Student coffee drinkers explain the appeal of America’s favorite warm beverage

Fitting in time for sleep is a challenge that students face daily. When dawn arrives to find that you haven’t received an adequate amount of rest the night before, many turn to the cure-all that is a steaming cup o’ joe.

Each school day morning finds senior Sara Adelson rolling into her local Starbucks with only one thing on her mind: Coffee.

“I drink multiple cups a day,” Adelson said. “I wake up each day feeling tired, like school is more of a chore rather than something to look forward to. Coffee is how I cope. My life without caffeine would be awful.”

Adelson isn’t alone in her need for caffeine. For junior Kaitlyn Bushfield, coffee is a crutch she relies upon constantly.

“On a day without coffee I am comparable to a wet rag laying on a dirty floor,” Bushfield said. Needing the extra boost that caffeine provides, Bushfield frequently makes a midday Starbucks run in order to last through a particularly rough day.

For Kwon, caffeine not only keeps her from dozing off, but she also finds that it increases her attention span.

“When I don’t have coffee […] I get faint. I legitimately can’t focus,” Kwon said.

She also finds that she is most attentive directly after waking up, which is when she gets most of her homework done. Unsurprisingly, a large part of her wakeup routine revolves around caffeine.

“The first thing I do [in the morning] is make four or five cups of coffee. I drink half of those before I leave the house,” Kwon said.

After the school day, she weathers the 3 p.m. slump by returning home to drink the remaining amount. The caffeine keeps her on task as she slogs through the day’s workload.

“Coffee is a necessity in order to finish my day,” Kwon said.

Unlike many of her peers, Kwon chooses to forgo the expensive trips to Starbucks. Preferring to save a penny, she takes the time to prepare her beverage of choice at home.

She finds the grinding of beans therapeutic, and looks forward to days when she can take the time to craft her own cup as opposed to making a trip to Starbucks. An avid drinker, she was originally attracted to coffee for the flavor but has grown dependent on it.

Kwon has a preference for espresso over brewed coffee. She said, “I drink my coffee black for health reasons.” Kwon realizes that if she were to take every cup with sugar and cream, the calories would begin to add up.

On the same note, Adelson is less concerned with the effect caffeine may have on her body and more with what accompanies her beverage. For this reason she advises that if you are in search of a beverage to perk up your day, shy away from flashy, caloric Starbucks drinks like their Fall favorite: the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

A 16-ounce grande weighing in at just under 400 calories, this drink more comparable to McDonald’s double cheeseburger than your average drip coffee. Next time you pop in for a quick treat at your neighborhood Starbucks, know what’s in your cup!

By: Jacob Greene