Correction:

This story was updated to correct the spelling of Muggswigz Coffee.

Taste This: Vanilla Cloud — $6.90 at Muggswigz Coffee, located at 373 S. Main St. in downtown Akron. 

Creator: Anthony Nichols is the store operations manager and barista for the downtown Akron location. 

Eye test: Served in a ceramic mug, the drink arrives steaming, topped with a healthy dusting of fresh cinnamon. First glance flirts with hot chocolate energy. Creamy. Inviting; impossible to ignore. The white mug offers 20 ounces of a steaming cuppa of deliciousness. 

What makes this item special: Nichols describes the Vanilla Cloud as a crowd pleaser: A beautifully balanced blend of vanilla sweetness and coffee richness finished with just enough cinnamon to meet the crave; an excellent choice for tasting. He also considers it the ideal drink for a casual coffee consumer.

“Customers are going to remember a quality drink, quality service and a genuinely good experience.” he said with a pleased grin and a perfectly timed espresso pull.

Taste This

“Taste This” is our glimpse of the Akron area’s tastiest, distinctive and popular (or soon-to-be-famous) food, drinks and desserts — and the local culinary talents behind them. Tough job, we know. Know any menu items we should consider? Tell us here. 

Process: The process is a performance. Nichols blends homemade vanilla syrup, cinnamon, steamed milk (your choice) and two shots of espresso. The drink is topped with a cloud of whipped cream and a final flourish of cinnamon. Served with a smile.

Pairs with: House made whole wheat cinnamon rolls slathered with house made white icing are highly recommended.

Creator’s back story: Akron born and raised, Nichols attended Cuyahoga Falls High School and the University of Akron. Back then, his love of track and field took center stage. These days, he’s a marathoner — he ran his first race in Columbus last October and Cleveland is on deck in May.

Prior to joining Muggs

wigz, this Akronite wore many hats: server at BJ’s in Fairlawn; an internship with the Soap Box Derby; gigs with the Downtown Akron Partnership and Akron Community Internship Program, where he did PR and social media work.

The outside of Muggwigz Coffee and Tea Bar in downtown Akron is pictured on Jan. 9, 2026
The outside of Muggwigz Coffee and Tea Bar in downtown Akron is pictured on Jan. 9, 2026. The company was founded in 2003 by Alexander Haas and Morgan Haas. Its downtown Akron location opened in 2021. (Gary Estwick / Signal Akron)

While job hunting online, Nichols spotted a barista opening at Muggswigz. He figured, “Why not give it a shot?” Nichols has served at the Akron location since June 2025.  

Nichols is passionate about Akron and wants to see downtown thrive. He encourages residents and visitors to linger a little longer — grab a coffee, strike up a conversation, stroll Main Street, explore neighboring small businesses. 

“Let’s retire the ‘tired downtown’ myth,” he said. “The good stuff is right here.”

About the company: The company was founded in 2003 by Alexander Haas (master barista and president) and Morgan Haas (expert barista and Executive Communications Manager) in Canton. The downtown Akron location of the coffee and tea bar opened in June 2021.

How to buy: The Akron coffeehouse is open Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

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Patricia Sheahan is a professor, student teacher supervisor, installation artist, educational consultant for the integration of the arts across all disciplines and a freelance writer. Sheahan enjoys more than four decades of education experience at K-12 schools in New York and Pennsylvania and higher education at Seton Hill University, the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Penn State and most recently the University of Akron. Her favorite courses to teach are Social Justice Through the Arts, Ethics, Introduction to Critical Education, Classroom Management and Integrating the Arts K-12. Interests include visiting the Akron Art Museum, Akron Library, Civic Theatre, walking downtown to view murals and window light installations plus the stunning flower and plant arrangements, antiquing, especially from her own vendor space at The Brothers North Antiques in Medina. She also frequents Akron restaurants and local boutiques, travels and spends time with her family; a daughter and her newly blended family in North Canton, a son and his family in San Diego and a son in Dallas.