A Closer Look Issue 8

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APRIL 11, 2018

A CLOSER LOOK

“COFFEE gives me enough energy to get through the day.”

“I need to have my

TEA.”

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APRIL 11, 2018

The Piedmont Highlander

A Closer Look

A

A morning cup of joe. A steaming blackness with a few bubbles on the surface.

A drink settled into a ceramic cup and saucer. A significant staple for the majority of American adults, since a 2018 study by the National Coffee Association found that the number of adults drinking coffee within the past day of the survey was 64 percent. However for today’s teenagers, some continue to drink this classic in its simple form, but for others it is replaced by pumpkin spice or cotton candy “coffee” drinks clogged with double shots of syrup and topped with whipped cream mountains.

Instead of black coffee, every day sophomore Julia Pappas drinks an iced coffee with half and half milk, a little sugar, and ice. Pappas said that her friends drink similar latte-type coffees as well.

“I don’t really know any people in my grade or my friends group that like hot coffee, like actual coffee,” Pappas said. “I think a lot of [teenagers] have the same taste in coffee.”

At the Piedmont landmark, Mulberry’s Market, students and teachers have multiple Mr. Espresso beverage options including regular coffee, decaf coffee, frappuccinos, and lattes. However, owner of Mulberry’s Market Chad Olcott said most high schoolers do not usually order black coffee.

“They are all ordering lattes, chai lattes, and if it is cold, a ton of hot chocolate,” Olcott said. “And when it is hot, they get those milk shakey things called frappuccinos. Very few of them ever say ‘I want a coffee.’”

The students buying the coffee beverages at Mulberry’s tend to be upperclassmen, Olcott said.

“I think it is something that you grow into,” Olcott said. “The freshmen are getting the hot chocolates. The lattes, from what I see, tend to be [for] the seniors and juniors, so they are closer to 17 or 18.”

When ordering coffee or making it on their own, some students still drink black coffee. They drink it for the same reasons as adults, to stay awake. Senior Kai Zimmer said he started drinking coffee every morning to help with his ADD. “It makes [me] more attentive and awake,” Zimmer said.

Although coffee helps Pappas not feel tired in class, she said it also causes her to overthink and feel anxious. Because of this, Pappas decided to give up drinking coffee for Lent. Pappas said that she will probably go back to drinking it afterwards, but she thinks it was good to take a break.

“I don’t think I am dependent on coffee at all because I can go without it,” Pappas said. “I definitely miss the taste, not as much how it made me feel.”

Similar to Pappas, English teacher and leadership advisor Mercedes Foster said the taste of coffee is a major reason why she continues to drink it.

“If suddenly coffee disappeared from my life, like my doctor said that ‘you can’t drink coffee anymore,’ I will be like ‘Oh I am going to miss that taste,’” Foster said.

Both Foster and Zimmer said that they get headaches if they stop drinking coffee for a day, which encourages them to keep drinking it.

“At this point I have been drinking coffee for so long that I get some pretty bad headaches [if I stop drinking coffee], which is pretty problematic,” Foster said.

For freshman Emma Broening, she said she drinks it to establish a morning routine to start her day rather than needing it to wake up.

“I would say it is not necessarily about the caffeine for me but more like making the coffee and then drinking it, having something warm to drink in the morning,” Broening said.

Every morning, Pappas, Broening, and Zimmer all drink coffee made by their parents at home because it is cheaper and more convenient.

“I hate that coffee can be like six dollars from Starbucks,” Pappas said. “I try not to spend more than like four dollars on coffee because it can really add up.”

If Pappas has time before school in the morning, she said she will instead get her coffee from Mulberry’s.

Olcott said that he sees students spend a lot of amount of money on coffee every day at Mulberry’s since the drinks they buy are expensive.

What’s in your cup of

JOE?

APRIL 11, 2018

A Closer Look

The Piedmont Highlander

Where do we get our coffee?*

27%

make it at home

25%

Starbucks

19%

Mulberry’s

12%

Peet’s

5%

Timeless

*Survey conducted the week of (). Percentages taken from 139 respondants and 267 responses

13% Other

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APRIL 11, 2018

The Piedmont Highlander

A Closer Look

continued from page 8

“By the time you buy a large frappuccino, you could be at five bucks,” Olcott said. “And that is a lot of money if you do that every day. It is interesting the amount of disposable income teenagers in this town, in this day and age, have.”

At Mulberry’s while most students buy the sugary coffee drinks, Olcott said that adults drink the traditional coffee beverages. “[Adults] are more conscious of those sweet things,” Olcott said.

In general, Foster said teachers tend to drink a lot of coffee or other caffeinated beverages like tea.

Social studies teacher Janine Sohn said she does not drink coffee because it is too bitter. Instead, she drinks caffeinated black tea every morning.

Since tea is a less common drink than coffee in the U.S., Sohn said that she faces certain challenges, like having to order her favorite tea online from Peet’s since it is not sold in stores.

“As a tea drinker, I am kind of on my own since the U.S. is very coffee dominant,” Sohn said. “I am often in the minority and sometimes that can be challenging.”

For students at PHS however, coffee drinkers are in the minority. Senior Charlotte Altieri does not drink coffee along with 57 percent of 307 students surveyed over the course of a week. Altieri said she has never drank it because she does not need it and does not like the taste.

“I never grew up drinking it, it was never a part of my life,” Altieri said. “I’ve never liked it and I’ve survived without it, so I figure why start drinking now?”

Since Altieri has never regularly drunk coffee, she cannot compare whether she feels less awake not drinking it over drinking it.

“I think it is hard to know if I feel tired because I am not drinking coffee, or just tired because I have never had the experience of being super caffeinated,” Altieri said.

Altieri said she does not know of many other non-coffee drinkers because they are less vocal than the coffee-drinkers.

“I have noticed that [coffee] is a really hot topic of conversation in high schoolers,” Altieri said. “I think for some reason a lot of us are really proud we drink coffee, like it makes us more adult somehow.”

Since Mulberry’s opened 10 years ago, high school students have increased their coffee consumption, Olcott said.

“I do not know what it is, whether more kids just drink coffee now or more of you know about [Mulberry’s Market],” Olcott said.

Because Mulberry’s is within walking distance to the high school, it makes it easy for students and teachers to go buy coffee and other drinks, Olcott said.

“High school students are a huge part of our business so we are grateful to you guys for coming,” Olcott said.

If students want coffee, they must buy it at Mulberry’s since PHS cannot sell it. According to chef M’Lisa Kelley, PHS cannot serve caffeinated drinks because it is against the USDA School Food Rules.

Broening said she would love it if food service sold coffee, however she is unsure about the negative effects of it being so convenient.

“I suppose that would increase my coffee intake, which I am not sure if that would be good,” Broening said. “But it would just be so nice to have it right there.”

For anyone, students and teachers, coffee drinking habits are very black and white, Broening said.

“Everyone I know either loves coffee or hates coffee,” Broening said. “They drink it regularly or they never drink it at all.”

What Caffeine Does to you

S

omeone rushes into a coffee shop on the way to work and orders a black coffee.

They get their drink, taste it, and cringe.

Yet, they keep drinking because they need the boost to wake themselves up. The next customer in line orders a tea. This customer continues a conversation with their friend, sipping peacefully and enjoying the tea’s taste.

These are just two of the many types of drinks that contain caffeine, and two of the instances in which caffeine is used in everyday life. No matter which form it is taken or under what circumstances, caffeine has many lasting effects on the human body.

“Caffeine causes vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels, which leads to cardiovascular issues including higher heart rate and blood pressure,” pediatrician Sarah Handelsman said. “It also blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, causing some cognitive responses - increased level of alertness, focus, some anxiety.”

On top of this, kids are more susceptible to the effects of caffeine as their brains are not fully developed, Handelsman said. “[Coffee] gives me enough energy to get through the day,” junior Sofia Ochoa said. “But it also makes me anxious.”

For most kids, especially students, caffeine is a quick way to get a boost of energy to get them through the day, Handelsman said.

“The majority of high school students get way less sleep than they need, which leads to difficulty focusing and staying awake,” Handelsman said.

EDITING AND DESIGN: Samantha Fanger Katherine Irving

Another consequence of drinking excessive amounts of caffeine is that it can be very addictive, Handelsman said.

“It is difficult to say whether caffeine is ‘addictive’ in a true medical sense,” Handelsman said. “But some people who have very high caffeine intake can become dependent on it.”

A few indications of addiction include developing tolerance over time, signs of withdrawal, and physical and social effects of the substance, Handelsman said.

Although caffeine may not be as addictive as other drugs, it is still a looming issue at PHS. Of 307 students surveyed, 12 said they either were or had at one point been addicted to caffeinated drinks.

Additionally, numerous students do not know the true effects of the caffeine they drink, senior Grant Keating said.

“I heard that [caffeine] stunted growth, so I waited until I was about done growing until I started to drink [caffeinated drinks],” Keating said.

A common consequence that students hear is that caffeine stunts growth, which is actually not true, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

No matter what consequences students may or may not know about caffeine, they should think about the reasons why they drink it, Handelsman said.

“The best thing kids can do is get more sleep and stay on a consistent sleep schedule to prevent the need for a substance to wake them up in the morning,” Handelsman said.

WRITING AND RESEARCH:

Clarissa Lam (staff writer) Owen Levinson (staff writer) Margo Rosenbaum (campus editor)