Coffee Times Drive-Thru Espresso — Restaurant in Tucson

Alright since it’s officially Fall here in Tucson, we can celebrate all the Fall vibes available only here in the sunshine state. Like seasonal record breaking 105 degree weather and dead grass. The east coast may be celebrating orange and red leaves but hey, we have actual oranges and we see red every day with road rage. But the one common denominator across the board is and always will be pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice everything. Pumpkin spice chobani yogurt, pumpkin spice werther’s originals, pumpkin spice condoms, pumpkin spice ammunition, , pumpkin spice ketchup, you name it. But the OG will always be pumpkin spice caffeinated beverages.

And I figured it was time to stop trying to be a hip contrarian & join the normies in conditioned, cultural reverence in appreciation & love for all things pumpkin spice. I was going to take time out of my day from organizing funko pops & trying to spot international female pedestrian cleavage on google maps street view to leave the house and go get some pumpkin spice energy. But I didn’t want to be a basic bish & go to the corporate chains like Starbucks mostly because they’re overpriced but also because they spell Rico with TWO Cs. Reech-o? Nah bruh. I don’t mind the brothers Dutch for the most part but i’ve been taking advantage of their overly-kind converstationalism and using them as free therapy way too much. Then I tip 20% for the trauma dumps & i’m going broke just on that alone.

So I found a cool spot called COFFEE TIMES. I already liked the name. Every time friends ask me what time it is, 90% of the time I stop what i’m doing, look them in the eyes and go “It’s COFFEE TIME, Mike” and then he asks again “no seriously what time is it” and then I double down by going “It’s coffeee tiiiime, baby!” and repeat that cycle until they leave me alone.

When I drove up, there was already a couple of cars ahead of me but I was able to squint and take a peek at the menu. I laser focused in on the 20oz Pumpkin Pie Frappe and below that the treats that had a Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake. Take my money. 4 minutes had passed & there was one car ahead of me. I just stared ahead white knuckling the steering wheel impatiently. When it hit the 6 minute mark I started revving my engine and giving crazy eyes but then I saw the window lady reach out & give a little cup to a happy puppy sticking its head out the window and all my angry cussing turned into female-esque “awwwwws” and my patience timer started over.

When I pulled up to the window I was greeted by the window gal who was nice but not TOO nice. Like wanted a transaction and not a thesis on my week. I told her “i’m good but i’ll be doin even better once I get some pumpkin pie frappe & that pumpkin coffee cake in me” and then she got sad & said “unfortunately the person ahead of you just grabbed the last of the pumpkin coffee cake”. My eyes immediately darted & my primal instince was telling me to chase them down and take it but then I remembered that i’m a part of civilized society & even though adding prison time to my dating profile would make me a hotter prospect, I didn’t have bail money. so I looked back at the window gal and said “no problem…i’ll take an apple cranberry streusal bar instead” & she said “oooh i’m sorry we’re out of those too” and then immediately said “i’m just messing” but my eye already started twitching.

When I was handed the pumpkin pie frappe, I looked at her and went “IT’S COFFEE TIME, BABY!!!” and popped the lid and started going to town, whip and frappe flying everywhere. Orange sludge all over my face in a display of sheer joy and autumnal ecstacy. I took a breath, looked at her and said “hey flip over that ipad real quick” and left a custom tip of 200% & then boldly asked “hey, can I get one of those pup cups, too. I have a pomeranian at home and she’s going through seasonal depression”. Great experience. Definitely got me in the mood for Fall with the normies and even though I don’t have a pomeranian, I have a free pup cup to enjoy later. I’ll be back for that pumpkin coffee...

I love Coffee Times. It is out of my way but have been going a lot more recently due to a great gift certificate sale they had in October. I have always been satisfied with my food and drinks and the prices. However, today was disappointing because I presented my gift certificate and told the cashier I didn't know how much was left, expecting to pay some or all on my Visa card. She gave it to some one else to calculate and then told me the total was nearly $12.00 (my order was a 32oz iced green tea and a cheese Danish). I was shocked to say the least. She explained that the $12.00 was for today's order plus taxes that had not been calculated on my previous orders making my gift certificate worth -$5.95. She asked if that was okay and I said yes because if I should have paid it before I don't want them to lose out on money but I found it particularly upsetting because the complete totals (including taxes) of my previous orders should have been calculated on the back each time I visited and ordered so that the back of the gift certificate reflected the correct amount left. It is NOT our responsibility as customers to keep track of this. If I buy the gift certificates in the future I will make sure to ask them to calculate every single time I place an order. Very...

I like literally never leave Google Reviews on anything, but I feel that this is a business that deserves every 5-star review possible.

I'm a huge coffee fan. So much so that I make it a point to try every local coffee shop I possibly can. No matter where I've been in various parts of the country, there isn't a single place I enjoy more than Coffee Times. The staff is always incredibly friendly, and they're insanely efficient at working through lines, all while never missing a beat and always having your order done perfectly.

I have a litmus test for any new coffee shop I try; I order an iced Caramel Machiatto with no modifications. I honestly think I've had this exact beverage at more than 50 different stores thus far. Coffee Times not only makes the best one, but it's incredibly consistent. It always has the same perfect balance of sweetness and an incredibly unique smoky coffee flavor.

I live in Marana now, so Coffee Times is unfortunately a bit out of my usual way of day-to-day stuff, but I'll always stop by this place...