An early morning’s air is filled with the rich, yet soothingly-bitter scent of herbal nuttiness. Though the sun hasn’t fully risen to warm up the atmosphere, the pleasantly earthy and sweet taste of a not-too-hot brown brew with a creamy foam resting above your lips makes the body nice and toasty. 

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages of the 21st century. Coffee has been implanted and popularized by pop-culture. There are songs such as “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Death Bed (Coffee for your head)” by Powfu featuring Beebadoobee, and “The Coffee Song” by Frank Sinatra. There are alternative names for coffee such as “java,” “cup of joe,” “dirt,” and “mud,” while there is also slang that describes avid coffee enjoyers, including “coffeeholics,” “caffeineaholic,” and “java junkie.” Coffee has been a staple ingredient for tiramisu, flavored pudding, ice cream, and macarons. But most importantly, coffee serves as a source of caffeine for early birds and late-night owls. This grand culture surrounding coffee has granted it the global holiday on October 1: International Coffee Day.

It is without surprise to find students on school campus with a white-paper or clear-plastic cup with an iconically shaped lid and cardboard sleeve—usually branded by a green and white circle labeled “Starbucks” or “Panera.” Students such as Raquel Limon (12) get a taste of coffee on a daily basis.

“Sometimes I make my own and sometimes I buy some,” Limon said. “[I spend] five to seven dollars a day, 60 dollars a month.”

Though there are students who have various reasons from not liking the taste or being unable to handle the caffeine, many such as Alexis Klump (12) still opt for its substitutes.

“I can’t have caffeine, it makes me sick just extremely nauseous and stomach cramps,” Klump said. “[I drink] decaf coffee [and am] still trying to find a substitute for energy drinks, but those don’t seem to exist.”

And there are also students who flat out cannot drink caffeine.

“Any sort of caffeine, just makes my heart race,” Emily Lahip (12) said.

Being barista and store manager of Klatch Coffee located at The Shoppes, Marcelino Hernandez also describes coffee with high regard because of how it connects people.

“Coming here, it has definitely revived my sense of connection to community, where I feel a lot more connected to my customers because of the fact that they’re coming in, they’re sitting down, they’re enjoying their coffee and having conversations,” Hernandez said.

Aside from connecting people, Hernandez also describes coffee to be a precise art.

“I don’t think making any coffee is easy. Anyone can make coffee, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to turn out right or turn out good,” Hernandez said. “To be a good barista takes time and effort into putting it into your craft, and at the same time it takes passion as well, not just coming in and thinking that just by doing the bare minimum you’re going to get a good cup of coffee.” 

Though there is a specific skill needed for a good cup alongside the hefty workload—with some drinks such as cold brews requiring over 20 hours to brew beforehand— there is a satisfying reward.

“The fact that we work in the same chaos every single day, it creates this camaraderie between us where it’s almost, not to say that’s warfare, but the same type of camaraderie that happens between soldiers on the battlefield,” Hernandez said. “It’s fun being able to grind the beans, place them into your filter, having your kettle, being able to do the initial pour with your coffee beans, watching the coffee bloom, continuing the process, and then getting a nice beautiful cup of coffee at the end of it.”

However, coffee’s popularity is unable to bring attention to International Coffee Day, with very few students being aware of the holiday’s existence.

 “I was not aware [of the holiday], but now I am and I will be celebrating with a wonderful brown sugar ice shaken espresso,” Limon said.

Many coffee shops such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are giving offers in celebration of the holiday. Klatch is also offering deals for the entire week of International Coffee Day, so take advantage of these deals while they still last. Happy International Coffee Day!