With the cold winter days bringing in the frost and the chills, cold hands, red ears and pink cheeks are filling the sidewalks of Lewis-Palmer High School. Specialty drinks or coffee from cafes have become incredibly trendy over the years. Many of the students and staff alike appreciate a steaming cup of coffee or some other warm drink to extinguish the dreary morning cold.

The term “Starbucks” has become just as popular as the the words “SWAG” or “Bro/Bae” to this generation. Students who stated their preference for Starbucks refreshments in a coffee poll, chose Starbucks because the convenience of having hundreds choices from the hundreds of Starbucks locations throughout Colorado was exceptional.

“Starbucks is the best; it tastes amazing, like heaven in a cup,” Riley Harra, 9.

However, more than half of the people who answered to the coffee survey decided that Starbucks wasn’t, what they thought, the best cafe.

“Starbucks is too mainstream, and I find that It’s a Grind tastes better.” Kaleigh Ard, 9.

It’s a Grind, a smaller coffee franchise who is part of the Rainforest Agreement, was chosen for the main reason that it tasted more authentic and that the lines are not nearly as long as the lines for Starbucks.

Favor for homemade drinks were tallied up by the remaining opinions. It is generally cheaper to make beverages and even more convenient than going to Starbucks.

“It is convenient, easy and I can make it on my own time without leaving the house,” Rachel Dowd, 9.

A typical beverage from a coffee franchise usually ranges from $3.45 to $5.49 unlike the home-brewed drinks that are as low as $0.27 per each brewed cup.

A much smaller percentage found other smaller coffee companies or cafes such as Serrano’s to taste better than both Starbucks or It’s a Grind.

With many diverse opinions and preferences floating around, it is hard to say who truly comes out on top as the winner for the favorite coffee cafe. Though one thing is clear, coffee or specialty drinks, no matter the place, seem to be filling the stomachs of many students and staff.