1st Place: Racy D’Lene’s
2nd Place: Gloria Jean’s
3rd Place: Coffee Grounds

Scores of stores across the Valley grind their own beans and brew their coffee daily. According to the majority, however, nobody does it like these three places. Hunker down with a cup of organic coffee or blended espresso at first-place finisher Racy D’Lene’s – the quirky, mixed-furniture coffee lounge that happens to face the Chippewa River and the bike path. Your second choice is Gloria Jean’s, a store which, for years of my childhood, I thought was called Gloria’s Beans. And for good reason. Any mall walker with a decently developed sense of smell can’t help but want a cup, or a pound of whole beans to take home. While you’re on a caffeine kick, be sure to check out third place finisher Coffee Grounds, where the beans are roasted on site and four varieties are brewed every day, including flavored and decaffeinated options. – Kinzy Janssen