Whether adults in the workforce or students in college, coffee drinkers of all ages can feel the need for a caffeine increasing during stressful times.
With finals approaching for UA students, the dependence on coffee to get through the day may become especially high.
Students may notice their one cup of coffee each morning increasing to several cups throughout the day. On the other hand, students may also notice an increase in their serving size. Not only can students sense their coffee intake increasing, so can the businesses who are serving the coffee.
“With finals approaching, people stay at Starbucks studying all day right until the closing time at 8:30 p.m.,” said Deandra Jackson Caffrey, a senior majoring in chemistry and a barista for the Starbucks on Paul W. Bryant Drive. “We’ve also been selling a lot more hot coffee and cold brews.”
Jenai Richards, a junior majoring in communication studies, felt her coffee consumption increasing last week, and can feel it slowly increasing as finals week continues to get closer.
“It’s such a stressful time,” Richards said. “I definitely rely on coffee to keep me going. I especially rely on Heritage House’s Bama Blitz drink to keep me alert whenever I study there.”
Rebekah Wanstall, the owner of Heritage House, enjoys the business from UA students when finals are approaching.
“We love dead week and finals week because of the influx of UA students that we get at Heritage House,” Wanstall said. “The more the merrier.”
Monarch Espresso Bar Owner Audrey Vermilyea always knows when finals are approaching because of the rush of customers coming in and staying later into the night.
Holland Griffin, a sophomore majoring in nursing, drinks around two or three cups of coffee on a normal day, and up to five or six cups of coffee on a test day when she’s studying at Monarch, her favorite coffee shop. As a nursing major, Griffin is aware of the toll that too much coffee can have on her body.
“I usually study at Monarch Espresso Bar, and I always know when I’ve had too many cups of coffee because when it’s finally closing time and I’m ready to go to home, I find myself feeling tense and restless, so I’ve really started to try harder to monitor how many cups of coffee I drink each day,” Griffin said.
