A guide to experiencing gourmet coffee at a dining hall you can easily visit every morning!

I am someone who became emotionally attached to coffee the second I stepped onto the Columbia campus. However, I quickly realized that dining dollars deplete almost immediately if used daily, so I experimented with different coffee recipes at Ferris until I found the perfect ratio. This is a step-by-step guide to ensure you can perfect your iced coffee, too. 

Little warning: This coffee is kind of on the sweeter side, not unbearably (just right, to me), but if you are someone who loves to shock themselves awake with bitterness, it might not be for you.

  1. Fill up a plastic cup with ice, and layer it over another plastic cup 
  • I’ve heard horror stories about someone attempting iced coffee in one plastic cup and feeling it later pour hot, melted plastic on their hand, so I make sure to ensure stability of the plastic with another layer.
  1. Pump one syrup into the cup. I like to choose French vanilla or caramel, but I’ve also enjoyed fruitier syrups, too.
  • I think French vanilla is perfect for this, and is always a reliable option if you aren’t too sure about the more “interesting” syrups.
  1. Pour one or two (depending on your sweetness preference) of Coffee Mate French vanilla creamer packets into the cup.
  • This is optional, but it works well with the amount of espresso used in this coffee. If you like it less sweet, definitely skip! I like at least one.
  1. Go to the hot coffee machine and add two shots of espresso to the cup.
  • Two shots fit perfectly with a cup with a lot of ice, but with less ice, you might be able to get another if you really need it!
  1. Fill the rest of the cup with your preferred milk. 
  • There is only about an inch left of space to fill, but I like the addition of milk to mix everything together. I choose oatmilk most of the time. Typical.

After those steps, I put a lid on the cup and mix with a straw, and it’s perfection! I’ve had my roommate and friends try it to rule out any of my biases, and they agree! So I’d definitely recommend it because it tastes great, but also because it’s a little fun concoction I get to make every morning, which makes me feel more productive than I am! 

Image via Bwarchives