As a coffee fanatic and someone who has no self-control whatsoever, I frequent several coffee shops regularly. I have a few favorites, as every coffee lover does, and I wondered to myself the other day why I liked these shops above the rest.

Sure, the bean juice served is heavenly, but is that the only reason I go to specific stores more often than others?

The answer is a resounding no. Some shops have definitively unique characteristics that set them apart from the rest. So, with my expertise and ability to write articles with authority, here is my list of coffee shop necessities.

1. Awesome playlist

Have you ever sat in a coffee shop that was completely silent? Neither have I. Music is a requirement for any successful coffee shop. No one wants to sit silently in a booth awkwardly sipping his or her joe. Even couples or groups of people want that delightful background noise. I heavily suggest some awesome Italian jazz mixed with Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, as I believe Italian music and espresso is a match made in heaven; however, I have also enjoyed an alternative-inspired playlist or 80s rock.

2. Theme

Have you ever walked into a coffee shop with plain white walls and no decorations? If you have, you might have been in some messed-up horror movie because places like that just don't exist in this good caffeinated world. Half the reason I drag my exhausted body to some coffee clutch as opposed to making my own coffee is that it has some quirky aspect about it that makes drinking coffee in public somehow more enticing than drinking alone. Most that I've been to have just a general Italian-ish, old-time-y vibe to it, but some manage to stand out from the rest (like Lawrence's Java Break and their "Face Room" for example).

3. That One Thing

Going along with the theme, every shop has that "one thing" that distinguishes it from just being a coffee shop. One cannot simply just sell coffee because people can just stay home and make it. A store has to offer something else to entice customers. Whether it's a cereal bar (Java Break again), store-made cold brew (Lawrence's Alchemy), or even inventive drink names (I'm thinking specifically Aimee's Coffeehouse in Lawrence, but several others have this as well), shops need to have that extra oomph to be desirable. Some other ideas are a combo coffee shop and bookstore or a make-your-own pizza bar.

4. Ridiculously qualified staff

Let's face it: coffee is not that complicated; HOWEVER, I have gotten terrible coffee drinks from many a shop before. There is a right and wrong way to make a latte, trust my numerous years of barista experience and the fact that I'm obsessed with coffee. Addicts such as myself can argue for days that there are superior methods of steaming milk or that the type of espresso bean makes all the difference, but it all comes down to the hands that make the coffee itself. You don't need to impress me with fancy latte art or anything. Just make a drink with a wonderfully relatable attitude, and I'm a happy clam.

Good luck finding a coffee shop that fits all your caffeine needs!