Specialty spring menu at downtown coffee shop reflects new beginnings

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

A chance to flex its creativity after a year of COVID-19 restrictions and limited capacity has a downtown coffee shop feeling happy with spring fever.

Reza’s Downtown, a local coffee brand located at 438 Wayne Ave., was still housing all its roasting operations in Fairborn when it opened in 2019. Today, however, Reza’s roasts everything in-house inside its Oregon District location. Less than two years since the doors opened, Reza’s now has a following of downtown customers that remained loyal even throughout the pandemic, said Audria Maki, owner and founder of Reza’s.

Since opening, Reza’s has put together a number of unique menus, including an entire lineup of mushroom drinks last year. Maki puts a lot of thought and intention into a new menu and each individual drink.

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

“We had this menu put together last spring, and then we didn’t get to do it because everything shut down,” Maki said. “So we’re like “Okay, we’re going to do it again. We’ve got butterflies and flowers all over the café. It’s all very intentional for spring.”

The Dayton roaster brought back some of its fan favorites that have been available in the past, like the Lavender Latte, and also added a few new drinks. Reza’s spring menu includes five signature drinks, three iced and two hot, and is available now through the end of May.

The menu includes Reza’s cold brew ($4), the Lavender Latte ($4.75), the Lavender Hibiscus Lemon Tea ($4.25), the Honey Latte ($4.75), and the Cold Brew White Ginger Tea ($4).

When coffee shops develop their own cold brew, Maki said they will often use a light roast when brewing a batch. However, Reza’s uses a dark roast when brewing their cold brew, leaving it with a strong, smooth flavor.

The Cold Brew White Ginger Tea is a notable addition to Reza’s seasonal menu. It’s light, fruity and has just the right amount of sweetness that makes the drink perfect for a morning treat, and maybe even better as an afternoon pick-me-up.

Credit: Staff

Credit: Staff

“This year, spring means even more than it did last year,” Maki said. “It just feels very happy.”

Reza’s is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.

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