Odyssey writers and friends Brynne and Ava decided to take on #NationalCoffeeDay by attending several coffee shops in their local area. Here's what they learned.
Like the true Gilmore Girls, best friends, and baristas we are, #NationalCoffeeDay holds a significant place in our hearts. In order to celebrate, we decided to take on the challenge of attending (and grabbing a drink) at seven of our favorite coffee shops on and around campus. Shaky hands and many laughs followed.
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Cups of Coffee: 1
First we went to McDonald's for the holy grail of iced coffee.
We had some breakfast too, we won't lie.
Brynne: I wasn't excited for this first stop just because it was 8 in the morning, aka way too early for me to be up and driving. But the hash browns I had were definitely worth waking up early.
Ava: I, on the other hand, was not as annoyed because going out for breakfast is one of my favorite things to do. I was annoyed by the fact that I forgot to use any of the coupons I had from my McDonalds app on this trip (yes, I have the McDonalds app and I highly recommend it).
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Cups of Coffee: 2
We both had to work at Brenen's Coffee Cafe, so this was taken after Brynne's shift at 2:30, The perfect time for an afternoon cup of joe.
Brynne: This was probably my favorite stop of the day, just because I was able to make the drinks for us and exactly the way we like them. Not to mention the whipped cream on top-- YUM.
Ava: Class and work was what created this unfortunate gap between #1 and #2, but I do agree with Brynne 100%. Shouts out to her for making my hazelnut vanilla soy latte just the way I like it.
Time: 3:45 pm
Cups of Coffee: 3
After work we went to our favorite study spot, Donkey Coffee. We were excited because of the fun mugs and the supremely flaky Apple Cinnamon Danish!
Brynne: We stayed at Donkey for awhile to do homework, which was nice because we had a lot of time to finish our coffees here. I would say three cups of coffee is normally how much I have in a day, but drinking three cups before 3 p.m. was a little odd.
Ava: We both just got black coffees at Donkey to contrast the sugary drinks we had at Brenen's. Both being fans of black coffee, plus the danish, plus the Christmas mug made this trip a 10/10.
Time: 6:15 p.m.
Cups of Coffee: 4
We couldn't imagine #NationalCoffeeDay without a trip to the motherland: Starbucks. But the only one near Ohio University is inside of the Athens' Kroger. Good thing we had to do some grocery shopping anyways!
Brynne: Sippin' and shoppin' was the phrase of the hour and I was really running out of steam by this point. I didn't want any latte or any drip coffee. But a challenge is a challenge!
Ava: It was on the drive to Kroger that I was starting to feel sick. Caffeine and dehydration was certainly the cause. I still powered through because like Brynne said: a challenge is a challenge. I treated myself to a decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte with almond milk, and I will not do it again. The almond overpowered the drink and I could barely taste any pumpkin. It was an utter tragedy.
Time: 7:25 p.m
Cups of Coffee: 5
Honesty Hour: Tim Horton's was on the way home from Kroger, so that's really the only reason we stopped.
Brynne: This was only my second trip ever to a Tim Hortons, and I can still say I wasn't that impressed. Although I am wishing I had gotten a doughnut, I was starting to get hungry by this point.
Ava: TIMMY HOS! IF ONLY MY BELLY COULD HAVE HANDLED AN ICED CAP!
Time: 8:30 p.m
Cups of Coffee: 6
Court Street Coffee is another locally owned Athens, OH tradition. Since it was getting later in the evening, we opted for some dessert-like frappes.
Brynne: I had been looking forward to going to Court Street Coffee all day. Any excuse to get a frappe was a happy occasion in my book. But, you can tell by the dead look in our eyes that we were getting sick of all of the caffeinated bonanza.
Ava: I noticed that they had a new praline latte and one of my favorite Starbucks holiday drinks is the Chestnut Praline Latte, so I decided to give it a shot. It wasn't half bad, but it might have been a little too sweet for me in the end, especially with it being so late and so many coffees already in my system.
Time: 11:45 p.m
Cups of Coffee: 7
Since most of the time the coffee we drink comes from our handy-dandy Keurig, we couldn't allow #NationalCoffeeDay to pass by without giving our Keurig some lovin'.
Brynne: I was exhausted, but the coffee smelled amazing. I'm a big promoter of Boston Creme Donut k-cups, and they did not disappoint.
Ava: Brynne really knows her k-cups. That Boston Creme Donut was amazing. I want to bottle that scent and sell it. I would make millions.
The Takeaway
Brynne: I really enjoyed spending the day looking for coffee instead of doing homework, but I couldn't fall asleep for such a long time. I didn't have any decaf, and that was a huge mistake. Also, I guess I could have drank a little more water throughout the day to prepare myself. 10/10 would recommend to fellow coffee lovers though!
Ava: One of my favorite memories of the semester so far. I got to spend the whole day hanging with my best friend and doing one of the things we love most: drinking coffee. I am disappointed though that only McDonalds actually had #NationalCoffeeDay specials and they're not even a coffee shop. Weird. All in all, it was a grand adventure that yes, could've used a little more water.
