Introduction
When my sister decided to come to Harding, I knew that the best way for anyone to get acclimated to Searcy was to go on a coffee crawl. Before we went on the crawl, we set up some rules to help us find the best place for coffee in Searcy: 1. We would only go to locally owned coffee shops — sorry Starbucks. 2. At every shop, we would ask the barista what the most ordered drink was, assuming the most ordered was the best. 3. We ordered every drink iced because it was too hot to drink hot coffee. 4. We ordered every drink with almond milk.

Studs Brew Coffeehouse & Espresso
This coffee shop may be easy to miss because it is a small one-room building on the side of the road with a drive-up window on either side. Stu’s Brew has two locations in Searcy — one on Beebe Capps and another on Race Avenue. We went to the Beebe Capps location, and our barista recommended the crème brûlée latte. The Stu’s Brew cup is very minimal — a clear plastic cup with a thick, colorful straw. This latte had the perfect balance of sweetness, milk and coffee. Studs Brews was also the quickest coffee stop; if you’re ever in a rush and need to get a coffee before class, Stu’s Brew is the stop for you.

Mr. Postman Expresso
Located on Beebe Capps Expressway, Mr. Postman is a cozy coffee shop that doubles as a post office. Mr. Postman made us feel right at home with the comfy seating options and chill music playing over the speakers. The cozy, hippie, farmhouse aesthetic invites people to stay. The barista was friendly and recommended The Flannel — a latte flavored with white chocolate, hazelnut, toasted marshmallow and maple. The coffee was sweet and reminded me of sneaking a sip of my mom’s coffee when I was younger.

Savor + Sip
The inside of Savor + Sip is minimal and classic. The white walls and seamless décor make for a great study environment. While the front room is full of long tables and college students studying and catching up, the back room houses comfy chairs, plants and plenty of natural light. Our favorite spot was the back room because we believed it would be a great place to curl up with a book and a latte on a Sunday afternoon. Savor + Sip’s lattes are generously sized, perfect for sipping and strolling through downtown. We ordered the brown sugar cinnamon latte, which is perfect for anyone who loves drinks that taste like fall. We both agreed that we’d like to go back and try the latte hot when the temperature starts to drop.

Midnight Oil Coffeehouse
This is a homey coffee shop where you can always find someone you know enjoying coffee and the company of others. According to our barista and last year’s “M.O. Madness” bracket, the most ordered drink is the Black Bear latte, which has flavors of maple and black walnut. We took our cold coffee drinks outside to enjoy the nice weather. The Black Bear had a smoother taste than the rest of the coffees we tried. The Black Bear’s flavors were strong, but not too sweet, and we could really taste the coffee in this drink. This latte is perfect for someone who prefers a coffee that’s not too sweet.
Three hours and four lattes later, our coffee crawl adventure came to a close. We not only learned which coffee we liked, but we also found places to study. Next time you’re bored on a Saturday or feel like you need a cup of coffee, grab some friends, hop in your car, and follow our coffee crawl. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and tip your barista.