Mike Shea's Coffee Roasting

Mike Shea's offers two cup sizes: small and XL. There is no medium. That is the kind of detail that tells you what kind of operation this is, because the housemade syrup lineup running through the latte menu is the whole point and the menu has been pared down to the things it does. The Banana Bread, the Peanut Butter Fluff, the Blueberry Yum Yum, the PB Mallo, the Purple Crush, and the Maple Cookie are the specialty flavored lattes that bring the South Shore in. Add a shot to the Purple Crush if you want it to read as coffee rather than dessert. The cappuccino is the move for anyone who wants to skip the syrup entirely and check the espresso on its own. The cold brew holds up. The shop itself is a small storefront in a Bridgewater industrial park, with tall stools along a picture window and a few cafe tables with comfy chairs. Reviewers call it cute, cozy, and a hole-in-the-wall, which is shorthand for limited seating. Plan accordingly during the morning rush. The roasting side of the business also distributes ground coffee to Market Basket and other South Shore grocery stores, so the bag in your kitchen and the latte in your hand can come from the same operation. The blueberry muffin, the cinnamon scone, and the apple turnover are the pastry standards worth trying alongside any of the flavored lattes. Two flaws to flag honestly: multiple reviewers comment on the pricing, and the lack of a medium size will frustrate anyone who finds a small too small and an XL too much coffee. Dogs are welcomed inside, which earns this place serious goodwill from the regulars who would rather not tie up outside. For South Shore drinkers chasing flavored specialty lattes from real housemade syrups, this is the destination. For minimalists, look elsewhere.