In high school, I was a very occasional coffee drinker. If I felt like grabbing a cup before my morning class, I would, but it definitely was not vital to surviving the day. Then I came to college and realized, like many others, that caffeine is essential to getting through days that just never end when you’re a full-time student.
During my first semester of college, I spent all my bonus bucks (yep, had to ask mom and dad for more) because I needed coffee every day. When I came home after my first semester and my parents realized how much of a caffeine addict I’d become, they decided to bless me with the best Christmas gift ever – a Keurig Mini. I was immediately pumped because this meant I would able to make coffee in my dorm room 24/7.
During my second semester, I’ve realized that there are many benefits to having a coffee brewer in your room. Here’s just a few:
1. It saves you money
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Honestly, buying coffee from our cafe that serves Starbucks products is pretty pricey. I would spend almost $3 every time I wanted a medium iced coffee. As a broke college student, I realized this just wasn’t worth it.
The K-Cups that I use for my Keurig are much less expensive. Of course, there is the initial cost of buying a Keurig brewer, but in the long run, you’ll definitely save money. Depending on where you buy K-Cups, you’ll only be spending about $1 per cup of coffee, which is a much better deal. Being a caffeine addict shouldn’t take a hit on your wallet.
2. Coffee is always available
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Relying on campus cafes to get your coffee fix means relying on their business hours as well. The one closest to my dorm closes at around 10 pm on weekdays, which doesn’t help when I’m up all night studying. Being able to make coffee in your dorm room means you can fuel your cram sessions and all-nighters with no trouble.
3. It’s super fast
Photo by Devon Tyler
Having a Keurig in your dorm means that at any given moment, you could be about 2 minutes away from enjoying a cup of coffee. That’s honestly how long it takes to brew. On mornings when I have that 9 am class, I need coffee immediately, and my Keurig doesn’t keep me waiting. This is also a perfect solution to avoid waiting in line with everyone else who’s getting their morning caffeine fix. Making your own coffee is a major time saver.
4. There are so many coffee flavors
Photo by Alexa Gambero
As much as I love our Starbucks cafe, they offer the same three kinds of coffee every day. Using K-Cups is a great way to experiment with different brews and flavors of coffee to see which ones you like best. I’ve tried really fun flavors like cinnamon vanilla nut, mocha slide, and gingerbread. You can even get K-Cups that brew chai and hot chocolate if you’re not in the mood for coffee. It’s nice to be in control of your coffee and mix it up from day to day.
5. You can invite people over for coffee
Photo by Asia Coladner
The best part of having a mini cafe in your dorm room is that you can always share with others. Instead of leaving your dorm to meet someone for coffee, you can just invite them over. This makes for the perfect environment to socialize, study, and get your caffeine fix. Your friends will totally appreciate not having to look any further than your room for their next cup of coffee.
Obviously, there are many perks to always having coffee in your dorm room. However, being addicted to caffeine can have some negative health effects. Caffeine has been scientifically linked to cause a raise in blood pressure, insomnia, indigestion and headaches. So enjoy that coffee in moderation. You can still use your Keurig to make other wonderful things like soup, oatmeal, and decaf drinks.