For many Union College students, making a quick trip to the Starbucks coffee kiosk in the Wold Center is a staple in their day. Whether it be before that dreaded 8 a.m. class or a midday caffeine fix, it’s no secret that many students love their coffee. Having developed a routine in order to cure those caffeine blues, students may be in for a surprise when they travel abroad.
What students might not be prepared for when they leave the U.S. is a considerable shift in their familiar “caffeine culture,” just as Stacey Berger ‘13 and Jessica Doran ‘13 have experienced in their respective European nations.
“The Irish mainly drink tea here, so that’s what I have been drinking,” says Berger, who is currently studying abroad at the National University of Ireland. Drinking tea for the Irish isn’t merely a way to get that small perk in energy, but a way to socialize with one another. “I live with three Irish students and they sit around the table and drink tea about twice a day,” she said.
Doran, who is currently located in York, England at York St. John University, said, “they have ‘American coffee’ which is like our coffee, and then they have lattes and cappuccinos as well,“But they mostly drink tea here.”
Berger also admitted to the lesser quality of coffee abroad: “I’ve only had one cup [of coffee] here so far; it was an Americano, and I didn’t like it. I think it’s supposed to be a good cup of coffee, but I don’t think it compares to Starbucks.”
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