Planet Perk - Oshkosh, WI Review

How’s it going? Hope the coffee is flowing! Today I am going to be talking about a really cool coffee shop that I visited a few times during my recent trip to Wisconsin. Tucked away in the middle of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Planet Perk is a coffee shop that is all about giving back and making a difference.

Planet Perk started as a coffee shop with a goal of creating a cafe that is not only environmentally responsible, but also gives back to its community (read more about their mission here). With this goal attained in all 3 of their locations, they began finding other ways to serve their community. Included in their Oshkosh location is a cat cafe, which is a room filled with cats that you can use as a work space, or just go to to play with cats. They partner with their local animal shelter to take in adoptable cats and give them a temporary home where they can have increased exposure to people. To date they have helped over 150 cats find a home through the cat cafe. For those non-cat folks, no need to worry, the cat cafe is in a separate area, so you can still enjoy their coffee and food cat-free if you desire.

The main entrance to Planet Perk's Oshkosh Location

A look inside the cafe

I initially stopped by to get a cold brew and smoothie for a long commute the next day, but on first sip of the cold brew knew I’d be going back to get a full review.

Planet Perk Nitro Cold Brew Review:

My first sip of their cold brew as I started my drive caught me off guard a bit. As it has a pretty unique flavor profile for a cold brew.

This uniqueness starts in the nose, which has some slight raisin notes. The coffee has a medium body with a slight nitro head, as can be seen in the photo. The nitro was underwhelming and did not give the coffee much creaminess on the mouth feel.

The first sip gives you bold roasty notes, with a touch of earthy sweetness. This roasty front gives way to a deep dark chocolatey middle that was slightly bitter, with a very slight hint of sweetness, think of an 80% dark chocolate bar. The sweetness creeps up in the finish and the raisin nose starts to show through here. The sweetness is earthy with slightly tart fruity notes.

Overall this was a pretty unique cold brew and I was glad I could get back for a full review. Most cold brews I sample are focused on sweetness and chocolatey notes, this one was more complex with roasty and earthy notes balanced by a subtle sweetness. This uniqueness might not appeal to everyone, especially those who prefer the rich chocolatey sweetness of a traditional cold brew. That being said, I would really recommend giving it a try, as it is a very good cup of coffee.

After enjoying my second cold brew of the trip, I shifted focus to the house blend and again was surprised, in a good way, by Planet Perk’s take on a house blend.

Planet Perk House Blend Review:

Planet Perk's nitro cold brew

This coffee has a medium body with a subtle citrus nose. It was very smooth and easy to drink, as a house blend should be. The front has nice apple notes, these were light and fruity but not overly sweet. These fruity notes remain in the middle, but the sweetness increases and a touch of chocolate starts to come through. This leads to a sweet chocolatey finish that is well balanced and not overly sweet.

Overall this was again one of the more unique house blends I’ve sampled. In my experience house blends tend to have muted flavors to appeal to a wide range of coffee drinkers, or to be diluted with milk and sugar. Planet Perk’s House blend had a nice but subtle complexity thanks to the apple and chocolate notes. The fruit and chocolate were well balanced throughout the entire cup, making this a great take on a house blend.

I would highly recommend checking out Planet Perk if you are ever near their locations. They offer a full range of food and smoothies in addition to their coffees and I found their smoothies to be fresh and delicious. As an added bonus you can enjoy them while playing with cats, and maybe even taking one home for yourself!

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Great coffee is indeed not the result of chance!