Coffee preferences catalyze debate

Math+teacher+Madison+Averill+drinks+coffee+in+her+classroom.+Preferences+in+coffee+can+range+from+pre-made+coffees+to+K-cups.

Photo by Hannah Rah

Math teacher Madison Averill drinks coffee in her classroom. Preferences in coffee can range from pre-made coffees to K-cups.

Espressos, Americanos and cappuccinos are among the most popular coffee types around the world, but most often, people don’t have the time or the resources needed to make those premium cups of coffee at home. In those situations, how do people drink one of the most consumed beverages in the world and how do they like it prepared?

Coffees are consumed in a multitude of ways: straight black coffee, with milk and sugar and with additions such as creamers or drizzles. But not everyone enjoys the same thing, leading people to enjoy the vast variety of options or fiercely defend one side of the spectrum.

I like the taste of coffee but I try to make it less bitter with other flavors.

— Giselle Kleinbussink

Math teacher and baseball coach Jon David Marchand is a strong believer in drinking straight black coffee from “Casa de Marchand,” with the occasional flavored drink if he’s in a dessert kind of mood. But most of the time, he sticks to pure black coffee as his coffee-mantra is, “[The] darker, [the] stronger the better.” Senior Giselle Kleinbussink is the opposite: she dislikes straight black coffee and coffee with just milk and sugar. Her go-to is anything with caramel flavoring, whether it be from her primary spot, Dunkin Donuts or from her caramel macchiato creamer at home. Even though she only drinks flavored coffee Kleinbussink said, “I like the taste of coffee but I try to make it less bitter with other flavors.”

Technology teacher and interim Poms coach Lindsay Roberts is a mixture of the two: she’ll drink straight black coffee if she needs to, but primarily drinks iced coffee with cream made from home. On the occasion Roberts is out of the house, she gets an iced espresso from Starbucks. Out of all of the different coffee types out there from lattes to cappuccinos, Roberts said, “I will drink literally any of [those].”

Coffee from blends or roasts isn’t the only option, with pre-made coffees being easily accessible in grocery stores. Marchand has never bought or consumed a cold brew or pre-made coffee; Kleinbussink doesn’t enjoy them very much; and Roberts dislikes most, but said, “[They’re] usually too sugary; but Stok Not Too Sweet Black Cold Brew is pretty good.”

Another option is to make coffee from pods or K-Cups which can come in normal blends, flavored blends or even teas. Roberts uses K-Cups frequently but dislikes the flavoured blends. Kleinbussink hasn’t tried K-Cup machines as she doesn’t want to be wasteful. Marchand said, “[K-Cups are] usually not strong enough and [they are] too plasticy.”

Another point of contention is the frequency of consumption and what time of day coffee should be consumed. Kleinbussink, Marchand and Roberts all drink it daily; Kleinbussink had a period of a couple months where she would consume coffee daily; Roberts started consuming coffee daily when she started teaching. Marchand started his daily consumption of coffee when he was a senior in college doing his teaching training. All three prefer to drink it in the mornings, Marchand said, “If I drink it too late, it interferes with my sleep…I drink enough of it in the mornings.”