Where do you go when you need a good atmosphere for homework? Sometimes the dorms are loud and chaotic, full of Farrarians running about or members of the “Fusion Pro Gliders” tearing up the campus with their mad scooter skills. You never know if you’ll find an open study room in the library, and sometimes it’s just plain exciting to get off campus and enjoy a change of scenery.
One student has made a commitment this year to embark on a quest for rating various coffee shops in Salem. This is no small task, and Quinton Butterfield, Resident Assistant in Farrar, is up for the challenge.
“My weekend coffee quest consists of trying to go to as many different coffee shops in Salem as I can,” Butterfield said. “At least that’s how the idea started, until I had an epiphany while at one of these coffee shops.”
The idea of enjoying a cup of jo has turned into a full-fledged operation, and Butterfield gave the inside scoop on his plans. Each coffee shop he frequents on any given day undergoes Butterfield’s rating system.
“I developed five categories that I found the most interesting and relevant when thinking about how much I enjoy a particular coffee shop,” Butterfield said.
The categories are as follows: How good the coffee is, the overall atmosphere, how good it is for homework productivity, how good it is for potential dates, and how good the service is. Of course, Butterfield leaves room in his notes for important factors regarding parking hassles or if the coffee shop offers free refills.
Butterfield is in the beginning stages of this project and has officially documented four coffee shops. What sparked this idea, one might ask?
“The love of coffee and the desire to experience new things,” Butterfield said. “One of the goals I created for myself this semester is to go to coffee with someone once a week. These things just seemed to fit too well together not to combine them all.”
Chris Bartmess, former Corban student, said, “Where two or more come together in the Lord’s name, there He is also. I think Quin needs to find his Eve to help him on this java quest.”
That could be the case in the future, because, according to Butterfield, he’s “getting a pretty solid list of date places together…”
Butterfield shared about the meaningful friendships he’s been able to invest in during this experience.
“I have had many meaningful conversations at different coffee shops over the last few weeks,” Butterfield said. “It has been awesome to have those conversations, and to ask the people I’m at coffee with to help me rate the shops. Overall, it’s just really fun.”
Sounds like a latte of fun!