Cameron Hall: (unofficial) Coffee Connoisseur

On a college campus, it's quite easy to find people who love coffee, but I was looking for someone a little more specific. Someone who could defend the cause of coffee for a higher reason than caffeine addiction. Someone who appreciated the nuances of coffee like I appreciate the nuances of tea.

So let me introduce you to Cameron Hall, a senior business major here at my university. He started drinking coffee for the caffeine his sophomore year of college. During finals week, he was really tired and decided to start drinking coffee. "There were peppermint mochas, so that's what I got started on," he said.

However, it was when I asked Cameron to describe drinking a cup of coffee that I knew I was talking not to a coffee drinker, but a coffee connoisseur (like my dad.) How did I know? He didn't answer with one description, but instead said the experience varies based on what type of coffee he's drinking at the time. By types of coffee, he meant origins--or where the coffee is from--and roasts. (Here's a comprehensive list of different roasts.)

Taking a sip: first the body, which is the the feel of the coffee, hits your tongue. And depending on the origin or roast, the body is always different . Then you dissect the different notes or flavors that come from the beans. Some coffees are more acidic, others have chocolate or fruity or spicy notes.

To savor the full effect, Cameron drinks his coffee in small sips so he can taste each one of the notes that particular cup of coffee has.

But why does Cameron prefer coffee over tea? Simpy because he prefers the flavor of coffee better. "I don't like the plant notes you get out of tea. And also, tea has a lot lighter flavor to me than coffee," he said.

He also just enjoys the learning process. "There are different things you can experience (with coffee), and the ways you can be hands on with your coffee are almost endless." Like different kinds of brewing methods for instance. He said it's pretty easy even to start roasting your own coffee beans. "It's just fun to experiment with it. Plus, you don't have to pay four bucks to go buy a cup at Starbucks once you've gotten good at making coffee."

Can't top that argument!