No shortage of energy, flavour at Grey Ridge

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This article was published 11/08/2022 (1369 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CARBERRY — While it usually takes me a couple hours to perk up every morning, I didn’t encounter that problem after visiting Grey Ridge Cafe’s mobile shop early Wednesday.

Admittedly, I might have gotten a little in over my head ordering and consuming a small Americano ($3.25) and a large vanilla blended frap ($5.75) at the same time, since I’m not a regular coffee drinker.

But as we all know, writing for the Brandon Sun Food Truck Review demands sacrifice, even if that means getting overly caffeinated and jittery in the middle of the week.

Jokes aside, I managed to track down Grey Ridge’s mobile cafe in Carberry Wednesday morning, with the branded truck and trailer parked just outside the community library.

The first thing I noticed about this coffee shop on wheels was its extensive drink menu, which is about on par with what is being offered at the company’s fixed location at The Town Centre mall in downtown Brandon.

Given that Grey Ridge began its life as a coffee trailer in 2018, with the brick-and-mortar operations following several years later, this kind of symmetry totally makes sense.

The menu itself includes various permutations of hot and iced coffee (Americano, latte, cappuccino, London fog, mocha, caramel macchiato, etc.) alongside more specialty items like the blended frap.

Not knowing where to start, I decided to buy at least one hot and one cold beverage to cover both sides of the spectrum, while also purchasing a “monster cookie” courtesy of Kuipers Family Bakery ($2) to add something solid into the mix.

My order took probably less than two minutes to prepare, with both drinks being served in recyclable paper and plastic cups, respectively.

Taking my bounty to the library steps, I kicked off my Grey Ridge taste-testing adventure with the blended frap since the generous combination of coffee, milk, flavour shots and whipped cream was something I had already encountered through the occasional trip to Starbucks.

Aesthetically, the blended frap looks just as appealing as its big-league counterpart, although Grey Ridge’s version of the drink wasn’t as overwhelmingly sweet as I remember Starbucks’ frappuccino being.

Still, that doesn’t mean the blended frap lacked any of its own distinct personality, with the flavour shots of vanilla still shining through despite the large amount of whipped cream included on top.

Once the Carberry library opened its doors, I brought my Americano inside to give the piping hot beverage a closer inspection.

Having ordered this item with cream, the liquid had adopted an inviting golden brown colour that ended up being a fitting harbinger of its consistently rich taste.

Chatting with the Grey Ridge staff afterwards, I was surprised to discover that their Americano consisted of the usual hot water and espresso, since I was expecting an added secret ingredient that made the drink so appealing to a non-coffee drinker like myself.

I guess it also didn’t hurt that I had a large pastry on hand to further enhance the beverage’s flavour with the occasional dunk.

Overall, I was very impressed with my mobile Grey Ridge Coffee experience.

While the company’s fixed locations in Brandon (at both The Town Centre and Shoppers Mall) may have more food items in stock, the friendly truck-and-trailer crew still managed to provide some expertly crafted drinks on Wednesday that kept my energy high and my taste buds singing.

And even though this experience probably won’t turn me into a daily coffee drinker, I’m at least interested in running down the rest of the Grey Ridge’s menu in my off-time, even if it ends up screwing with my sleep schedule.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5

Grey Ridge Cafe’s mobile shop is scheduled to drop by a number of Westman communities over the next couple days, including Hamiota (today) and Shoal Lake (Friday). The food truck is usually open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., although these hours may vary.

Please visit the company’s official social media accounts (on Facebook or Instagram) for more information on the food truck’s week-to-week availability.

The Brandon Sun will be publishing a new food truck review every week until at least late August.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson