Here we are in the last week of finals, and whether you’re camped out on Lau 2 with our awesome study playlist or hiding in a breakout room in Hariri, you’ve likely got a cup of coffee with you. You may think to yourself, at what point did I become so dependent on caffeine? Well, 4E is here to take you down memory lane. Here it is, the evolution of your coffee addiction.

Phase One: Rejection Remember those days when you didn’t like the taste of coffee? You had probably tried a few sips of your parent’s morning cup of joe and immediately cringed at the not-yet-acquired taste. You were likely in middle school or high school and didn’t quite yet have the need for the caffeine. You “loved the smell but hated the taste”. How soon that will change…

Phase Two: Compromise This phase involved you trying out drinks such as the “Skinny Vanilla Latte” or “Caramel Double Chocolate Foamy Candy Delight with a little coffee in it”. This was kind of a compromise for you to get a little caffeine while avoiding the coffee taste. Plus you were in high school so it made you feel cool to get these complicated sounding drinks at Starbucks after class.

Phase Three: Testing the Waters After being a few months deep into the compromise phase, you start feeling a slight need for that buzz that has kept you going through the day. You slowly shift into coffee as opposed to lattes, adding a couple of sugars and a good amount of cream. The taste doesn’t seem to bother you anymore and you even invest in a travel mug so that you can get a refill discount.

Phase Four: Wading Into the Deep End You have now come to associate mornings with that warm cup of coffee between your hands, and you feel naked if you’re walking to class without a full mug. You now use minimal amounts of cream and sugar and drink more than two cups a day. The taste has grown on you and you have come to enjoy it.

Phase Five: Need You need coffee. You just do. Don’t deny it. You get headaches when you go too long without it and you can’t seem to focus correctly in your morning class without a medium coffee in you. And hey, that’s okay, you’re not the only one. You’ve graduated from coffee to Red Eyes (coffee with a shot of espresso) and your tolerance for caffeine has increased.

Phase Six: Addiction Welcome to the dark (roast) side.

Photo: Alexander Brown/The Hoya