I recently got the opportunity to take a jaunt through Orlando, if you make your way from the tourist traps of Disney and Universal you actually find a fantastic downtown area with vast ethnic backgrounds and huge cultural diversity. I was out looking for a camera store, wanting a new lens, and happened to walk through the Colonial North neighborhood. Passing a private school and a cute little square nestled next to a gym called “Pure Energy Fitness & Flexibility Gym” with a little old man literally stretching his leg above his head on the fence post outside, I saw Qreate Coffee and Studio.
It’s funny how when traveling you can end up in places that give you a little slice (pun intended) of home. Something The Woodshop is known for, besides coffee and pizza, of course, is our fearless leader’s plant collection. Walking into Qreate felt so familiar. High ceilings, huge hand-painted murals on the walls (if you haven’t seen we recently added an awesome new mural in the office), scents of coffee and pastries in the air, and PLANTS, plants everywhere you looked. The seating area was filled with a lot of 2-person low tables, a long solid wood bar, and some communal tables and workspaces towards the back, with people working away plugged into their headphones. And just like our office, they are dog-friendly with a cute corgi lounging on the floor! The music was very alternative hip-hop, think 21 pilots, but it was muted enough to concentrate if you were working, and just catchy enough that you found yourself singing along. If you walked further back they had an awesome little studio setup with sharp white cyc walls, studio lighting, and c stands. According to the staff, you could rent the space either hourly or monthly to do photography or video work.
Speaking of the staff, they were absolutely fantastic! I wasn’t sure what on the menu would be good, but I did know that I wanted something cold because drinking hot coffee in Florida sounds awful. The barista ran us through some options he preferred based on our likes and I ended up buying a few separate drinks because there were too many things I wanted to try. We got a cold brew lemonade (trust me I was skeptical too), a strawberry croissant, a tiger latte, and a purple pearl. I was starving so I dived right into the strawberry croissant. With cream cheese and strawberry inside and a flaky outer layer cooked perfectly, it more than hit the spot. The tiger latte was essentially a brown sugar latte made with the perfect combination of sweetness and cream from the milk. The cold brew lemonade was exactly what it sounds like. It was a bottom layer of lemonade with cold brew poured ON TOP. It was sweet, tangy, and tart from the lemonade, while bitter and tannic from the coffee. I don’t know if I would have it again but it was definitely a new experience! Not to save the best for last, but I ended up ordering again because I HAD to try the purple pearl. It was a taro latte with espresso poured over the top. I’d never had taro before and the barista let me know not to mix it but to drink it in layers. The taro was sweet and creamy, almost reminding me of a macadamia nut with the perfect mixture of milk and espresso topping. It was beyond delicious and it was so pleasing to stare at with the mixture of purple, white, and brown.
After sitting down to enjoy our drinks I started to notice some of the amazing photography plastered throughout the space, gorgeous cityscapes, portraits, and products, it honestly didn’t matter what the subject matter was, they were all beautiful and artistic. Some of the fun and super cozy (yes I bought a hoodie in Orlando, who does that?) merchandise was adorable with stickers that say ‘Coffee Daddy,’ hoodies that say ‘Drink Coffee and Be Kind’ (yes that was the one I bought), and an array of drinkware with their super cool logo on it.
I could probably ramble on about this adorable little spot that is literally diagonally across the country from us, but when I find myself back in Orlando you can bet I’ll find myself there! Until then, I’ll be comparing every other communal workspace in the meantime hoping to find myself right there again between coffee and creativity.
Cheers friends.
Kd
https://www.instagram.com/qreatecoffee/
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