Moon Magic: Summer Moon is the best new place to get your coffee

As someone who enjoys coffee, but is far from an expert, most of it tastes the same to me. Since my only criteria for coffee is whether it’s iced or hot, and sweet or bitter, it’s hard for me to tell the difference between the The Roasterie and Starbucks. 

However, after trying the new coffee shop Summer Moon, a Texas-based coffee chain, I can finally say I’ve found a unique coffee place. The award-winning coffee shop is known for its wood-fire coffee roasted over Texas Oak, bringing smoky flavor to each cup.

In addition to their rich blends, Summer Moon gets their name from their moon milk — Summer Moon’s take on sweet cream. The thickness of their creamer could not compete with name brand coffee shops. It’s so popular they sell pints of it within their store — I had to go back and grab a pint for myself. And it was only six dollars.  

Located at 95th and Metcalf, squeezed in between Pie Five and Firehouse Subs, the location of the shop was not what I expected. Upon entering, the atmosphere was extremely different than most coffee shops. Instead of dim lighting like most coffee shops I study in, Summer Moon was lit up by the floor to ceiling windows and large light fixtures. And instead of the soft background music I’d normally tune out, they were playing a top hits playlist. 

I’m not sure the atmosphere is where I’d go first to study for my AP Gov test, but if I was meeting up with a friend or designing for my marketing project, I’d definitely grab a table. 

I had a hard time deciding what to get, as the wide-ranged menu offered everything from lattes to nitro cold brew. Although I tend to favor iced coffee, I decided to go for both an iced and hot drink. I went with the iced cinnamon latte with moon milk and the blue moon latte — a lavender infused latte with moon milk. 

The cinnamon latte was easily my favorite, and I downed it in minutes. If you like a sweeter, more flavorful coffee, this is the drink for you — it’s also available hot. The moon milk really pulls this drink together for me as it doesn’t feel sugary like a Starbucks drink that leaves my teeth feeling grimy, but compliments the bitterness from the smoky coffee flavor. 

The hot blue moon latte is perfect for the 15-degree weather we’ve had this week. The hint of lavender is present, yet not overpowering, in fact it made the coffee feel lighter despite the thick moon milk added in it. 

If coffee isn’t your beverage of choice, Summer Moon has iced teas, matcha, smoothies and a unique take on frappuccinos. And if you plan on staying for awhile, pastries and small food sandwiches are also on the menu. 

As I was getting ready to leave, I was tempted to pick up some of their adorable Summer Moon merchandise. They had a variety of shirts, sweatshirts, hats, mugs and tumblers with the cursive Summer Moon logo in just about every color — and if I’m being completely honest, I’d wear their clothes even if I didn’t like the coffee.