Coffee and various caffeinated beverages are a high school students lifeline to get them through the day. These drinks can be a sweet treat to pick up before school to feel more awake and focused. Many students will stop to get a coffee before school at various places, and one of the most popular destinations is Seven Brew. 

I love the taste of a nice coffee. I enjoy americanos and cold brews with nothing added in them. So naturally, I prefer a more bitter and stronger coffee, compared to a sweet or milky drink. 

I have tried various coffee shops around Springfield. There are some coffee shops that I love and some that make coffee that I find tolerable. But then there is Seven Brew. To say I dislike Seven Brew is an understatement. While some coffee shops make decent coffee that is tolerable, Seven Brew does not fall near this category. Here are seven reasons why I feel this way. 

Reasons #1: The first time I ever went to Seven Brew, my sister and I drove by and saw how long the line was, so of course we had to dabble, and see what the hype was. 

I ordered an oat milk latte. No vanilla or sweetener added because I do not particularly enjoy sweet coffee. But when I say that, this was the sweetest coffee that I have ever had. It tasted as though they dumped a bag of sugar and sweetener into my latte. 

And not only the fact that it was sweet, but it was so milky. I understand that lattes are mostly steamed milk. However, my latte only tasted like steamed milk.. 

It was so bad that I took three sips and gave it to my friend. The espresso roast at Seven Brew was not to my liking and they added so much milk that it completely overpowers the flavor of an espresso. 

Reason #2: I don’t like how Seven Brew sells energy drinks. When I think of a coffee shop, I don’t see them selling energy drinks. 

To me it ruins the aesthetic and novelty that a coffee shop brings. I think that energy drinks are disgusting, over-caffeinated and have too much sugar in them. A small Seven Brew energy drink contains 35 grams of sugar, which is 78 percent of a person’s daily recommended value. This is insane to me, and I think that these drinks are so bad for a person’s health. 

Energy drink ruins the vibes that coffee shops bring, and this is why I do not like the franchise. 

Reason #3: Make it a TRIPLE Seven? Excuse me? Why is it even an option to put six shots of espresso into your coffee?    

One shot of Seven Brew espresso has 63 milligrams of caffeine in it. So a drink with six shots of espresso has 378 milligrams of caffeine in it. According to Rileys Children’s Health, the recommended amount of caffeine for teens is 100mg. Especially in sweet or iced coffee, it will make it so much easier to drink quickly. 

I don’t think that many people understand the health risk they are imposing on themselves. Sure, the drink tastes good and you will definitely feel more awake, but putting almost 400 milligrams of caffeine in your system in the span of two hours, is incredibly unhealthy and imposes serious health risks. I understand if you are tired and need a caffeine boost, however, this is not the way to go, and it simply is not beneficial for one’s health. 

Reason #4: As a person who loves a simple Cortado or an Americano, seeing the drinks that Seven Brew sells disgusts me. I would even go as far as to say that these drinks are not even coffees, they are desserts. The Blondie, which is probably the most common drink ordered at Seven Brew, has 410 calories, 50 grams of sugar and 150 milligrams of sodium. That is the nutritional value of a meal.

Unfortunately in today’s world, most corporate coffee shops have forgotten about the health of the people they serve. 

Reason #5: For me personally, this reason does not particularly attest to the actual coffee of Seven Brew, but to the brand itself. I do not like the aesthetic of the brand and the way that they market themselves to the public. It feels extremely corporate and like chain coffee. Compared to Starbucks, the biggest coffee franchise in the U.S, I feel as though the aesthetic of Starbucks cafés keep the idea of a small and cozy coffee shop in mind. Seven Brew does not do this, which turns me away from them. 

Reason #6: I don’t really understand the appeal of being a drive thru only. I don’t really like to drive thurs, asI will always prefer to go in somewhere and order. I enjoy the act of walking into coffee shops and ordering from a barista and then seeing them make my drink. But at a drive thru only coffee shop, like Seven Brew, you do not get to do this and it feels very impersonal to me and takes away from the novelty of coffee. 

Reason #7: Saving the best for last, the reason that truly capped off my hatred for Seven brew. The last time that I went to seven brews, I found multiple hairs in my coffee. I knew that these were not my hairs, because they were black. This absolutely disgusted me, and after this incident I will never go back to Seven Brew. 

Here are seven better coffee shops that I would recommend supporting rather than Seven Brews. 

1. El Cafecito.  
2. Roots coffee 
3. Travelers House 
4. Architect Coffee
5. The Press
6. Kingdom Coffee 
7. Urban Grounds