Whether you’re a Starbucks loyalist or a member of the rebel alliance, the chances are pretty good that you’re a regular consumer of coffee. I, for one, am certainly doing my part to keep the coffee business going strong. Recently, a great local coffee bar opened here in downtown Spartanburg, and it’s become my semi-regular hangout of late thanks to free wireless Internet access, low prices, and the high probability that I’ll run into friends and acquaintances there. To be honest, I’ve been a lover of coffee for most of my life. Below I’ve listed a few reasons why.
- Motivation: Coffee pulls you out of bed in the morning and gets your day going. In my experience, the desire for that jolt of caffeine is a great antidote to procrastination. I don’t use an alarm clock, but I usually wake up at the same time--roughly 6:00 a.m.--every morning, and I attribute that to my coffee habit.
- Stimulation: The jury is still out as to whether or not coffee has long-term positive effects on cognition. However, it does seem clear from the available research that there are no significant negative results from drinking moderate amounts of coffee. (In fact, there are studies that indicate drinking coffee lessens your chances of suffering from type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.) Obviously, if you overdo it you’re going to become quite stressed out, which is not at all a good thing. Too much coffee can also interrupt your ability to get a good night sleep, which is never good. As a stimulant, though, coffee keeps me alert and helps me concentrate... up to a point. I’ve never found coffee effective as an means of staying awake and productive when my body is telling me it’s time to go to sleep.
- Variation: Wanting to have a cup of coffee doesn’t mean you’re going to get the same thing every time. I love the fact that there are many different ways to get your coffee fix. In addition to the standard drip coffee, you can prepare a cup using a French press, which results in a stronger, richer flavor. Of course, there’s also much you can do with espresso drinks, each having their own variations: an Americano, a latte, a cappuccino. When I’m not sticking to my own French press-brewed coffee I tend to gravitate towards Americanos, myself.
- Socialization: Many campuses feature an impressive coffeehouse (or two) that provides a nice location for faculty, staff, and students to congregate in a space that’s neither the classroom nor the office. The coffeehouse has a long tradition as a social and intellectual space that welcomes a diverse range of people with a diverse range of interests. Some schools have a coffeehouse (often indepenent) located conveniently right off campus. In my opinion, the ideal would be a coffeehouse in the library, with plenty of comfortable seating and large windows providing lots of natural light. I’ve had colleagues hold office hours in a coffeehouse. Some student groups I’ve been involved with have their weekly meetings in a coffeehouse. It’s a great place for the serendipitous encounter, the chance conversation, the unplanned short break from work.
This just in! From Postcards blogger Lawrence Biemiller: “A College Town’s Coffee Shop Seeks to Lead by Doing.”
How about you?
Are you a member of the “coffee generation”? Does your campus feature a nice coffeehouse? What are some of the things you love about coffee?
[Creative Commons-licensed flickr photo by Ballistick Coffee Boy]