The Grind

This place is the definition of a monopoly. It is the only place to get fresh brewed coffee and tea on campus. That luxury comes with a STEEP price. They’re more expensive than starbucks! The only upside to this place is that they do offer almond milk which makes me ecstatic. Some days you just need a hot chai tea to make it through the day so I wait in the ridiculously long line and pay the $ 4.01 for a small.
They charge 50 cents for hot water refills so even when I bring my own tea I can’t win.

After years of passing this and stopping in I’m surprised I haven’t reviewed this yet!
While attending night classes at UWM, caffeine and sweets help fuel me through the night. Most of my classes are in the business school so this is the closest Grind to visit. I like that I don’t have to go outside to get a cup of tea or sweats when it is cold.
I don’t like that it is so busy with all of the activity of the Union so they are usually out of their (amazing) cowboy cookies or chocolate chip cookies. There tends to be a long line to get your order in. The inside area does have seating so that you can study or meet up with a friend yet it is quite noisy in there so not the best place to study.
They are fast when it comes to service yet they do charge you for hot water refills!
Don’t expect too much from the fellow student employees yet they can make a good cup of coffee.

I have tried numerous times to give this place a chance, and various different locations throughout the campus (Union, Library, NWQ/​Formerly St Mary’s) and all the coffee tastes BURNT! I don’t quite understand what is going on, if it’s their coffee, the way its brewed?! I don’t know, but it all tastes like it has been sitting on a burner for days.
The only thing worthwhile are the drinks they don’t really make there, but rather prepare. I.e. a chai tea latte, there is a mix used that is then mixed with steamed or cold milk. Can’t really mess that up! (most of the time anyways!)
So yes, avoid this place like the plague unless you’re interested in burnt coffee and poorly made drinks. I’ve thrown away too much money and coffee from them at this point.

The grind succeeds because it is a monopoly on campus — duh.
A grad student has no business spending $ 7 on an espresso drink and a muffin, but what else are you going to do, eat food/​drink from the other union options or have time to make at home and bring to UWM? pffth yeah right.

I wouldn’t go to the Grind if there were any equivalent alternatives on campus. If the grind didn’t have a monopoly on fresh brewed coffee (not instant or or the brown hot water you get at the 8^th note) they might actually give a f*** about improving their quality, speed, and maybe lowering their prices. I paid $ 1.75 for a plain mild coffee when I provided my own mug; most coffee places will give you a discount for not wasting more paper cups and plastic lids, but not the grind! It was burned and tasted awful. Their fancy drinks that I’ve had are pretty tasty, but again, the prices are outlandish for a college campus. Students are poor, you jerks!
Have given the different locations a couple more chances after this last review ^ and am docking them another star. The regular coffee, bold and mild, is ALWAYS burned and gross. Fuck this place. I really wish we had another option on campus.

Located within the UW-​Milwaukee Student Union, The Grind is the best place, in my opinion, to get a coffee.
Each month, they have different flavor speciality drinks. There is some type of Turtle Mocha that is fantastic. The service is a bit slower than your usual Starbucks but not unbearable. There’s also a nice seating area to study and enjoy your drink.
If you’re a student, there is WiFi in the area.

I do enjoy the Grind because it is Alterra coffee. However the lines can be outrageous in between classes. If you are really craving some coffee and have a tight schedule. I would plan to be late for your next class or go downstairs to the first floor and buy from the 8^th note.
I do like the staff at the Grind. It does change regularly because they are students, but overall they are really nice and will accommodate your needs. Also most of the time they are pretty nice about giving you hot water if you bring your own tea to school.

The Grind is my go to place on campus. I stop mostly at the library location, though I am known to breeze through the union and the EMS locs also.
I am a mocha kinda girl, and Grind does alright at it. The reason I am a fan though? The cranberry pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins. OMG I am addicted! They use real cranberries and I love the sour of the berry mixed with the sweet of the pumpkin. I heart.
Downfall? If you don’t have early classes, say you get there past lunch, they will be out of just about everything, especially at the library location.

I love there coffee because it IS ALTERRA! I am a fan because they are generally extremely prompt about getting you your coffee and on your way to class. The library location located in the west wing is especially good (in terms of staff being good). The union location however, not so great… They sometimes seem a bit rude and I almost feel like i shouldn’t be asking for anything cause they make you feel like it is a huge burden on them to honor your order.

Their section of the Union is about 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the building, making it VERY uncomfortable to wait 5 minutes for your coffee, which is not very good. I had a latte, and it was bitter through the milk. I’d only recommend this place if you’re stuck on campus and you really need the caffeine fix.

I stop here before classes to grab an iced Americano. Their espresso and coffee are good enough for me. Nothing too spectacular. They do still use the manual La Marzocco bar, which is a plus.
The location is small, but their drink selection is pretty large. It would be better if they had an express lane for the quick coffee drinks so I didn’t always have to get stuck in line behind the people who don’t like the taste of coffee, but insist on ordering a coffee drink. If you want a candy bar in a cup, go to Dairy Queen or Culver’s. Just give me espresso over a cup of ice.

Worst coffee I have ever had in my entire life. Worse then at home instant Maxwell House coffee. Considering its inside a school one would think the coffee is pretty good since numerous student’s sanity depends on caffeine…
If you really need some sort of coffee in your system getting a latte helps mask the flavor of the coffee.