I’m back in the Pacific Northwest after spending part of my summer in New Hampshire, and while I enjoyed being with my family and working as a teacher with my littles, I am SO glad to be back in the great PNW.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE a good cup of coffee, or a good drink from a coffee establishment, whether it is an energy drink, tea or something else! In the same way, anyone who knows the Pacific Northwest knows that they LOVE their about their coffee.

(Should I say ‘we love our coffee’? When do I become a Pacific Northwester? Can a native please let me know ASAP?).

Anyway, upon coming back to the PNW, the first place I wanted to go was to Dutch Bros. Dutch is LITERALLY my life since I moved here, and I when I’m away, I miss it dearly.

The thing is, they don’t just have great coffee and great drinks -- they have so many other perks as well. So without further ado, here’s 6 reasons that Dutch Bros. is the best coffee establishment around.

1. Great Coffee

Whether you choose a Carmelizer when you want something sweet or a 911 when you need crazy energy for those long nights studying, Dutch is guaranteed to provide you whatever you need coffee-wise. The best part (I think), is that their coffees don’t just come hot and cold – they come hot, iced and blended! Whatever you are craving, it’s at your disposal from the wee hours of the morning until 10 pm at night. PRAISE.

2. Great Drinks

This is my favorite part. Though I sometimes get coffee when I go to Dutch, my go-to is generally a Rebel or an Iced Tea.

A Rebel is a whole new kind of wonderful – an energy drink mixed with any delicious flavor you like (except pineapple). The iced version has more caffeine, while the blended version often tastes better, so it’s really up to you and what you are feeling.

My order is the BOMB, created originally as a Surprise Rebel by one of the lovely workers at the Walla Walla Dutch Bros., and it’s a mango flavored Rebel with coconut milk. It cuts the tangy feel of the energy drink, and tastes like an exotic tropical drink. IT’S SO GOOD. 10/10 would recommend!

And yes, Surprise Rebels are a thing. (GASP). But I’ll get to that.

If you want to pay less, you can also opt for an Iced Tea. These come in Green or Black, and you can insert any kind of flavor you desire. (They also come in Surprise, but like I said – I’ll get to that). These are FANTASTIC.

3. Surprise Drinks

This, I believe, is one of the coolest things about Dutch. (Maybe you can do this other places? I don’t know… I’ve never tried…).

But basically, a Surprise is for all of us indecisive people who get to the window and don’t know what we want, even if we’ve been there a bajillion times and have the menu memorized.

Not only do you have the opportunity to try new things, you also have the opportunity to get to know the workers and what they like a little better. There are some workers that always make exceptionally good Rebels or iced tea or coffees, and I am inclined to ask them for Surprises more often than not.

Basically, it’s the best thing ever if you are indecisive – like me.

4. Stickers

Yay for stickers! Dutch has the COOLEST stickers around. Search below for your favorite! Mine favorite is the little blue bus. These cute stickers are always available if you ask, and they’re great to put on your computer, your fridge, your car or your water bottle/hydro flask. If you search around my life a little bit, you’ll find Dutch Bros. stickers basically everywhere.

5.Customer Service

This is the biggest reason honestly. Every time you go to Dutch, you are greeted warmly with happy smiles and kind hearts ready not only to take your order, but to get to know you personally a little bit better. Chatting with a Dutch worker is always super fun, because they are all genuinely kind and outgoing and ready to serve.

Last week I was in the Dutch Bros. in Richland, WA and there was a longer than normal wait. Because we had to wait, the wonderful worker said that our drinks were on her, and not to worry about it. (My boyfriend and I had ordered two large drinks by the way, so shout out to her for being incredible).

There was also a story in the news a few months back about some Dutch Bros employees who prayed with someone who had expressed their struggles about losing her husband at the drive-thru. How cool is that? How many places can you go where people actually care that much? I promise – it’s not that many. The only thing I’d like Dutch to do different is wear name tags, so I can learn their names and shout them out more often in my articles because seriously – you are all so great. If you are having a bad day, go to Dutch.

6. Dutch Wear

Dutch Bros. has a clothing line called DutchWear and it’s the coolest thing ever. So not only do they have great coffee and great drinks and great customer service and great stickers, they ALSO have clothes and hats and bags and baby onesies etc.

Along with their clothing, they also have rad thermoses, mugs, earrings, air fresheners etc. I’m literally saving my pennies to get some of these – I don’t have any yet, but I will soon!

So in the skewed words of Taylor Swift, you “Starbucks lovers” should think about switching to Dutch. (Mostly because I am at almost 1,000 words of describing why you should LOVE Dutch and never buy from anyone else). You can go there when you’re craving caffeine, having a bad day, celebrating a good day, want some cool, free stickers or just because.

The moral of the story is: go to Dutch Bros., you won’t regret it!

Shout out to these workers in Walla Walla who are literally about to see me so so much this upcoming school year:

P.S. This article is only part ONE, so keep your eyes peeled for part TWO. I know what you're thinking ...there are MORE reasons to love Dutch? Yes. Yes there are!