Nirvana Soul opened its third location in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library this summer and the cafe shop is already pouring some flair to San José State’s campus.
Nirvana Soul already has two locations established, one in Downtown San José and the other in Cupertino.
Co-founded by sisters Jeronica Macey and Be’Anka Ashaolu, they wanted to create a space to bring communities together according to their homepage.
Nirvana Soul succeeded in bringing closer the SJSU community as I observed students, staff and administrators alike coming together to enjoy a cup of coffee.
After visiting their downtown location a couple of times and being pleased with my order, a matcha lemonade, I looked forward to checking out their new location at SJSU.
Their MLK location is adorned with colorful murals, lively decorations and multiple art pieces by local artists.
Nirvana Soul featuring local artists really goes to show how much they want to connect with and uplift the members of their local community.
The hot pink painted ceiling and bright green tiled counters help add to the fun atmosphere of the shop.
Compared to the downtown San Jose location, it is a little smaller and less decorated. The atmosphere is a little more formal and academic, since the glass doors give you a full view of shelves of books and students walking around.
After looking at their menu, which featured several unique and creative drinks, I decided on the Banana Chai Latte, which is one of their more popular drinks.
Their menu also features classic coffee shop drinks including espresso, cold brew, chai, matcha and hot chocolate.
For their pastries, they have an assortment of different treats like waffles, muffins, cookies, cakes, croissants, scones and macarons on their menu.
Since it was the afternoon, nearly all their pastries for the day were sold out, so I recommend getting there in the morning if you’re interested in trying their bakery items.
I made my decision with their blueberry lemon scone, as it was the only pastry left. Luckily for me, I love both citrus and berry flavors.
My order was made quickly despite the cafe shop being busy, I got my drink within less than five minutes.
Banana Chai Latte
The Banana Chai Latte is exactly what you would expect it to be, it’s a classic chai latte made with banana syrup mixed into it.
I opted for oat milk since that’s my milk of choice, and although the drink typically comes warm, I got the iced option since it was a warm day.
Upon the first sip I was mesmerized by the different flavors of banana, spice and sweetness swirling around in my mouth. Although it was iced, I still tasted the warmth from the slight earthy spice of the chai.
The drink has just the right amount of creaminess, sweetness, and spice, all pretty evenly with the same strength. However, this is a sweeter drink so if you like your chai lattes more on the bitter side, I’d ask for less sweetness.
I was hesitant and nervous before trying the drink in fear the banana would completely overpower the chai, but no flavor competed for the spotlight with another. After trying it, I can easily see why it’s a bestseller.
The banana chai is a great pick when you’re looking for a sweet pick-me-up during your day.
I would even go as far as to say that this is one of the best chai lattes I’ve ever tried. Other chai lattes usually either have too much sweetness or milk, or not enough.
Blueberry Lemon Scone
I was super excited to try the Blueberry Lemon Scone as it has some of my favorite fruits and flavors in it.
The top of the scone is sprinkled with crunchy sugar and integrated with dried blueberries to pleasantly greet you while I believe the lemon flavor comes from either lemon zest or extract.
As I bit into the scone I was welcomed by both citrus and berry flavors, but I was quickly distracted by the dryness of the scone. I had to take a sip of my banana after each bite to clear the scone dough from sticking all around my mouth.
The scone is a great size for the price, around $5, and it was the size of my entire hand. All around the sides and edges of the scone, you get a little bit of the crunch which I really enjoyed.
Because the flavor and texture were so great, I was willing to let the dryness of the scone be less important to me.
Overall, my experience at Nirvana Soul was quick, seamless, and delicious. I got to enjoy different types of art along with my caffeine.
Nirvana Soul went beyond my expectations, and I plan to stop by more often in between my classes since it is conveniently located on campus.
