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news
Java
jolts keep students wide awake
By Adrienne Figueroa
On-line Forty-Niner
Jillian Grace,
a sophomore English literature major, stands at the counter
of the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the University Student
Union, eagerly waiting for the barista to call her name.
She watches the preparation of her favorite coffee drink,
an iced mocha with whipped cream, generously sprinkled with
powdered chocolate.
Normally, the 20-year-old finds herself ordering about one
cup of coffee a day. But with on-going finals, she anticipates
increasing her consumption to about three cups a day.
"Between my job and studying ... [I] have to," Grace
said.
As finals continue, sociology major Patrick Beltran expects
to encounter more late-night study sessions and more coffee.
His drink of choice is a triple espresso.
"It helps keep me alert," Beltran said. "It
has a lot of caffeine in it."
Like Grace and Beltran, many other students during finals
week will frequent on-campus and local coffee providers, seeking
to satisfy their caffeine cravings.
A cashier and coffee preparer at the Coffee Bean & Tea
Leaf, who prefers her name withheld, said she remembers the
busy environment during midterms.
"Toward the evening and the middle of the week, it was
pretty crowded," she said.
The coffee shop usually sees an increase in business between
8 and 11a.m., she said. During finals week, an increase in
sales is virtually inevitable.
"I can almost guarantee it," said the coffee shop
employee.
Although the company predicts a rise in the number of customers
at that time, an increase in coffee sales is more likely to
occur in the upper campus shops because more people walk through
that area, she added.
Sophomore mathematics major Josh Pardon, student adviser of
the convenience store located in the University Bookstore,
said the store is prepared to serve coffee in larger volumes
during finals.
Each day, employees keep three pots of coffee readily available
for students throughout the semester. During finals, the amount
of coffeepots is doubled to six, all of which are refilled
with the hot beverage about every two hours, Pardon said.
Refrigerated caffeine drinks have proven to be a favorite
to some students, but most prefer to purchase the campus-brewed
coffee, he added.
Figures involving the specific amount of coffee sold during
this period are unknown because the store's purchasing director
was unavailable for comment.
On-campus coffee providers will not be the only ones feeling
the effects of finals. Starbucks at the Marina Pacifica on
Pacific Coast Highway also plans to serve an influx of Cal
State Long Beach students, said one coffee barista, who had
to remain anonymous due to company policy.
Other than Thanksgiving, Christmas or the weekend of a new
release at the movie theater next door, finals week is typically
a busy time for the coffee shop, he said.
"Usually a couple days before finals -- that's when we
get hit," he said.
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Adrienne
Figueroa/On-line Forty-Niner
Senior fashion merchandising major Mari Hara
enjoys coffee with friends outside the University Student
Union.
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