Real nice coffee cafe in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY. Food and specialty coffee was excellent. Good service, very friendly and cooperative.

The.Best.Chai.Anywhere. !!!!!!!! having given up on ordering chai out anymore (after the last undrinkable, unfixable one at Villa Italia in Schen) - I thought, "ok, one more try" and I am so glad I did ! I have been back several times since, every time I am in SS for my Chai Fix. They told me to ask for a shot of Vanilla Syrup for the sweetness, not too much ! It sweetens the chai 'just enough' and rounds out the spice notes. SCT is the only establishment to make their chai from scratch and it shows ! So far, I have not tried anything else there, I am usually in a time crunch or have a shelter dog with me (for adoption) so I can't linger long. Nice place out front to people watch on a nice day though !

I enjoy that they sell strong coffee drinks, nothing watery like chain coffeehouses. Its a great place to find fresh, organic, fair trade coffee. The baristas are very friendly and will chat you up.

The coffee shop scene in Saratoga Springs is quite competitive - so I try to go for the local independents. The size of this place can get frustrating if there are more than 5 people at the register - so that's a turn off (if I see that when i walk in, I know to leave). Service is always kind, however normally it is either a college kid or someone in early twenties and some move fast, others move slow - so again you never know what to expect or when you will get out of there. I'm a "get a coffee and go" guy so that's why this place gets frustrating. The niche they have is "organic" - they base their theme around it and it kind of works. The coffee is good. The selection is good. The food is good (which also carries an organic theme) and you get a well named brand popcorn as a side w/ sandwiches - which i love and think they differentiate well because of this. The problem is getting food - its a small place and if you get a slow worker - it will take awhile. They have 1/3 of the place as a candy shop and I don't understand why they don't keep their core focus and extend that as the coffee shop for more kitchen and coffee prep work - to make things faster. Overall I would recommend, but note its small, food can take awhile, and pricing is considered high.

SCT reminds me of an old place in Saratoga called Madeline's. Its a quaint and small establishment run by two young men, with a great staff, fantastic food, and homemade muffins, cookies, scones, and more. They offer a large variety of fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee and teas!! Not only are they environmentally conscience, they have a menu that can satisfy meat eaters and vegetarians alike! Durning the winter time, they re-arrange the shop to add warmth and a coziness not found anywhere esle. Combine all of this with some of the lowest prices on food in Saratoga and you can't go wrong!

I don't know why people complain about the price of the coffee, I guess ignorance is bliss. Fair trade is the tip off people, THEY CARE where their money goes, unlike places like Starbucks, Virgils, Uncommon Grounds, and Seatlle's Best. Besides, its worth the money because the coffee is just that good! Recently, they have reduced the price of a 16oz coffee if you can sport 4 bucks for a mug! Its amazing, one dollar for 16oz of Fair Trade, Organic Coffee..its like stealing!!

Combine all of that with a large old fashioned candy store in the back, and you have the best little secret in Saratoga! Set the trend people, go visit this place!!!