Coffee is essential to starting off many people’s days right. The main driving force behind hyper aggressive morning people, trying to get through the day. I myself am an avid caffeine drinker whether it takes the form of a nice homemade coffee, a fresh yerba mate, or an energizing cup of matcha. Because of my love of caffeinated drinks, I decided to find my perfect basic coffee, sticking to a rating system of my own making. I started off with the overall presentation and taste, followed by the experience I had while enjoying the coffee, and lastly how it affected my day: jittery and anxious or nicely energised and motivated. I personally tend to get headaches and get really jittery when I have too much Caffeine, so this was a fun and interesting experience to test my caffeine limit.

Moody’s: Iced coffee

TASTE AND PRESENTATION: Very basic clear plastic cup, red straw, nice dark coffee color, plus it was so satisfying when the cream was was mixed into it. Overall taste was very good, it didn’t taste too watery and had a good coffee-to-ice ratio.
EXPERIENCE: I enjoyed this coffee sitting in a pretty sunny spot listening to some relaxing tunes. The wind rustled the trees gently and bees buzzed around the plant to my left. The coffee was nice and refreshing although sadly after a bit, the coffee gave me a headache, I ignored it and continued to enjoy my iced coffee.

OVERALL RATING: So after I finished my coffee, I was a little spun out throughout the rest of the day. My foot would not stop tapping, and I was so annoying that I was annoying myself, other than that It was a pretty good day. The overall coffee experience rating: 8/10.

Goodlife- Latte

TASTE AND PRESENTATION: Classic white 16 oz to-go cup, steaming hot and filled to the brim. The foamy top was spiraled nicely and smelled delicious. Overall taste: pretty good latte, not too bitter but still gave me the caffeine I needed to survive the rest of my Monday. It tasted light and wasn’t too milky, which seems to be an issue sometimes with lattes. The taste was good although I do think it could have been a little hotter when I got it.

EXPERIENCE: I got this coffee as part of my lunch on Monday and thoroughly enjoyed it and the warmth it provided as I walked around foggy mendo. I felt pretty good after drinking the coffee, I felt energized and didn’t get a headache.

OVERALL RATING: Overall rating: 9/10 pretty good definitely enjoyed myself and had a great day!

Headlands Coffeehouse- Cappuccino

TASTE AND PRESENTATION: The presentation was cute. It came in a little cup and had nice foam, nothing to special but it was simple. The overall taste was not the best; it was way too hot and extremely bitter even for a cappuccino. The foam was kind of cold compared to the burning hot coffee. I definitely burned my mouth and had a very confusing experience while drinking this. I didn’t end up finishing it as I sat in my car parked in front of the cafe. it gave me a bit of a headache and my tongue was quite burnt. After confiding in my friend Lily Semans about this experience, she said that they may have burnt the cappuccino. I don’t know if that’s possible, but it would make a lot of sense.

EXPERIENCE: I got this beverage after school on Wednesday and I ended up getting a Yerba Mate after this whole experience, being a little upset about my very burnt tongue. It was not the best experience for me, but I am withholding my judgements on the rest of their menu items until I someday try more options that are hopefully not burnt.

OVERALL RATING: I felt alright aside from the burnt tongue, but since I didn’t drink much of it, I didn’t really feel any of the effects of the caffeine from the cappuccino. Overall rating: 5/10, not a huge fan of burnt tongues or burnt coffee.

Harvest- French Roast

TASTE AND PRESENTATION: Presentation: normal, white cup, nothing special. I had quite an embarrassing experience figuring out if I had to pay before or after and felt kind of like an idiot. It tasted pretty good and was the perfect temp when I got it. It was pretty decent I really like french roast and I enjoy making my own at home sometimes.

EXPERIENCE: I had a nice experience drinking my coffee and walking back to school in the sun. Although my great day was interrupted when I got a text saying to please return to school asap.

OVERALL RATING: Pretty good, rating 8/10, definitely satisfied my caffeine craving.

Conducting this experiment forced me to come to some sort of conclusion about my relationship with coffee, and if it really is good for my physical and mental health. taking into consideration it seems to always give me headaches and extreme anxiety 50% of the time. I ended up coming to the conclusion that it is not the best for me but that’s probably not gonna stop me from consuming coffee and other caffeinated beverages on a regular basis.