A crash course in coffee on campus
Duncan Day-Myron
By the time you’re done University, you will probably have made a new best friend. Your new friend will always be there for you during the hard times, when you’re up all night studying, when you’re feeling rough after a wild night out, when you’re walking frozen through campus in darkest January or when you’re bored between classes on campus. That new best friend is coffee. Even if you’ve never cared about coffee, drank coffee, or think you don’t like coffee, at some point in the next few years you will change your mind.
Fortunately, at Guelph you’re never too far from somewhere that sells coffee— if memory serves, there are no less than 17 vendors on campus that can give you a hot shot of black coffee when the urge strikes. For most people, convenience is the deciding factor: why leave MacKinnon when there’s a cafe on the first floor? But just going to wherever is the shortest walk from wherever you happen to be at the time isn’t always the best choice. As a veteran coffee drinker and former coffee shop employee with five years on Guelph campus under my belt, I feel expert in my opinion of campus coffee spots. I provide to you, new Guelphites, a few points for consideration on why I think these few coffee spots deserve your attention.
The Bullring:
Hands down, The Bullring has the best coffee on campus. Almost anyone who drinks coffee regularly and enjoys the drink for more than just caffeine will probably vouch for this. The Bullring, which also sells delicious food and has a great atmosphere (the CSA promotes it as ‘your on campus living room’ which is entirely appropriate), stocks Planet Bean coffee. Planet Bean is a coffee roastery located in Guelph who roast their beans in small batches to order, so what arrives at the Bullring is always freshest roasted beans you’ll find on campus. It shows in the final product, which has a more robust, cleaner taste. While I will load a Tim Hortons or Williams coffee with cream and sugar, Bullring coffee I can drink black. The only drawback of getting a coffee at the Bullring is the time it can take. The downside of having the best coffee (and some of the best food to go with it) on campus is that it’s very very popular, and showing up between classes can put you behind schedule, and it can be tough to find a seat, especially in the winter. Which brings us to our next spot.
Williams:
There are two Williams locations on campus, in the University Centre and in Maclaughlin Library, but I’m mostly thinking of the UC location. If you’re stopping at the library, Williams will mostly be one of those decisions of opportunity. The Williams in the UC has a lot of competition: the Daily Grind, Tim Hortons, Natural Earth, the Grad Lounge, and the Brass Taps. But it comes out a nose ahead of them for two reasons.
One is that it is usually the least busy location. You can usually stop by, pick up a coffee to go, and head to class, catch a bus or grab a seat without waiting in the same lines that the Daily Grind and Tim Hortons regularly attract. You also don’t have to deal with those awkward, unpredictable Tim Hortons quick-shot machines.
Second reason why Williams is great is the price. It’s the cheapest cup of coffee you’ll find on campus. While when you show up with a full meal plan in September, picking up a $4 latte seems like a great idea, when you’re running low on funds or only have a pocket full of change on you, it’s nice to know where is going to give you the most for the least.
The Daily Grind and Second Cup:
But sometimes you do want a little something special. The two central coffee spots on campus that go beyond black coffee are The Daily Grind (located in the University Centre) and Second Cup (located in the Science Complex). Both have a great selection of European coffees, a variety of teas, and other specialty drinks. The Daily Grind is usually a little busier than Second Cup, but its seating area is fantastic. Cafe seating in a bright room with big windows on one side, and a room full of couches and televisions on the other, with another couch-filled room just around the corner. Mid-afternoon naps, Glee viewing parties, and study sessions are not uncommon here. The Daily Grind brews Starbucks coffee and if you’re familiar with Starbucks, you’ll be familiar with most of their menu as well.
As mentioned, there are many coffee places on campus. So even if you consider these guidelines, try out other places at least once. Maybe you’ll like the convenience of grabbing coffee in your residence building, or maybe you’ll like the Grad Lounge’s patio, factors I didn’t even consider. Coffee will soon be an integral part of your life. Relish it!
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