First, to clear up any myths about Val, they brew Dean’s Beans coffee, a locally-grown coffee in Orange, Mass. Val is the cheapest and easiest way to get free, unlimited amounts of coffee and tea made to order (because you make it). They’re still selling mugs downstairs for $2, so get them while you’re desperate! They are the same price as a store-bought cup of coffee, but refillable. Plus, you get a discount at Schwemm’s when you use it, although I caution you against attempting to imbibe their coffee. While the beans at Val are actually exactly the same as Black Sheep, the consensus from the coffee connoisseurs of Seelye is that Val is just not quite (aka nearly) as good as Black Sheep. Black Sheep, the favorite of Angela Coombs ’10 and Maryam Khan ’10, supports locally-grown agriculture by providing many different blends of Dean’s Beans. Maryam’s favorite, Ahab’s Revenge, has the highest caffeine content, so you know you’ll get the most bang for your buck. The downside is that due to their winter hours, they close super early, at 7:00 p.m., before you start that late-night paper writing bender.
Moving down North Pleasant Street, if you’re in need of coffee AND Internet access (which Black Sheep also provides), Rao’s Coffee is a great, relaxed, New England-y coffeehouse, with a friendly atmosphere, lots of regulars and a huge variety on menu. They provide lots of tasty alternatives to just your basic coffee. Gabriela Acero ’11E describes Rao’s as “much more laid back than some of the other places, with the best pastries a coffee place could offer.”
If you’re looking for a coffee shop that’s a little bit less hectic than the food-frenzy of Black Sheep or the crowded, eclectic masses at Rao’s, Starbucks is, ironically, your best bet. While most of my roommates agree that the coffee is much too acidic for human consumption, the plethora of local brands in town makes Starbucks the neglected half brother of the Amherst family—making it a quieter place to nest with all 10 of your unread books for your history paper due tomorrow. At this time of year, they have the best seasonal menu, which are definitely worth selling out to “the corporation” just once or twice. My personal favorite is the peppermint mocha, while Katherine Black ’10 (a previously employed Starbucks barista, fun fact) recommends the pumpkin spice latte.
Finally, the most venerated coffee place in Seelye and the only place talked about for more than 30 seconds of painful questioning is Amherst Coffee. The roommates get competitive, raising their voices to tell their best experience at “AmCo.” The place is definitely the most versatile coffee shop in town, serving coffee products throughout the day, and making the switch to more of a lounge-y bar at night, with a bar, wine and my favorite, “buttered rum”. While I imagine the drink to taste like butterbeer in Harry Potter, Bailey Connor ’11 strongly disagrees. Don’t expect to get much studying done here after dark, since the lights get dimmed and it’s hard to read much of anything, but the place is open until 12:30 a.m. most nights. During the day, however, Christina Martinez ’10 describes the ambiance as “unbeatable; it’s the perfect amount of interesting people to people-watch when you’re bored, and the perfect low hum of noise so you don’t fall asleep”. As long as you don’t judge it solely from its mildly uppity vibe (they decorate their lattes with foam patterns, and serve only strange, imported yogurt brands from Greece and VOSS water), Amherst Coffee during the day is well-lit, friendly and a wonderful study space.
Disclaimer: this subject sparked passionate debate among the room group, and no consensus could ever be reached, so take this for what it’s worth.