With the threat of exams and papers soon to be looming over UW students, coffee will quickly become a necessary part of daily life. Within weeks, thousands of students will need a way to stay up and do last minute cramming, and coffee consumption is the most common solution.
Coffee is highly addictive. For the people in Madison who share this addiction, they are in luck because there are endless options as to where to get your cup of joe. Madison is full of coffee vendors, mainly in the form of the dozens of independent and unique coffee shops as well as the usual large corporations and chains. There are coffee shops on every corner and in every nook of the city that will satisfy everyone’s unique tastes. But before diving into the broad scope of stores, the history of coffee should be given.
It is believed that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia around 575 A.D. There are many stories and legends surrounding its discovery, with the most popular tale involving the goat-herder Kladi. Legend has it that Kladi noticed his goats acting extremely unusual after eating small red fruits from a native African plant, which turned out to be the coffee tree. After trying the red fruit himself, he became a fan and since then coffee has been a staple of everyday life.
Coffee’s popularity continued to soar through the decades, and after prohibition took effect in 1920, coffee’s popularity was confirmed. People had to replace their love of alcohol with a different source, and their natural choice was coffee.
Since then, coffee has become even more widespread. With the birth of Starbucks, coffee shops began to pop up on what seemed to be every single street corner. Madison’s street corners were no exception.
Within the plethora of coffee shops Madison has to offer, there is a unique store for everyone. If you prefer a big chain, there is always Starbucks on State Street where you are guaranteed to get a good cup of coffee. Local chain Ancora, which has locations on King Street, University and Monroe, is another popular pick. The store located at 1859 Monroe St. is a great place to go on a Saturday or Sunday morning if you want to read the paper and escape from the college crowd.
There are also dozens of small independent coffee shops such as Muddy Waters, a refreshingly simple store at 1 N. Randall St. Muddy Waters is a great place to study and to get a wide variety of unique coffee drinks. Catacombs, which is right on Library Mall at 781 State St., is a small, funky coffee shop. It has concerts on the weekends, which cover a wide range of music, from indie to metal to blues and open mic. Last semester the coffee house boasted shows with up-and-coming artists like TV on the Radio and John Vanderslice. It also has a $2.50 lunch special every day, making it a great place to stop by for a quick lunch in between classes.
For more great music, head to Mother Fool’s Coffee, which is a little farther away at 1101 Williamson St. This eclectic shop features its own radio station, wireless Internet and an ever-evolving graffiti mural project on one wall. Mother Fool’s Coffee has an interesting mix of concerts for an all-ages crowd.
Another great place for study or socialization is Fair Trade Coffeehouse on State Street. This shop has a massive selection of sandwiches, pastries, cakes and cookies for students to snack on. They also have one of the widest drink selections and are open every day until 11 p.m. The wide selection of food and drinks, coupled with the shop’s late hours and prime State Street location make Fair Trade a perfect study hot spot.
These are just a few of the many coffee shops in Madison. For a full list go to www.badgerherald.com.