Tis Me Michelle

A new coffee shop in town? You know I jumped right on it. I saw our local social favorites, LemonHearted and CheatDayOrl’s posts, then my friend mentioned it, so I took it as a sign to give it a go.

The Parking: OBT isn’t everyone’s favorite side of town, but there are a few good gems here. I come this way to go to Woodland’s with my family when they are in town. Saiko is inside Orlando Racket Sports, which I’d never heard of or been in. However, it’s in the same lot as Pho Drive Thru, which I had been to before. I highly recommend grabbing a drink from Saiko and driving through for a bite. I’ve only gotten the Banh Mi’s here. They may have my favorite banh mi in town.

The Atmosphere: I went on a Friday afternoon, and it was rather chill. There were plenty of little tables. I wouldn’t say there’s enough space to work from here, but I saw a few folks with laptops and stuff at their bar seating. There were plenty of folks hanging out at the tables with their drinks. Even though it was pretty packed, I walked in and was first in line to order.

I absolutely loved the throwback, early 2000s music that was playing. I also appreciated that it wasn’t super loud. And given it’s a rec center, I didn’t really hear any commotion or feel like it was an awkward spot. I actually think it’s a great location in terms of targeting people who are playing, but still accessible without having to play. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the location, but I’m not an OBT hater.

The Drink: I believe they are primarily a matcha spot, but also have a few coffee options too. They also offer acai bowls, which I’d be interested to try sometime too. To maximize my visit, I of course bought two drinks, one matcha and one latte.

I went for the mango sticky rice matcha, which seems to be their most popular option. Of course, it’s beautifully layered for full aesthetics. Starting with the bottom layer is a mango puree, toasted rice milk, ceremonial-grade matcha, and topped with coconut cream. They also have a banana cream or strawberry lavender matcha. At this point, I’m over the banana cream trend. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I only like the banana bread cold brew from Jeff’s Bagel Run. It was an anomaly for me, considering I’m not a fan of bananas. I am a fan of a strawberry matcha, but always a bit hesitant about lavender or flowery flavors in general. I was very happy with my choice. I always ask for my drinks to be less sweet, and the sweet barista assured me none of the drinks were too sweet. Not only did I feel like all the flavors came through, but they went very well together. It was sweet, but not nearly as sweet as most places if they don’t take it back a notch by request. This is definitely one I would get again.

On the coffee side of the house, I opted for the miso caramel. I saw some folks talk about the peanut butter option, but I saw that the miso caramel had a hint of sesame, and well.. You know me and my love of sesame. This drink only comes in 16 ounces, but I wasn’t mad about it. The base flavor is miso and brown sugar. The miso adds a more complex umami, which works so well. I love the addition of a little salt… and the light drizzle of sesame oil on top. It just added so much with so little. Think an elevated salted caramel. This drink was much sweeter than the matcha, which is understandable, but also one I would have more sparingly. I did appreciate that the espresso was strong enough to balance the sweetness. I fully enjoyed this one too, and would recommend it if you like these flavors or are leaning more towards coffee than matcha. For a small comparison, I enjoyed this more than the Seoul Iced Coffee at Haan.

Overall: Yes, you would have to brave OBT for this spot. But if you find yourself in this area or want to venture for a fun matcha or coffee, I totally think this spot is worth it. You could totally make a day out of it, play some racket sport, then grab a lil drink. As with many spots in greater Orlando, this is a bit of a hike for me. If it weren’t, I would definitely be here often.

Rating: 8.9/10

Address: 7059 S Orange Blossom Trl, Orlando, FL 32809