Where can I get a cup of coffee in Newport? I’m not talking literally about a cup of coffee. In fact, I don’t even drink coffee. I’m talking about a spot. A space that is good both for hanging out and getting work done. When I need a change of environment and my living room has ceased to be a place of productivity. Now, some Starbucks I don’t mind, but the one on Thames Street is particularly generic and loud. It’s fine for getting a frappuccino to-go during summer. But when you want to pick out a table, open up your computer or a good book, and drink your coffee in a mug instead of a paper cup—well, Starbucks falls short there. The cappuccino machine sounds miked and the tables have that wiped-down-with-water look, complete with the leftover greasy residue of former coffee rings. When you spread your stuff out on the table, you discover the sticky remnants of the previous grande vanilla with no foam latte.
I don’t want to pick on Starbucks. Any company that requires employees work a minimum of twenty hours to receive health benefits sounds commendable to me. And they have the perkiest employees, which only bolsters my impression that they’re treating their people right. Plus, they’re not the only ones guilty of the sticky-table-syndrome.
While I don’t have the same gripes with Empire Tea & Coffee that I do with Starbucks, my trip there left me wanting more. The white banner strung up outside, advertising free wireless, gives the impression that the place just opened up. You walk in to a dark space, made no better by the eggplant-colored walls. I came here looking to get some work done, but this place looks like a bedroom whose shades have been drawn in the middle of the afternoon. Suddenly, I feel like taking a nap.
The only good thing I can say about the menu is there are a lot of drink offerings. Good luck finding them. The menu is set up more like newspaper advertisements than a menu, with everything columned and boxed off. Black, green, and herbal teas are separated out nicely, but then the three “empire original blends” are highlighted in a big box on another page, the bubble teas are mentioned but not listed (you have to ask for another menu for those), and I think I saw chai tea somewhere but I can’t remember where now. If you’re hungry, forget it. Wraps are mentioned on the big board above the counter—as in, “we do wraps.” Aside from that there’s no evidence of a food menu. The cookies, muffins, and bagels you see in the glass jars on the counter are the only indicators of what’s available. After poring over the menu with furrowed brow, I order a cup of English Breakfast and a chocolate chip cookie for here. My tea arrives a minute later in a paper cup, complete with plastic lid.
For seating, you have your choice of Ikea-like tables and chairs or corduroy and madras couches. The table-and-chair sets are great in terms of look and feel, though some are guilty of the sticky-table-syndrome. I set up camp at a table with minimal residue. The tea is good, though not the best English Breakfast I’ve ever had, and their chocolate chip cookies are decent.
Take away the backdrop of dark walls and a confusing menu and Empire Tea & Coffee isn’t bad; however, it’s not the spot I’m searching for.
