College Coffee and Donuts adds a sweet kick to the college students’ taste buds. The shop is located on Mount Vernon Avenue just a short drive away from the Bakersfield College campus. While the shop has typical doughnuts — rows of chocolate bars, maple bars and glazed — this shop also sells some of the newer and trendier doughnuts as well.

Customers can purchase one of several types of the New York-based croissant donut, also known as the cronut. College Coffee and Donuts sells cronuts filled with apple or cream cheese but also has regular unstuffed cronuts as well. Along with cronuts, the shop also offers the very tasty maple bacon bar.

The bacon doughnut has minced pieces of bacon atop a traditional maple bar and provides customers with a sweet and salty doughnut. The bacon is perfectly crispy, and isn’t burnt or chewy. The doughnut is also very soft, even at 5 p.m. The maple topping of the doughnut isn’t too overwhelmingly sweet, and it works well with the bacon.

College Coffee and Donuts serves a better maple bacon doughnut than that of another hometown competitor, Sugar Twist. The maple bacon bar at College Coffee and Donuts doesn’t have extra glaze on the bottom of the doughnut. The only sweetness comes from the maple topping, which works well because customers don’t have to worry about sticky fingers while eating the sweet treat.

While the maple bacon bar shines at this establishment, traditionalists can enjoy a classic doughnut here as well. The original glazed doughnut is also sweetened to perfection and is soft and fluffy. The doughnut doesn’t have too much glaze and is a great size for a quick and indulgent snack.

One of the less successful doughnuts served at the shop is the raspberry-filled, jelly doughnut. The glaze on this doughnut is spread with a very heavy hand and leaves teeth in pain from the overwhelming amount of sugar. Then, the raspberry filling is tucked away too deep into the doughnut, leaving customers with an overly glazed hunk of dough. Thankfully, the raspberry filling saves this otherwise mediocre doughnut.

The doughnut is stuffed with filling and the raspberry is sweet and delicious. This doughnut would be much more successful if the filling were spread more evenly within the doughnut. The copious amount of glaze is entirely unnecessary, and the doughnut would taste perfect with just the raspberry filling.

While jelly doughnuts may not be for everyone, chocolate-lovers rejoice because the chocolate bar is well-executed. There is just the right amount of chocolate on the bar and the doughnut isn’t overly sweet. The bars at this shop are a good size so customers don’t have to feel guilty if they eat the whole thing. The chocolate topping is crunchy and melts in your mouth. Overall, the chocolate bar is a great classic doughnut that is created successfully at this shop. Fans of Fosters Donuts can enjoy the great doughnuts at this establishment as well and find happiness at this mom and pop shop.

Although coffee is in the title of this shop, buyers beware, the caffeine available at this store is entirely underwhelming. The store has a huge selection of flavored espresso beverages, but the espresso falls short. The mocha is tasty as a hot chocolate but the espresso is very weak and doesn’t provide that afternoon kick for those late BC classes. Students are better off with a generic drink from Starbucks down the road or an overpriced Monster beverage on campus.

While the caffeinated beverages at this establishment aren’t the best, the doughnuts are so tasty that a nice glass of milk will work as a fine replacement. For students looking for a doughy treat, College Coffee and Donuts is the destination for tasty baked goods, but be advised, get caffeinated elsewhere.