Secret ...This author also wrote The Gypsy Moths. Probably America's best author
in my opinion. Blacklisted and dead unknown to most.

[fourthworldtraffic]

the first chapter of this book that I mentioned has a lot to do with this thread

[GWB]

the first chapter of this book that I mentioned has a lot to do with this thread

Whatever.

[SavageDigital]

This thread is funny.

Here are my thoughts:


...Coffee Slingers: very good coffee, perfunctory, sometimes even mildly hostile, service.

....Java Dave's: mediocre coffee, slow service, fictional drive-thru concept.

I stop by 'Slingers in the morning for a great americano, and occasionally whole beans to go. Personally, I've always found their service people to be quite polite and helpful. As for Java Dave's - mediocre is being kind.

[SoonerDave]

This thread is funny.

Here are my thoughts:

Braum's: dirty stores, slow service, food (especially hamburgers) not as good as it once was.

(snip)

AMEN!!!!

I'm not sure what's getting into Braum's, but they are not in touch with their retail outlets. I stopped visiting the location at SW 89th and Penn for *precisely* that reason. The store looked dirty.

I think it may be a matter of consistency, because the Braum's at SW 119th and Western (well, a little north of there) is pretty nice, and the burgers are consistently good.

The odd thing is that Braum's ownership is freakish about quality and process control at its dairy facility, and I can't fathom why they wouldn't be just as particular about the appearance and cleanliness of their retail stores. I'd like to blame it on franchises, but the stores are all company owned, which makes it all the more puzzling!

I'm delighted to support Braum's as an Oklahoma company and because they make really good, growth-hormone-free milk, but they'd better start paying attention to their stores...

[BailJumper]

I was pleased to pass by Coffee Slingers on Saturday morning while out riding my bike and there was quite the crowd inside. I'd guess at least a dozen people.

I've finally given up on Java Dave's. Everytime I go in there the staff has completely turned over. I'm told he pays around $7/hr. Obviously they do not see the value in paying a decent wage to attract/keep decent help. So many employers don't see how much it costs them to continually retrain new employees just to have them leave.

As for Braum's, don't really know why they are mentioned in a thread on coffee places. I've found them to be tolerable. Definitely a big improvement over many years ago when they started going the way of Dairy Queen.

The one by us employees mostly older adults and I think that makes a big difference.

[soonerguru]

I just had a terrible experience at a Braum's location. I did not receive the order I paid for, called them when I got home, and then I was told the manager was "too busy" to talk to me about making up for the wrong order. I'm totally done with Braum's. The only reason I went there in the first place was because my wife requested I do so.

[ChasingEsmerelda]

Some things you are saying don't quite add up...

They do have a good product, but their marketing is very poorly done.

Here, you state that Coffee Slingers does in fact have a good product.

I do know they've worked hard to become more friendly to their customers, but they still need to learn how to make a decent cappuccino. Had one the other day that was filled to the brim with milk and espresso--no foam in it. A proper cappuccino has aprox 1/3 cup of foam in it, mine barely had any foam.

Here, you attack their product. And not very well.The cappuccino is not a drink of thirds.

The SCAA defines a cappuccino as "a coffee and milk beverage that should produce a harmonious balance of rich, sweet milk and espresso. The cappuccino is prepared with one (1) single shot of espresso, textured milk and approximately 1 centimeter of foam depth (assessed vertically). A traditional cappuccino is a five- to six-ounce beverage (150 to 180ml)."

The foam depth of a cappuccino (in the above defined sense) only comes after the milk has sit and has started to separate. When you drink the cappuccino, you should be feeling thick, velvety sweet milk sweep over the tongue, not hard dry flavourless foam.

I'm from Seattle and consider myself pretty knowledgeable on this subject.

And where did you drink your coffee? The most respected shops (Vivace, Zoka, Victrola, Stumptown, etc.) would NOT serve a cappuccino hotter than Slingers would. Heck, a few of those shops might say that the 145-150 mark that Slingers shoots for (which is what the barista told me my drink was served at) is a little on the warm side. Milk drinks can't be served as hot as drip coffee. Why? Because milk burns that hot. You can take it down 30 degrees from there and avoid the scalded milk, sure, but then you get less texture and less sweetness.

I don't make Slingers a daily trip, it's too far out of my way. However, every time I have gone I have had coffee that is better than anywhere else in the OKC metro area. Sometimes, I've had to deal with a person behind the counter who needed a few more hours of sleep, and sometimes I've had to wait for what seemed like eternity as the poor gent behind the counter was assaulted with a large group order and had nobody else working with him, but the end result is that what is in the cup works.

Until someone else comes to town who can rock the 'spro like Slingers does, they don't need to have any concerns of going anywhere. And even if someone does do coffee as well as them, and amps up Customer Service to the next level, from what I've heard Melody is going to start roasting in house sometime this year which will make it a lot harder for anyone else to move in.

[FritterGirl]

I've been here several hours today. To say it is rocking is an understatement. The baristas haven't had much downtime.

Students, downtown dwellers, creative folks, families, moms with strollers, bikers. It's pretty well been non-stop since I got here about three hours ago. In fact, when I did arrive, I couldn't even find a parking spot on either side of Broadway so had to park at a local business (closed on weekends, of course).

[tuck]

great to hear!!!

[mcgrawsdad]

Not a big coffee drinker, but rode my bike down there last week (slingers). Enjoyed the atmosphere and the coffee was perfect temp for my taste. The employees were not very friendly however. I tried striking up conversation to no avail.

[dncer88]

I haven't been in Coffee Slingers very much, but what turned me off was their wifi policy. I was in there on a Sunday and was having a latte and wanted to look up a building address for an event I was going to later that evening. I asked for the password and was told that there's no wifi on Sunday and no exceptions. All I wanted was to get the address of a building off their site and couldn't do it so I left. On the way out I saw the list of all the policies with their wifi and got turned off. Sundays are supposedly "community day" but there wasn't much community in there to begin with. I ended up driving over to Red Cup. They were closed but I could still get their wifi sitting in my car. That kind of attitude just bugged for some reason for the rest of the day. My solution is to just not go there anymore and find a place where I can use my laptop no matter what day of the week it is.