Coffee & Treats in Tucson

You don’t win accolades and awards just for having the best smoothie flavors. The ingredients matter as well. That’s why the blender-operating staff at Xoom eschew the use of high-fructose corn syrup, added sugars, and ice cream in favor of natural, organic ingredients that satiate nutrient levels as well as taste buds. The smoothie menu focuses on 100% fruit juice, blended with organic milk, nutrient boosters, and energizing shots of espresso to ready your body for a fast-paced day of activity or telling the Kool-Aid Man you’re changing the locks on his favorite wall entrance to your house.

Floor-to-ceiling windows adorn the front wall of Sparkroot, showering light onto a small tree that sits at the center of a circular wooden table. This café space, lined with the work of local and international artists, aims to spark creativity with paintings, varied seating options, and a lofted area that takes advantage of the towering ceiling. Within these confines, tunes blast from a classic jukebox, harmonizing with the chatter of conversations and fingers typing on laptops.

Of course, customers don't watusi into Sparkroot just for the atmosphere, so the staff works to create a menu as innovative as the decor. Behind the counter, baristas brew espressos and lattes using Blue Bottle coffee, a small roaster that uses organic and pesticide-free, shade-grown beans. The drinks, which also include craft beers and wines, are complemented by housemade vegetarian meals, including pressed ciabatta sandwiches and crunchy granola.

The scents of baked desserts and warm brews waft through the interior of Something Sweet, emanating from the kitchen's oven, which churns out everything from brownies to cheesecakes to the aptly named "Oh My God, You've Got to be Kidding" éclair. These confections pair with a cast of specialty beverages including 20 hot teas and sodas imported direct from the carbonated mountain springs of Italy. The shop also whips up light café fare including soups, salads, sandwiches, and melts.

But Something Sweet isn't just a place to eat and invent geometry theorems. The staff invites patrons to stick around and play board games, read, or participate in events such as book exchanges. They also foster good-spirited competition with the Sugar OD Challenge, which invites participants to devour a mountain of brownies, cheesecake, and ice cream in hopes of winning immortality on the eatery's wall of fame.

Surely the world would be a better place if the potentially lethal gold in Olympic medals were replaced with festive-ribboned cookies. Today's Groupon gets you $20 worth of delectables from The Khaya Cookie Company's online store for $10. Like a munchy bobsledder in the heated comfort of your own living-room bobsled, you'll feel like a celebrated winner who has helped put this glorious nation one cookie further ahead of arch-rival Sweden in the rankings.

It was a fateful day that Campus Candy founder Mark Tarnofsky dropped his daughter off at Indiana University about four years ago. On a mission to track down a simple candy bar, the dutiful dad found himself roaming far afield until he finally landed at a distant drugstore. Convinced that college kids want candy within constant reach, Tarnofsky started his first store right there, and soon expanded to the schools in Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Each outlet sells more than 500 different types of candy, all of which may be repurposed as toppings on a rotating menu of frozen yogurt. By slinging bulk candy at a fixed price, Campus Candy stores make it easy for college kids to load up on diverse desserts without filling their schedules with bonbon-making classes.