By Joshua Duran

By Joshua Duran

Most college students have a common friend; that friend is caffeine in one form or another.

Coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks even pills. My newest friend is Shock coffee.

Shock coffee is a new coffee based product line with the, oh so clever, tagline “Sleep is overrated.”

I would have to agree.

Some students will take whatever they can to stay awake that extra minute or two so they can cram for an exam, or make it home without falling asleep behind the wheel.

As a student with 17 units, a job as the editor of the college’s paper and a social life, albeit a limited one, I have found myself in numerous situations that required the regenerative powers of the coffee bean.

I wake up to a full pot of coffee every morning. If I am running short on time I have a quadruple shot of espresso. I drink coffee between classes, in the office, and I usually stop by a coffee shop before going home.

As one could imagine it might take an awfully powerful cup of joe to wake me up. Shock coffee, however, promised to give me what I needed; a little extra oomph to get me through the day.

I started a day with a pot of Shock branded coffee, which claims to have, roughly, twice the amount of caffeine as normal coffee. Using that math I had 12 cups of coffee in one hour. When I got to school I was talking like a speed freak; maybe I overdid it?

The triple lattes and triple mochas are a perfect pick me up between classes. They are not the greatest coffee drink you will ever have but they are far from bad. Neither has the bitter taste one might expect from a hyper-caffeinated coffee beverage.

I prefer the lattes but that is only because I am not partial to mochas. The lattes are smooth and creamy and not overly sweet, like most canned coffee drinks are.

The mochas, despite my general aversion to them, are on par with just about any you could get from your local coffee slinger. The newspaper staff, those who were brave enough to try, enjoyed the mochas.

Both drinks also deliver on their marketing. They pack a punch that can pep up even the most sleep deprived of students. The staff even took notice of my noticeably extra energy. What I love most about Shock is that it is not just coffee.

Let’s face it not everyone loves the bittersweet taste, and earthy aroma of a good strong cup of Guatemalan Antigua. So ‘Shock’ has its own branded chocolate covered espresso beans. The chocolate makes the beans palatable for just about anyone. The company even came up with a rather clever name for their beans.

‘Shock-a-lots,’ get it? Choc-o-lates/Shock-a-lots; too funny. Well I find it cleverly amusing. Anyways these tasty little pieces of heaven are the perfect treat to keep your head up during that two-hour long anthropology lecture.

As with any stimulant, one should always be careful and consult a physician. The last thing we need is for coffee to be banned because of too many students having heart attacks.

Whether or not you need something to start your day, get you through it, or keep you going; Shock has something for you. Our very own campus bookstore even carries the ‘Shock-a-lots’ at the checkout counter.

If you need a little something extra to get you through your day, this just might be the solution you’ve been looking for. Just look for this great new product here on campus, at Barnes & Noble’s or online at www.shockcoffee.com.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.