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Rachel Grant — THE BATTALION

As Aggies increase studying time, coffee consumption increases on A&M campus By Kylee Reid @CoastalAg

inals week is the busiest time of the year not only for students, but for the three Chartwells Starbucks locations on campus — generating the most revenue of any college campus in the nation for the coffee giant. With finals about to begin, Texas A&M University students are approaching the final stretch of the semester. From meeting

deadlines to preparing for tests, more and more students are trading the campus libraries and everyday study tools for coffee mugs and campus coffee shops. Ben Walters, assistant director of dining services at Chartwells, said he has seen a sharp increase in caffeine consumption on campus recently. “[Students are] drinking more coffee,” Walters said. “We’re seeing more of, ‘I’ll have drip coffee with shots of espresso’ or, ‘Iced coffee with espresso in it.’ We’re constantly having people ask us how to get more caffeine.” Walters, who is based out of the Hullabaloo Starbucks, said the sales of the three A&M Starbucks locations — Hullabaloo, Evans and the Quad — are some of the busiest campus shops in the country.

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“At the Hullabaloo location we do about 700 transactions a day,” Walters said. “At Starbucks Evans, they do close to 2,000 and the Corps store being close to 1,000.” According to Chartwells representative Courtney Bryant, all the campus locations combined go through an average of 119 gallons of coffee a day. Breaking down the coffee consumption, that number is equivalent to 15,232 ounces or 1,270 cups of tall-sized — 12 ounces — coffee sold. Meghan Windham, Student Health Services dietitian, recommended a daily maximum of 400 mg of coffee consumed per person. “Research and data show that drinking no more than 400 COFFEE ON PG. 3

INTERNATIONAL Originally from Mongolia, Buyandelger Davaajanstan studies international affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

Kevin Chou — THE BATTALION

Josh McCormack — THE BATTALION

Bryan resident Ed Davis is the owner of Ed’s Bookshop, a store which sells books that Davis has been collecting with his wife, Melissa, for his entire life.

A lifetime of collecting Owner of Ed’s Bookshop reflects on passion turned into business By Alice Corcoran @AliceJ_Corcoran Ed Davis and his wife Melissa have been collecting books all their lives. Now, they sell them. Ed’s Bookshop, which sits on Main Street in Downtown Bryan, celebrated its first anniversary Nov. 15. Davis and his wife opened the store after they decided to retire from teaching. Davis taught eighth grade U.S. history and his wife taught Spanish at Blinn College in College Station. “We retired at the same time and started this endeavor and started getting other

books,” Davis said. “Most people think we just brought our books from the house here but no, those are our books. We started getting books that we would buy if we were looking for books. So we built the cabinets and put the books in and the rest is history, as they say.” Ed’s Bookshop offers a rare book collection for those seeking older books or signed editions. The collection’s oldest book dates back to 1745 and includes books signed by authors like Ray Bradbury, Michael Crichton, Stephen King and former president Lyndon Johnson. But the collection Davis is most proud of is his Texas History collection. “I had to go back and revisit Texas history and I’d forgotten what a great story it BOOKSTORE ON PG. 2

FROM MONGOLIA TO AGGIELAND

Graduate student Buyandelger Davaajanstan shares journey By Jamin Goecker Contributing Writer @Jamin_Goecker

Some people know they will don maroon and attend Texas A&M from a young age. Some travel a few hours from home, some from the corners of Texas, some from across the country. Others, like graduate student Buyandelger Davaajanstan, venture from Mongolia to attend school in Aggieland. Davaajantsan, or “Buya,” studies international affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. Professor Joshua Shifrinson, one of Davaajantsan’s instructors,

said he brings his unique perspective to the classroom. “For my students, it is good to have a reminder that the United States is a part of a much broader conversation with the rest of the world,” Shifrinson said. “Mr. Buya can speak to that from his perspective.” Davaajantsan said he sees similarities between Mongolia and College Station — they both have young populations, but Mongolians largely do not have the means to pursue their dreams. “Us Aggies are in a privileged position to use all these resources in College Station to achieve our goals,” Davaajantsan said. This perspective stems from Davaajantsan’s upbringing in Mongolia. He describes it as a DAVAAJANSTAN ON PG. 2

Locally brewed, hugely enjoyed

Blackwater Draw brews their seasonal beers in house at their Northgate location on Boyett and their six year-round beers at their Bryan brewery on North Main.

Craft beer enthusiasts encourage support of local craft breweries By Ana Sevilla @AnaVSevilla

Leah Kappayil — THE BATTALION

Don Gilman, Class of 1984, was attending his usual meeting with the Texas Aggie Brewing Club, or TABC, when two young, new attendees joined. Curious about their palettes, Gilman learned the new members were most fond of “ice cold” beers like Bud Lite and Coors — “The Big Bland,” as Gilman likes to call them. Gilman decided to conduct an experiment. Using an Imperial Stout, a dark beer that uses roasted malt or barley and hops, Gilman served the same beer twice to everyone, once cold and then at

room temperature. “The first taste was, ‘Wow’ for [the new members], but the second time I served it, I waited 45 minutes and the beer was at the perfect temperature. I poured another round, and told them, ‘Try this,’” Gilman said. “They were just shocked. They were smacking their lips and asked, ‘What beer is this?’ I told them it was the exact same beer, served at the correct temperature. Those guys have never gone back.” Gilman isn’t the only Bryan-College Station resident with a particular appreciation for craft beer. A growing number of craft beer drinkers has led to the growth of local craft breweries like Blackwater Draw. Chris Steel, Class of 2000 and co-founder of BWD, said the brewpub has seen a lot of growth since its doors opened in 2013, expanding BREWERY ON PG. 3