Everywhere you look in the mornings at Sequoia, you’ll see students running through the halls, trying their best to ensure they get to class on time. Frantically juggling backpacks, binders and their massive iced coffees, all because they waited in the huge Starbucks line to get their overpriced morning coffee before school. As a result of the many late nights we spend studying, or trying to study, it seems like almost all high schoolers in today’s society have a coffee addiction to some degree. Some of us just need that one piping cup in the morning to get us through first period, and others need their continuous “fix” throughout the day.

As strong as my love for coffee is, I constantly find myself dropping large amounts of money on sub-par coffees. Whether you drink just that one cup in the morning, or you drink four, it’s beyond a shame to waste your money on mediocre coffee.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a 100mg daily caffeine limit for adolescents. That means that a single cup of coffee is double the recommended limit for us high school-aged kids. As a student journalist with an audience of primarily high schoolers, I should probably be reporting on the scientific reasons as to why we should stop stunting our growth and encourage us all to drink less coffee. Instead, I’m going to feed all of your addictions by giving you the most helpful information about our local coffee shops— excluding your average Starbucks, Peets and Philz that we all know and love.

Just for you, I went to all of the “trendy” coffee shops and cafes in the area and got my usual iced almond milk latte. Here’s all the information I gathered, and everything you need to know about where you and your friends really should be going to study and get your coffee: