Coffee & Tea Zone

I checked this place out while waiting for a movie. I ended up ordering a chai tea and it was absolutely delicious, possibly the best chai tea I’ve ever had. Prices were reasonable, and the girl at the counter was a sweetheart.

Gah. I was really, really hoping that maybe someone in the Springs had finally latched onto a winning recipe for a good tea shop to rival the increasing options on the West Coast, but alas, Coffee & Tea Zone seems doomed to go the way of essentially everything else that’s ever entered this strip mall.
Star 1: How was the service and atmosphere?
While there was a nice gal behind the counter who struck up some good conversation, I couldn’t help but wonder nearly the entire time that I was in there… why the hell do they have so much floorspace?! Coffee & Tea Zone is seriously twice the size of nearly any Starbucks I’ve ever been in, and it’s not like we’re in University Village out here. This is Delmonico… in Rockrimmon. Not exactly a popular hang out zone. That having been said, nice gal. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
Unfortunately Bubble Tea, cheap in Asia, has turned into one of those foreign things here in the states that people think they can charge ridiculous prices for. On the flip side of that coin, $ 3.58 for a regular wasn’t unreasonable, and I was pleased with the cost. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Oh dear. It all went downhill from here. First off, the great thing about Bubble Tea is that while not always sweet in it’s own right, the tapioca balls give off a sweetness element that you can regulate as you drink. It’s seriously the best part of the whole process! Sadly, this was downright bad. The tea was so sweet that it tasted like melted ice cream, and the tapioca balls like cardboard. No. no. no. No Stars Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
Bad location. Too much space. Poor Product. No Star Granted.

Mediocre coffee, horrible snack selection, decent ambiance, and awesome mens room toilet seat. Its been broken for months and its $ 20 to buy a new one.

Great selection. Love having a new location on the west side of town. The staff are friendly and the customer service is excellent.

They didn’t have free wi-​fi so I don’t see the point. The location downtown offers it, so whatever.
It’s nice to have boba so close. Good luck with the location. This place is cursed.

Ambiance: Brand new, additional location for Coffee And Tea Zone (now three locations in Colorado Springs). This new location has seen many Bagel and Coffee establishments come and go over the years (sharing space with a small post office). Well, the post office has moved out of this location, to a new space next door. Coffee And Tea Zone has taken over and remodeled the entire space as their own. They have obviously hired an upscale interior designer to completely revamp the old space. Wonderful warm, inviting dark rose– painted walls make for a great space to sit and savor a warm cup of coffee or tea. Quite a few large dining room chairs are a great addition (instead of wood or plastic cafeteria-​style chairs from previous businesses at this location). Small enclosed room in front of store is perfect if you want to have a small meeting of your group or business. Great jazzy music is always playing. Also, there are two computers available with wifi for those who come without a laptop ($ 1 for every ten minutes). If you are looking for a place to spend several hours reading a book, reading the new edition of the Independent, playing on your laptop, or just having a conversation with a good friend, this place would be ideal.
Service: Friendly and fast — just what you would want in a place such as this. Counter service.
Drink/​Food: Their hot coffee and tea drinks are on par with what you would find at other coffee joints in town. Good selection and variety, as well as seasonal and specialty coffees that change. Boba (or bubble) tea, is one of their specialties, and they have a good selection to choose from. Their food items are limited, and though they loose points for this, I don’t hit them up too hard, as the coffee/​tea is the real reason you come here. With that said, I would like to see them put a little more emphasis on their food or snack items, for those of us who like to compliment our hot beverage with something to eat. They cater in Krispy Kreme donuts, bagels, cookies and breakfast calzones from other places. These items are often a day or two old. They have a decent selection of ice cream and bottled soft drinks.
Overall, great set up and seating area for those that have time to stay for awhile. If you are getting your coffee/​tea on-​the-​go, this place will meet your expectations. Food selection is lacking in quality. For this place to truly exceed expectations on all levels, I would suggest enhancing the food choices with fresh and better pastries, and maybe some in-​house made sandwiches, quiches and soups. But overall, this place ain’t too bad.