Days without Free Coffee

One of the most missed things at Princeton is the free food provided in the lower lobby at Robertson Hall and the free coffee and tea in Campus Club. I still remember reviewing QE2 with Carol in Campus Club in the end of April. We were scared by the failing rate in previous years and decided to act as each other's "commitment device" to review macro together. Those two weeks were stressful, but only good memories are left when I look back: a chilly Spring morning and a cup of hot coffee.

There were not many choices in campus club, usually when I arrived there the only coffee left was hazelnut. I placed the pack in the coffee machine next to it, pressed the button, and in a few minutes, the coffee was ready. It was not strong, like most American coffee, as I always needed to breathe deeply to confirm it's coffee. But still, the hot coffee brought me a lot of comfort when I was suffering from all the macro formulas and trying to solve problems like Euro crisis. I went there almost everyday, and had one to two cups, sometimes with snacks left after morning workshops.

Berkeley, nice as it is, does not have free coffee. I didn't realize my addiction until I suddenly got tired of drinking water one day - for those allergic to milk and not fund of juice or wine, there isn't much choice left. A few days later, I found a deal on coffee online, and ordered 4 packs of  grounded coffee, which were mailed to me with a free coffee maker. The quality of coffee is average (I'm very nice in saying "average"), but its light tastes remind me of the cozy hazelnut coffee I used to have in Campus Club. I'm typing this blog while enjoying a Mocha.

Btw, I do want to express my appreciation for Gevalia Coffee's business model. It doesn't make much profit by selling four packages of coffee and a coffee maker at $10. But when you make an order online, the default setting of your account is "auto delivery". That is, once your order is confirmed, it will mail coffee to you regularly until you call the customer service and cancel your account. According to Wikipedia, coffee consumption per capita in the US in 2008 was approximately 4.2kg, i.e. 9.3lb. If the consumption now remains roughly the same, the Gevalia can make proximate $50 revenue from each consumer, on the assumption that consumers don't cancel auto delivery within a year. Thus even the coffee maker is given away for free, the Gevalia can make enough money to cover the cost.

Anyway, now I'm a happy woman with a coffee machine ten paces away.

Appendix - Top Ten Missed at Princeton:
Friends,
Service Auction and Skit Night,
Talent Show,
My Cozy Apartment (with the best mattress in the world),
Railway at the Princeton Station,
D-Bar,
Bubble Tea (Mocha or Chocolate) on Nassau Street,
Free Food at Robertson,
Free Coffee/Snacks at Campus Center,
Canadian Geese in Hibben and Magie.