(COVINGTON, La.) — Have you ever smelled freshly roasted coffee? Well, if you drive down Tyler Street in the mornings, you will certainly get a whiff of the pungent aroma. This scent can only be coming from one place: Campbell’s Coffee & Tea at 516 S. Tyler St. This locally owned coffee shop prides itself on fresh-roasted coffee and other handcrafted drinks. Owner and operator Elizabeth Van Sant, in partnership with Campbell Morrison, opened the doors on Feb. 10, 2006, with the vision of fresh, locally roasted coffee. Her vision is now reality, as Campbell’s roasts their coffee beans every morning to guarantee that their coffee is at its peak flavor content. Her philosophy is that as soon as the coffee is roasted, it starts to stale and lose its complex nuances. Campbell’s does not struggle with this, however, because everything they serve has been roasted earlier the same day.

Not only does Van Sant take great pride in her coffee, but also her community. Campbell’s is involved with many service events and fundraisers to help local schools and teachers in order to give children better opportunities. Also, Campbell’s baristas actually get paid leave so they can go out and work on service projects around Covington. In effect, they’ve won the Above and Beyond Award for St. Tammany from the Urban Conservancy of New Orleans for their outstanding service works.

There is never a lack of cars waiting in the drive-thru line, but their fast, efficient service makes the line move at a reasonable pace. I am not much of a coffee drinker, so I order the hot chai tea every morning before school. When my old Mercedes pulls up, they already know exactly what I’m going to get.

When I get my hands on the frothy, hot chai tea, I make sure to wait a couple minutes before taking a sip to avoid getting third degree burns on my tongue. After I let my drink cool down, I sip the creamy, sweet and spicy tea that pairs perfectly with any and all breakfast foods. They also serve a rotating plethora of both sweet and savory pastries including mocha java scones, sun-dried tomato and feta scones, zucchini bread and various muffin tops, which are all a great compliment to your beverage of choice.

Overall Campbell’s is a never-failing morning stop, and I’m not the only one who feels this way. Each morning, Campbell’s can count on their vast pool of regulars, which is largely made up of SSA and SPS students alike.

As far as local coffee and tea shops go, nobody does it better than Campbell’s. That’s why I give the establishment a 9.5 out of 10.

For more local food reviews by Jackson Cretin click here.