BrewLab Coffee

A bit pricy, 7.50 for a medium latte. But the flavors are super fun and the place is very cute. I ordered an oatmilk apple latte 7/10

Lively coffee shop right by campus with an excellent offering of coffee drinks and tasty breakfast treats. Exotic mix of Asian ingredients in their pastries looked quite amazing and will have to come back to sample. Ample seating in a side room with a mix of tables and couches. Small outside seating area on the sidewalk is somewhat underwhelming.

I was in UIUC and ended up coming here three days in a row -- not because it tasted great, but simply because it was the only pour-over place I could find in town. 1. Pour-over coffee: Beans seem fresh (only one option Counter Culture), but the pour-over skill feels chaotic. The flavors are muddled, and it doesn’t feel like the store has developed a pour -over style that really suits the beans. I tried their pour-over on two different days with the same results. I’ve brewed Counter Culture beans myself before, and I don’t feel the beans are well treated here. 2. Other drinks: Espresso-based drinks are much better made. I also tried the Kyoto-style cold brew, but I wouldn’t recommend it-- it just tastes like a dense, sour drink with no clear flavor layers. (Probably some stirring with ice might help separate the layers.) It even gave me a headache at night. I’ve had this style before in Japan and Taiwan, and usually people don’t drink a full cup -- more like an espresso-sized portion. Typically, the barista should experiment with the ratio of ice cubes to cold brew to balance it out. 3. Environment: Plenty of seats and a restroom, but the space isn’t very pleasant. There’s a damp, basement-like smell (likely from the AC), and I noticed some unclean spots by the windows. Around noon it also gets noisy. Overall: An average coffee shop near campus. Staffs are nice. Good for students to gather and talk, but not really a place for well-crafted coffee.

A welcoming coffee spot with plenty of seating and a great setup for working or relaxing. The coffee was excellent across visits - the pour over had great clarity, the espresso tonic was refreshing, and the specialty lattes were flavorful and well balanced. Service was a bit uneven at times, as there was a long wait for the pour over, but overall it was a wonderful spot with quality drinks with a great atmosphere for studying.

Coffee lovers will not be disappointed in the drip brew here. There is a large second connected room where you can work or study as you enjoy the atmosphere, excellent bakery choices, or coffee selection. I ended up using the convenient large marker board behind me after I struck up a conversation about data production and management of water treatment facilities with another patron next to me. Parking is what you expect in the campus town area.