Coffee has become an indispensable tool, like micropipettes and test tubes, for the upper echelons of academia. At some point, most of us have relied on coffee to stay awake and fill the energy gap needed to complete that manuscript, experiment, or final project. Paul Erdӧs, a prominent Hungarian mathematician once said “a mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.” It is said that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia when Kaldi, a goatherd, found that his goats were more active than normal after consuming cherry-red berries. Kaldi proceeded to consume the same cherry-red berries and discovered their energizing properties. Coffee became the drink we know today after people from Arabia started to roast coffee beans around A.D. 1000. From there, coffee consumption expanded along with the spread of Islam in North Africa and the Middle East, reaching Europe in 1615 through Venetian merchants. And the rest is history.

Coffee exerts its simulative effects through its active component caffeine. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid that acts as a central nervous system stimulant and is typically found in drinks such as tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and coffee. Moderate consumption of coffee, three to five cups, has been shown to have positive health effects such as decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and possibly cancer. No wonder 90% of adults in North America consume caffeine daily! In general, coffee is served without milk (Espresso, Americano, and Ristretto), with milk (Latte, Macchiato, Cappuccino) and with milk and chocolate (Mocha). Coffee can be bought pretty much anywhere: in a deli, a coffee house, restaurant, bar, etc. With so many options, finding the right place to get your caffeine fix can be a daunting task. Given this, I have taken the pleasure of sampling caffeine-containing drinks from the closest shops around campus and wrote a review for each. So next time you need that energy fix, you will now know where to go and what to order.

Weiss/CRC Café: The Cafés have been placed in strategically convenient locations on campus. If you are in a hurry and need that coffee asap to keep you awake—this is your place to go. Although the options are limited to flavored coffee and decaffeinated coffee, don’t underestimate these Cafés. The French vanilla and hazelnut flavors are quite delicious and can deliver a nice caffeine punch in the medium and large sized cups. The coffee from these two locations is almost always hot, which is a plus during the long winter months in NYC. However, if you are like me, I prefer to accompany my coffee with a small, sweet bite to complement the bitter flavor. The Cafés offer a nice variety of Crumbs-made sweets, which are not available otherwise near campus. My favorites are the black and white cookies and the cheese Danish. However, the pastries are quite large, so if you are really in a hurry, you can replace a meal with one of these pastries along with your coffee. Likewise, if you have a small stomach, you can take that special one with you in a coffee break and split that black and white cookie between the two. The Cafés also offer a good variety of teas and the Weiss Café has a good selection of candy if you are still not over Halloween.

Java Girl (66th Street and First Avenue): Located one block away from campus, this little coffee shop is a jewel of the Upper East Side. Reasonable prices and friendly baristas make this place very welcoming to any visitor. If you are looking to enjoy a nice cup of coffee without pressure or simply take a walk to reflect on your latest data set, this is your place to go. Java Girl offers a wide variety of caffeinated drinks—flavored coffee, tea, espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, etc. If you are a coffee aficionado, you will totally love this place. Their cappuccino is really delicious and their flavored coffees are truly amazing. Tea? You name it and they will have it. However, Java girl offers much more than just coffee drinks. You can buy coffee beans such as the Brazil Santos, Sumatra Mandheling Kasho, and Tip of the Andes by the pound. For the tea lovers, Java Girl also offers half pound bags of tea leaves such as the Russian Caravan, Mango, and China Yunnan. Even though Java Girl is a small shop, it offers inside seating if you want to sit down and write your next NIH grant, as well as outside seating for the summer time. Beware though, space is small so large groups may have difficulty finding a place to sit in this small shop.

Dunkin’ Donuts (66th Street and First Avenue): Walking into corporate America territory, Dunkin’ Donuts is located in front of Java Girl and although some may be quick to dismiss it, Dunkin’ Donuts has some unique offerings for us academics. If you are again in a hurry (is it me or are we always in a hurry?) and you are close to Dunkin’ Donuts, you should stop by and try some of their menu items. For breakfast, I recommend their English muffin with egg and ham, or their croissant sandwich with sausage, cheese, and egg. Both are exquisite and combined with a hot or cold coffee in the morning provides a good meal to start your day. Dunkin’ Donuts’ lunch menu also has good options and some of them below 500 calories for us who are health-conscious. For instance, the ham and cheese flatbread is only 310 calories, not counting the added calories from the coffee if you like yours with milk and sugar, and makes an excellent meal replacement. Furthermore, most donuts are also between 100 and 200 calories which makes them an acceptable snack once in a while to accompany your coffee with, but not as cute as the black and white cookie to share with your significant one. Dunkin’ Donuts has certainly expanded their menu to offer many choices besides caffeinated drinks, some of them healthy enough to enjoy on occasion if you are watching your waistline. If you happen to be around and in a hurry, I certainly welcome you to try some of their menu items with their coffee and I promise you will be delighted.

Starbucks (69th Street and First Avenue): This Starbucks is a busy hub for the tri-institutions, especially New York Presbyterian. Located one block from Weill Cornell Medical College, it is common to find hospital employees, nurses, doctors, and the occasional medical student studying for his/her USMLE Step 1 exam. Starbucks premier drinks, such as the Frappuccinos, are highly enjoyable during any day of the year. Even though it is constantly busy during the day, service is fast and this Starbucks delivers what it promises in terms of coffee. Don’t be fooled though, you can also expect to get other items such as yogurt, muffins, and even an occasional salad. However, I would stick with classic drinks and enjoy what this Starbucks has to offer.

I hope this quick and simple review will help you next time, my caffeine aficionados, in choosing wisely a shop for your next drink. Whether it is corporate or locally owned, coffee has many benefits to offer so I invite you to try the different specialties each shop has until your find your niche for coffee. Enjoy!