My Life in Coffee – Otto Contest Entry

How specialty coffee has changed my life… By Christina S.

Recently, coffee has succeeded in saving my life. How might a hot liquid beverage be able to so profoundly influence or rescue an individual from said harm and danger? I answer, quite bitterly, with university final exams.

I am a 19-year-old commerce student at the University of Victoria. Before coming to university, coffee was of no interest to me. My parents drank it every morning… I just hadn’t grown into the taste yet. In the morning, I’d opt for a whipped cup of hot chocolate to get my day started.

In my first year, I slowly adjusted to the increasingly difficult workload that comes with the package of being a full-time student with a part-time job. I was looking for something to keep me going from an early morning to a late night. I found some great friends who had great work ethics, but they also came with something else – caffeine addictions.

I couldn’t figure it out… how my friends were managing great grades with such busy lives. As we spent more time together, I realized that their expensive coffee shop triple-shot latte additions might be aiding in this endeavor.

Needless to say, I began experimenting with my now chosen drug of choice, caffeine. Now, I’m not saying I was peer pressured or coerced in any way… but I was hooked! The intoxicating aroma of coffee began to seep into my senses and I couldn’t give up the chance to give it a shot. Not only does coffee give me the energy I need to get through a cram session, but it also makes me feel genuinely happy. I consider myself a very levelheaded, happy individual, but when I have caffeine in me, I have a whole new appreciation for the day!

I survived first year thanks to great friends, expensive textbooks, and a rather obscene amount of java (both coffee and the programming language). Now as I enter my third year, I no longer see coffee as a fuel for studying, but as a social beverage. I get to spend time with my friends at the local Victoria coffee shops… chatting as we gather around our favorite drinks of choice.

Now, I am excited to announce (Twitter anyone?), that I am moving in to my first real home here in Victoria. I am looking to christen my home with my first ever espresso machine so I can invite my friends over and impress them with my (soon to be developed) café barista talents. I dream of a home that I can call my very own, and that can also be a great place for my friends to spend time. You never know, by September I might have my own drive by coffee window in my condo… Who needs school anyways? ;)