As a sleep deprived college student, like many of my peers, I’m always looking for a nearby coffee shop to easily get my caffeine fix; Zen Coffee Company, which has a location just half a mile from Creighton University’s Omaha campus, is the best one I’ve found.   

I like the atmosphere at Zen.It has a lot of windows, which lets in a lot of natural sunlight, and plants are scattered throughout the coffee shop. There’s a succulent on nearly every table. I’m a plant lover, so I enjoythis touch.  

I come to Zen for the coffeemore so than for the plants and atmosphere. It has a lot of unique coffees that you can’t get at places like Starbucks. One of my favorites is one of its specials, the Belgian waffle latte. It comes with a sugary little waffle that I like dipping in the drink oreating on its own. Zen has a long list of specialty drinks, so I haven’t tried them all. But I’ve had the cinnamon dulce and honeybee lattes, and they’re delicious. I always order my lattes iced with almond milk, which I highly recommend.  

Even though I love its regular specialties, my favorite thing about Zen is its seasonal drinks. In the fall, I kept going back for the pecan pie latte. It was something Icouldn’t get anywhere else, which is part of why I loved it so much.  

This month Zen has a delicious Valentine’s Day menu. Last weekend I started my February by trying their candy heart latte. It’s a simple drink, but a good one, nonetheless. It’s a vanilla latte topped with toasted marshmallow cold foam. Marshmallow cold foam isn’t something I would’ve thought of on my own, but it is so good – almost like drinking Lucky Charms. Honestly, it’s a magical experience that I highly recommend. 

I haven’t sampled anything else on the Valentine’s Day menu yet, but I’m looking forward to trying Zen’s red flag lotus drink and red velvet latte before they’re gone. That is the only thing I don’t love about Zen’s seasonal menus: they’re only around for a limited time. However, I can also admit that’spart of the excitement the menus bring.  

Zen also has good food. Its avocado toast is one of my favorite things to get for a quick lunch. It has cream cheese, avocado (of course) and everything bagel seasoning. It’s a simple combination that works so well together. Every time I order it, I’ve been able to watch an employee cut the avocado and assemble the toast. I love that the food is fresh and not premade or frozen food.  

Between the good atmosphere, delicious coffee and free Wi-Fi, Zen is a great place to study. That said, I’d never go there without headphones. Despite the coffee shop’s name, it isn’t always the most zen place. The music is just loud enough to be distracting, so having noise cancelling headphones to listen to my own music while I study helps me focus.  

Overall, Zen is a great local coffee shop that I highly recommend.