Snow White Coffee - Coffee shop in Oakland - 3824 Piedmont Ave, USA

As a person who works in a small business on the same street I thought I’d give it a try. Nope. Never again. No friendly greeting, very short even though I just didn’t really know what to order because menu was just so simple. Which is ok. Got an iced coffee. And I’ll never go back. Definitely felt like owner/worker could have had better people skills.

I ordered a chai latte and paid $5.25 for my drink plus a $1 tip. I returned to the shop 2min later and told the guy I meant to order a dirty chai latte. He said okay and gave me an annoyed look. He then charged me another $1.25 for adding the shot of expresso. I did not feel like his customer service was professional and lacked customer satisfaction. I paid $5.25 for regular chai +$1 tip+ $1.25 for the expresso=$7.50 for a regular size latte. This makes me not want to return to the shop.

Coffee was okay. I was a put off when I asked for soy milk and was told by the owner that HE made a decision not to serve anything he himself wouldn’t eat or drink. That’s his prerogative as the owner, but misses the point of his customers having different dietary needs and choices. He’s not a vegan or gluten free so he’s not going to offer vegan or gluten free items. They also charge an extra $.75 for alternative milks. No deduction for the fact I’m not drinking the cow’s milk, just adding on the $.75 so I’m paying twice. I have choices and preferences too and I’ll be exercising them elsewhere.

Okay coffee, good baked goods. The service has been curt and/or disinterested the times I’ve been here. Decided to stop frequenting this spot once I saw the anti-housing sign up in their window regarding the proposed apartment plan on 4185 piedmont avenue.

Had been here twice with my husband. Nice place and great coffee! Today I ordered a Muffin and it was so good! Would come back

Nice place to get some coffee on Piedmont. Loved the fact that they can make a pour over! Will definitely visit again.

The owner is so rude, would much rather support other businesses nearby. I don’t understand why someone who hates people this much would want to work in a coffee shop — maybe hire someone to work there who likes people?

Nice coffee and tasty pastries – what more do you want? (4/5 green stars) There’s something very attractive about the signage on Snow White, and the contrast with the old sign from the eponymous launderette that previously occupied the site. I’m at the same time excited and nervous about having used the word eponymous in a sentence for the first time. (Nervous because I’m not sure that it’s exactly the right usage.) Well, that about wraps up my review. Oh, wait, there’s more. The latte was made with the Oscuro Nuevo blend, of which The Roast Co. says: “It's everything those of us who prefer light-roasted coffee wish dark roasts were.” I’m still struggling to understand that – I think I need more coffee. In any case, both the latte and the muffin that went with it were very good. A walnut-apple muffin from the Starter Bakery, I believe. I like the picnic table in the little space beside the café – when you sit there almost everyone who walks by pauses to see what’s happening. Nothing to see here, folks - just two people sharing a latte and muffin – move along! I’m giving them 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons: • Milk used for (regular) lattes is Humboldt Creamery organic milk. Humboldt is ramping up its business after the previous CEO messed them up and they had to be sold to Foster Farms (/Crystal Creamery). Humboldt is a business worth supporting, I think, as long as they don’t sell out and give up on their ethics. • Coffee is roasted in Oakland by the Roast Co. They are a bit vague on their sourcing policies: “RoastCo pays special attention to the conditions under which they are grown and processed.” They do refer to one of their single-origin coffees, Finca Vista Hermosa, as a model for many shade grown and organic plantations. On the Oscuro Nuevo Blend sold at Snow White there’s no info available on sustainability or trade. Would be good to know more. Packaging for coffee beans is not compostable. • Starter Bakery say that their “flours and grains are non-GMO and/or organic; the only fats we use are butter, non-GMO canola oil and organic olive oil; we never use shortening. Premier local food companies like Clover, Guittard, TCHO, Central Milling and select farms supply us...” • So there’s a trend: Snow White is supporting three local businesses – two new and growing and a third that’s getting going again after a setback. Other details like the compostable straws indicate that it’s a business that cares about the little things that matter. Interested in writing green star reviews? If so, contact me! (greenstarsproject)