After sipping lots of lattes and munching on millions of muffins, the most important choice I will be making during midterms is where to get coffee. To find the best caffeine havens, I visted NEAT Espresso Bar, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Westport Library Café, Terrain and Steam Coffee Bar. The cafes listed below are the top three, as determined by a rating scale of one to five in four different categories: Quality, Caffeine Level/Buzz, Atmosphere, and Expense.
Steam Coffee Bar
Quality: 5
Caffeine Level/Buzz: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Expense: $$$
Overall: 3.5
Most students probably haven’t heard of Steam Coffee Bar. Located inside the Westport Train Station, Steam is like that last sip of thick chocolate at the bottom of a Mocha; hidden, but when finally found, a beautiful moment in one’s coffee-drinking career.
This coffee shop is decorated with vintage accents, and almost all products are locally made or homemade in the shop.
My latte was smooth and rounded, with not even a hint of bitterness, which is a true fete for espresso considering usually it has such a sharp edge.
Even the foam was the perfect combination of airiness and silkiness.
Plus, I’ll admit, Steam’s Nutella Latte far surpasses Westport Library Café’s, and a little café change-up never hurt anybody.
Dunkin’ Donuts
Quality: 2
Caffeine Level/Buzz: 5
Atmosphere: 1
Expense: $
Overall: 2.5
Dunkin’ Donuts, or “Dunkin’ Danks,” as Alex Uman ’16 calls it, has only one redeeming quality: the caffeine buzz you undeniably get from a large iced caramel mocha latte. The combination of over-sugared and over-caffeinated components can give someone enough energy to run a marathon. “Their French Vanilla Latte will definitely get me through midterms,” Katie Lee Sullivan ’16 said.
Other than that, Dunkin’ Donuts’ characteristics are unimpressive: a disorganized staff, bad atmosphere and low quality coffee.
Westport Library Café
Quality: 3
Caffeine Level/Buzz: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Expense: $$
Overall: 3.5
Whether students are finishing calculus packets or just can’t review for an English midterm any more, the Café is a perfect break.
Claire Sampson ’15 is a student who uses the Café, saying that she “usually gets a latte because in general lattes are the best way to drink coffee.” However, Sampson also enjoys the Nutella Latte “if you want something sweeter.”
The Westport Public Library scored very high for atmosphere due to it’s convenience.
The library will be packed with students during midterms week, as having a place to caffeinate right where everyone is studying is invaluable.
