We won't rest until we find the perfect coffee, or until our caffeine kick expires. That cup of perfection is yet to be found, but we endeavor on, tirelessly seeking the ideal coffee for each circumstantial craving.
Morning, afternoon and night are basically the only times we crave caffeine. Our alertness levels run opposite to time of day. Morning — we're dying as the day awakes. Evening — we're waking up as the sun falls asleep.
Still though, what we want is coffee; and we have it worked to a science why we want it at different times of day. We've found which brews out there cater our calling for taste, potency and convenience.
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Morning is the time for the first caffeine hit of the day. Consumption of a potent brew is essential before talking to your roommate, going to class, or thinking rationally. In this pressing situation, accessibility is crucial. This is the time to stop at the HUB-Robeson Center's Higher Grounds, the diva of campus coffee shops.
Its intoxicating cup of Starbuck's coffee is slightly tasteless but incredibly caffeinated. Forego the fixings for the full effect. But if you want an enjoyable jolt, enhance the flavor with cream and sugar, which you may need to cool down Higher Grounds' infamously mouth-numbing beverage.
Higher Grounds serves up its super-concentrated sludge in handy, but earth unfriendly, Styrofoam cups. After you make your way through the line, hike to class with an energy infusion in your hand and by the time of your arrival, you'll be revved up for a lovely day of learning, with only a few caffeine stops along the way.
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The waning afternoon hours taunt us with their wearisome disruptions of studying, socializing and sleeping. We need coffee shops that allow us to satisfy our caffeine cravings while providing appropriate ambiences to accomplish our activities.
Webster's Bookstore Café, 128 S. Allen St., serves up a cup of coffee as mellow as its atmosphere. The house blend is a divine fusion of alluringly strong potency and extraordinarily rich taste. Doled out in a tall glass mugs, the coffee is cool enough to gulp in a hurry, but hot enough to savor while you study.
As well as being delicious, Webster's java is inexpensive. Refills go for only a fraction of the original price, a convenience intended for patrons whose caffeine meters are hovering above the empty line. Weather permitting, coffee can be sipped outside while you watch South Allen Street's people parades. But we recommend enjoying serene tunes, quiet chatter and the musty aroma of used books that waft through Webster's.
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Sober insomnia is rarely self-imposed with the exception of finals week. While we don't condone cramming for exams, we do recommend a pair of places to find a cheap cup at a late hour: Smoke-N-Joes, 128 Locust Lane, and any Uni-mart.
"Pick your vice," a catchy and fitting slogan for "Smoke-N-Joes," an establishment that sells only legal stimulants. Ashtrays and coasters on their coffee tables welcome the cravings of those suffering through a nic-fit or java trip. Smoke-N-Joes' coffee selection rotates daily and each kind is served steaming hot, not burning hot.
Late night bookworms of Smoke-N-Joes find the soft lighting and Freedom Jazz Quintet as comfortable contrasts to the other side of their bar wall, where heavy metal caters to the stumbling drunks feed their own cravings at College Pizza, 128 Locust Lane. Midnight is the latest you can grab a jab of java at Smoke-N-Joe's — after that an easily accessible alternative is available in many locations.
Within the confines of State College's Borough, the awnings of seven Uni-Marts glow into morning's first few hours. The best way to describe their coffee parallels the their angle of selling it — convenient. To avoid the "blah" of drinking lukewarm black coffee, a rainbow of flavored creamers and sugar substitutes are arranged next to the several quarter-full thermoses of joe. The caffeine punch is moderately weak but it's enough to keep your thoughts adrift from sleep.
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Our choices are from a list of numerous coffee outlets in the downtown area; finding an energy plug is usually one block away. Other coffee stops worth mentioning are Saint's Café, 123 W. Beaver, The Daily Grind, 107 E. Beaver Ave., and Panera Bread, 148 S. Allen St. Each has distinctive and delightful coffee, as well as peaceful atmospheres to enjoy your joe.
Bouncing back and forth between coffee joints takes its toll on us; we'll just drink more coffee to kick us back into an awakened state. Until that cup is come upon, we'll keep searching, taking coffee breaks in between hopping around town.
