By Caroline Waterhouse | Broadcast Reporter
“I don’t think this little coffee place will be popular,” I told my mom as we stopped into Common Grounds at the end of my tour while first visiting Baylor.
Soon, this cute and rustic cafe would become my regular destination for my caffeine fix. One of my best friends and I solidified our love for “CG” together during the first weeks of freshman year as we bonded over the sweet sensation. I felt like a real college student, hanging out in a trendy cafe while studying and listening to indie music. The coffee house was right across from my freshman dorm, which made access way too easy. However, there was something not quite there.
After drinking the sweet, specialized drinks so often, I actually started to forget what real coffee tastes like. Yes, Common Grounds is real coffee, and it is so good, but it doesn’t have that strong, fresh in the morning coffee flavor. I love the drinks from Common Grounds, but I don’t smell the newly ground coffee beans or taste the flavors that signify the start of the day.
So what position was I in? When people talk about their favorite coffee on campus, do I say I’m a Starbucks girl or Common Grounds girl? I mean, I grew up loving Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s coffee, so I really don’t discriminate when it comes to the topic. However, it made me think.
I came to the realization that yes, Starbucks is my go-to if I want easy, good coffee, but if I want a little extra pep and flavor, Common Grounds is the way to go. My drink order at Starbucks: tall hot coffee with a little room for creamer; my go to for Common Grounds: a hot No Bull, or if I’m feeling like I never want to sleep again, the Nervous Breakdown.
If I were to ever take a Baylor edition Buzzfeed quiz that tells you what kind of Baylor coffee you are, what would I be?
Then I finally decided — I’m versatile, I’m diverse, I am a coffee connoisseur. Okay, maybe not that far, but I am pretty expansive when it comes to my love for coffee. If I want a little taste of home and a mini road trip, I go to Dunkin’ Donuts. If I am feeling some good coffee for super cheap, McDonald’s is the place to go. Even if I want that special hazelnut coffee from Au Bon Pain, I will head on over to the business school just for that.
I don’t have to pick sides. It isn’t Starbucks vs. Common Grounds, because honestly, if I am studying, I will get Common Grounds on my way to the library and because I am so studious and at the library so long, I will probably end up getting a Starbucks coffee a few hours later anyways.
Why pick a side when you can enjoy both?
