LOS ALAMITOS, CA – As time is condensing and seasons are shifting, students in high school start to experience sluggish, dog days of overwhelming routines. AP teachers become insomniacs, while slowly being consumed by their work. More often than not, that tiredness leads them to wanting to get a cup of coffee close by, such as from Teofilo Coffee Company, which is only a short distance from Los Alamitos High School.

As Los Al students may know, Teofilo is a contemporary Filipino coffee brand that took part in the Philippine Coffee Quality Auction and is constantly featured in LA newspapers and blogs. Over the summer of 2023, the Teofilo Coffee Company hosts made their debut at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, where they emphasized authenticity, hard work, and aesthetic. 

Aside from aesthetics, Teofilo ensures the well-being of university and high school scholars. The Scientific American article “Caffeine Disrupts Sleep for Morning People, but Not Night Owls” studies the link between caffeine and a process called chronotype, which is the hysteric rush or mental alertness experienced throughout certain times of the day.

In the study, morning risers were revealed to awaken in the middle of the night after consuming caffeine during the day, whereas no disruption was present in late risers. Another theory suggests that caffeine was the direct result of morning risers sleeping through their alarms. 

To understand why Teofilo has been increasing in popularity, the Griffin Gazette interviewed a Teofilo barista and questioned Los Al students about their behavior when it comes to caffeine.   

The following Q&As with the Teofilo Coffee Company have been edited and condensed.

Q: Do a lot of students from Los Al visit the shop?

A: Yeah. Like mornings especially, but also afternoons.

Q: What time of day are they most likely to come in?

A: 8:30 for mornings. I think [it’s usually] 1:30 for afternoons.

Q: How has this brand of coffee been trending recently? What do you think about its popularity?

A: I’m not really big on the coffee world, but I do know a lot of people that are in the coffee world who specialize [in] coffee. We get [our coffee] straight from the soil, which gives an authentic taste.

Q: What do you love about working at a coffee shop?

A: The people. They’re real. Starbucks doesn’t care how to make your coffee – they just make it.

Q: What is the most common age of Teofilo workers? 

A:  There’s no particular age, but most people who work here are college students and older. You just have to be cool.

The following Q&As with Los Al students have been edited and condensed.

Q: Do you consider yourself prone to the effects of coffee?

Sage Myers, senior: Yes. I just get more energy and I get more motivated to get stuff done throughout the day.

Ysabelle Wright, senior: No, because even with extra shots in my coffee, it does nothing, and I’m still tired. 

Kennedy Aase, senior: It’s a hard question. Sometimes if I’m really tired, I just need a cup. I just need to get through the day.

Q: If so, how many cups would you need to feel the effects again (hands shaking, heart beating out of your chest)?

Myers: To feel any effects, probably like three cups.

Aase: Like a half a cup.

Q: If not, how do you feel about the aftermath of it? Is it worth it? 

Wright: I think that drinking coffee is only worth it if you need breakfast. I don’t think it’s worth it if you are just using it to wake yourself up.

Q: What time of day do you feel like you most need coffee? Do you ever drink it at midnight? 

Myers: The morning. I drink it at midnight sometimes to play video games or pull an all-nighter.

Wright: Morning because it’s a quick go-to breakfast. I drink it at midnight all the time and I feel no effects.

Aase: The morning. Late afternoons are my nap time, so I’m getting my natural coffee. I have drank it at midnight before, but specifically energy drinks.

Q: What do you love most about coffee? Is it an addiction? 

Myers: The taste. No, it’s not an addiction.

Wright: There’s so many different flavors that I can drink. I don’t think that it’s an addiction.

Aase: That I can cover up the taste. I need six pumps of something sugary to cover up the taste of it. Yes, I mean I get a drink every single morning. It’s just kind of a part of my day and routine now.

Q: Does it ever bother your mornings? Or does it uplift your mornings? 

Myers: No, it never bothers my mornings. It sometimes uplifts my mornings.

Aase: I’d say both. If I don’t get my drink, I feel like my whole day is thrown off, but then if I do have my drink, sometimes I feel off.

Based on the answers from Los Al students, it is clear that there are many underlying myths related to coffee consumption. Caffeine has many myths that all are connected to tiredness and procrastination, and the Griffin Gazette wanted to get to the bottom of this issue.

The myths

There are many different types of myths about caffeine and coffee, but some of the most notable myths are based on individual experiences rather than collective agreement. Caffeine is a substance that affects people in many different ways, so it really depends on a person’s habits and their ability to let coffee change their mood. 

Caffeine can help you sober up 

According to WebMD, there is research that shows how caffeine makes people think that they are sobering up, but that is not the case. The truth is that a person’s reaction time and judgment is still impaired, despite the fact that they feel more awake. College students who drink both alcohol and caffeine are still more likely to have car accidents.

Caffeine has no health benefits 

Despite this common myth, WebMD explains that caffeine can boost energy levels, increase metabolism, improve a person’s ability to exercise, and it may improve heart health. The most known effect of caffeine is its ability to make a person feel recharged, which is especially clear in the hyper mood that most people feel after drinking coffee.

Caffeine itself is a stimulant that can lift your mood, improve focus, and hide how tired you feel. Because the human body needs energy for everything, caffeine is an effective way to increase the process of turning what a person eats and drinks into strength. A single cup of coffee has the ability to increase a person’s metabolic rate by 3%-4%, which can slightly increase the amount of calories a person burns in a day. 

Similarly, studies have also shown that drinking a moderate amount of caffeine before the gym can improve a person’s workout and reduce tiredness during it. While coffee is linked to increasing a person’s heart rate, it actually can lower your risk of heart disease when taken in moderate amounts. 

Coffee will stunt your growth 

This myth has been spread by students and younger adults, but there is no scientific study that has shown a link between drinking coffee and a loss of bone growth for children (or even any sort of calcium loss in adults). According to Driven Coffee Roasters, this myth comes from ads run in the 1920’s for a non-caffeinated coffee substitute called Postum. The advertising of their substitute ended up spreading a myth through parenting circles that have impacted a young adult’s intake and desire to drink coffee ever since.

Yes, it is true that coffee can affect younger children in other ways, but it will still not cause any growth issues. As it can be expected, the caffeine tolerance for kids under the age of 12 is much lower than it is for adults. Children around or under the age of 12 can have drastic mood changes or even sleep issues from having excessive amounts of caffeine. 

Final thoughts

People who consume caffeine should be aware of its effects on their bodies, but it also depends on the person and their tolerance for it. To some people, black coffee may be too bitter or “blah,” while to others it can be delicious. The preferences people have for drinking coffee or having caffeine are widely different, but it can be inferred that caffeine is an important part of the student life at Los Al. As it has been shown with students at Los Al, coffee is an important staple, and Teofilo is a great place to grab warm and tasty coffee.