Ever wonder what life would be like if you went to NYU? Take a trip to NYU's favorite coffee spot for a cup of joe and your daily dose of meta!

Grade inflation isn't the only reason to wish you went to NYU. Just a few blocks south of Washington Square Park, Think Coffee serves up some of the city's best coffee to NYU students and downtown denizens alike. Although Oren is a classic campus spot and Hungarian perfects the bohemian coffee house aesthetic, neither of these places are appropriate for studying.

Living up to its all too apropos name, Think Coffee on the other hand is an ideal place to study. The space is well lit and equipped with plenty of power outlets. Indeed, you'll find many Macbook users here, enjoying Think Coffee's free Wi-Fi service. With three separate seating areas and plenty of plush couches, it's easy for students to spread out their books and make themselves at home. Like any well-equipped home, Think Coffee has a collection of board games, including Scrabble. And there's even a book nook where patrons can borrow and swap books.

Despite the accommodating digs, Think Coffee is free of the common coffee shop blights. The couches remarkably are free of coffee stains and coffee stench and even the archetypal stained and stinky coffee shop bum.



Although the baristas can be a bit surly, students are usually welcomed to stay as long as they like and as long as they buy something. Balancing everybody's dorm room favorites with some gourmet twists, Think Coffee offers more than just caffeine fixes and brain food. But, it is clear Think Coffee capitalizes on the traditional study break fare. Warm and cinnamony, the oatmeal raisin cookie and the ruggalagh are the perfect afternoon pick-me-ups.

Nonetheless, Think Coffee's menu includes more than just sweet treats. The peanut butter and banana on whole wheat is a childhood classic that doubles as an all-natural and much needed alternative to your Red-Bull and Clif Bar lunch at Butler. If your palate has matured, try the baked black forest ham and Vermont cheddar.

Both of these sandwiches are reliable and satisfying, but if you're willing to take a risk, the menu also has some innovative, if not entirely successful, options. The soba salad and tofu and vegan artichoke pesto panini, for instance, substitute fiber for flavor and really should only be ordered by vegans. But that the menu includes options for the carnivore, the vegetarian and the vegan a like is indicative of Think Coffee's accommodating M.O..

Think Coffee's claim to fame is, however, obviously its coffee. The coffee selection here is conservative-classy. Combining simple recipes with high-quality ingredients, Think Coffee prepares excellent renditions of the Italian stand-bys — cappuccino, Americano, espresso and the like. In whatever form you chose to order it, you'll find their coffee is strong and smooth. If you're in the mood for a less powerful coffee experience, try the ice coffee. Somehow Think Coffee has managed to perfect combining ice and coffee — who knew it was an art?

If the prices are higher than your average cup of coffee, that's because Think Coffee is better than your average cup of coffee. Moreover, Think Coffee's uses only fair trade, organic and local ingredients. Although the labels 'fair trade' and 'organic' often are advertising ploys, at least Think Coffee actually donates a portion of their profits to environmental protection charities and sustainable initiatives.

So if you want to see how the other half lives, head down to NYU's favorite coffee shop. Combining domestic touches with efficient and up to date design elements, Think Coffee is productive place to work and a relaxing alternative to Butler.

-MEQ

Think Coffee is located at 248 Mercer Street Between 3rd and 4th Streets and at
1 Bleeker Street on the corner of Bowery.