The Red and Black

Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Out & About

Media Credit: PHOTOS BY LESLEY ONSTOTT The various coffee establishments downtown offer unique atmospheres and perks to accompany a cup of joe on a cool fall day. [Click to enlarge]

Wake up and smell the coffee - or the tall, iced caramel macchiato, with skim milk, extra sauce, hold the whip.

With so many personalized java choices available, a cup of joe no longer expresses just a taste bud, but can be a glimpse into the drinker's lifestyle.

"Basically it comes down to the amount of caffeine and how healthy a drink is," said Justin "Night Train" Coates, a Jittery Joe's employee who has been serving coffee for more than a year and a half. "From that, you can see how the drink might fit the individual's personality."

If similar individuals order similar things, coffee stereotypes are born.

At Jittery Joe's, employees have renamed sugar-free, skinny lattes "Milledge Aves" in honor of the large number of sorority women who typically order the beverage.

Likewise, Coates categorizes the soy drinkers as "hip and above the curve" - or simply just lactose intolerant.

Cvetelina Hill, an Espresso Royale employee, said many soy drinkers tend to be vegans and thus their choice reflects their lifestyles.

Caffeine amounts are perhaps the most dominating factor in determining java personalities.

"The people who order a 'Shot in the Dark' were all studiers," Coates said.

However, for Connor McCarthy, Student Government Association president, Jittery Joe's "Cookies 'n' Cream Frosty Joe" is his caffeinated-weapon of choice.

"Last year I had two three-hour courses and would order two at a time to keep me awake," he said.

Local singer and songwriter Corey Smith drinks black coffee every morning to "clear the cobwebs out of my head," he said.

This order would fall under the category of a "manly-man" at Jittery Joe's, Coates said.

The "manly-man" orders regular coffee and nothing more complicated than a sugar or two.

But as with any stereotype, there are many who break the mold. Therefore, some Athens coffee employees don't acknowledge any coffee code.

"I don't think the coffee stereotypes are true," said Sean Paolino, a Starbucks employee. "I've seen the cutest, smallest girl order straight up black coffee when everyone would expect her to order a sweet drink."

This holds true for Kaki Read, a junior from Covington, La., who was fashionably dressed on Saturday afternoon at Starbucks. She said she typically orders a medium roast with soy milk and precisely one Splenda.

"I guess my drink order means I'm really frugal and plain, but if I could [base it on my personality], I probably would get something really sweet and more fun," she said.

Although judging customers by their preferred coffee creations is a hit-or-miss activity, Athens can't help but supply plenty of "Milledge Aves," "manly-mans" and vegans to keep the coffee stereotypes brewing.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools