Monroe: The spirit of Corvallis’ coffee culture

College and coffee is a common combination. The concept of college students drinking coffee due to a late night or to stay awake for the next 24 hours, cliche as it may be, is extremely prevalent in Corvallis culture.

And what better location to analyze this cliche than the street that is home to some of the city's most popular college eateries: Monroe Street.

Monroe seems to be Oregon State University's main place to go on break; whether between classes or on the way to campus, many students stop here to get their desired meal and cup of joe.

The Daily Barometer took a stroll down Monroe, from west to east, to discover just what makes it the college coffee experience. Not including restaurants or convenience stores that may serve coffee as part of a larger variety of food and drink, there are four coffee shops located along the street near the heart of campus: The Beanery, Brew Station, Dutch Brothers and Interzone.

We found that although coffee may be the common denominator for these shops, it is one of the only things they have in common.

Each menu offers something different. Each location has its own vibe. Each one brings something special to their customers, which in the end begs the question: Where should you go for your next coffee break?

On the far west end, The Beanery is located on the corner of 25th Street and Monroe Street. This is one of three Corvallis locations, with six more around Oregon. Manager Hillary Williams estimates that in one day there are 400-500 customers that come through, and that they sell around 20 pounds of coffee. "I feel like I'm lowballing all these (numbers)," Williams said.

Like many places on campus, the coffee served at The Beanery is Allann Bros., a company based in Albany.

"We pride ourselves on our coffee beans," Williams said. "Our president actually cups every single roast that comes out of it. Every bag of coffee, he's already tasted before we even get it."

The Beanery serves a variety of pastries and has various food choices which are all delivered fresh each day. But both Williams and employee John Serra, a fifth-year political science major, said that drip coffee is by far the best seller.

"Besides that (drip coffee), I would say our sweet mocha, which is a mocha with Mexican chocolate (is the next best seller)," Serra said.

Since The Beanery is located very close to many science buildings on campus, both Williams and Serra said they see many graduate students and science professors, along with many other students.

"It's good for people trying to get caffeine as quickly as they can. Sometimes it's their only opportunity to get out," Serra said

Serra has been working at The Beanery for two years now and said that he loves to see the variety and assortment of all the people who come in. He enjoys interacting with customers and meeting new people.

"Our company culture is quite a bit different. It's a little bit more individual. Our motto is ‘fiercely independent,' so I think we stay true to that."  

Down the way a couple blocks to 23rd Street is Brew Station. Manager Alex Wylie said that they serve probably about 100-300 cups of coffee a day, depending on the time of year. Though this is the only location, Wylie said they wish to eventually expand.

When Brew Station was established three years ago, they had only five employees. Now they have 25 employees, 23 of which are OSU students.

Wylie said the best seller is their house coffee. "We have the best-priced house coffee on Monroe," he said. "And not only is it the best-priced, but the most premium coffee; it's Stumptown Coffee Roasters'."

If customers bring in their own mugs, a house coffee is only $1.10, which goes up to $1.60 if a mug is not brought.

Like The Beanery, Brew Station sees a lot of graduate students and professors, and a smaller number of undergrads. "We have our random customers, and we're building our client base every day. But we have a very, very large regular crowd that comes in," Wylie said.

Derek Rau, a senior in chemistry, and Lynsey Barton, a senior in nutrition sciences, both come in pretty regularly. Barton, who normally orders tea, said she loves the heater in one side of the shop, and that there is usually room.

"They have better prices on coffee and better coffee," said Rau, who gets the special of the day whenever he comes in. Last week he ordered a caramel macchiato and said it was one of his favorites so far.

"Everything we do is all about our customers," Wylie said. "We have a three-second greeting rule, and likewise (customers) have to be said ‘thank you' and ‘goodbye' to before they leave. All of our staff is very friendly and outgoing. We try to learn all of our customers' names."

Brew Station also has a large food menu as well as many different types of beer, both on tap and bottled.

Continuing east on Monroe another few blocks is Dutch Brothers, on the corner of Kings Boulevard. Known for its numerous drive-thru locations, the walk-in Corvallis Dutch Bros. is rare. There is only one other walk-in store, and that's in Grants Pass, where the company originated, according to manager Brendon Gilbert. The owner of the Corvallis shop is originally from Grants Pass and remembered how much he enjoyed being able to hang out at the store, so he pitched the idea for a walk-in near campus.