College students run on caffeine. Whether it’s because of midnight deadlines, projects or presentations, the work we have to do gets done, thanks to a lot of stress, some tears and usually coffee. While some people prefer tea or energy drinks and others do their best to get a good night’s sleep, I know my resource for energy is coffee.

Honestly, I love coffee. I can usually get through my day without a caffeine kick, but sometimes I get a craving for coffee. Hot or iced, with milk and sugar. Whether it’s to start my day or to get through the afternoon slump, there are plenty of options around campus for me to enjoy my coffee. Most times I have my own coffee that I make in my room. But sometimes when I’m running late, or I’m on campus and don’t want to walk back to my apartment, I buy coffee on campus.

That said, not all coffee is created equal. We’ve all heard about the age-old debate between Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, but I’m here to make a bold claim: the Avenue Deli – known by Iona students as the Ave – has the best coffee. It is better than both Starbucks and Dunkin, and you can’t change my mind.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that I drink a lot of Starbucks coffee. With a location right on campus, it’s the most convenient option. But Starbucks is not the perfect coffee that some people praise it to be. Let’s be honest, it’s a bitter coffee. Starbucks has a naturally dark roast, and that creates a more bitter bean. And how many of us are ordering just a plain coffee from Starbucks? No, we’re getting a dragonfruit this or a pumpkin spice that. Starbucks has a variety of drinks that you can’t get anywhere else; that’s why they’re so successful as a business. But even with all my extra on-campus dollars, Starbucks is an expensive habit. Plus, it’s always busy, and sometimes I don’t have the time to wait in line for my drink when I’m rushing to class or trying to finish an assignment.

Now what about the other major option? I do really enjoy Dunkin coffee. It’s a bit cheaper, and it’s less bitter. But as many students will lament, it isn’t available on the off-campus meal plan. This doesn’t bother me too much, because I’ve got a pretty decent nest egg of Dunkin Donuts gift cards, but Dunkin is just enough out of the way for me that it’s not a place I visit often. Walking to and from my Eastchester apartment takes me down the stretch of North Ave that Gaels know well: Gemelli’s, Beechmont, McDonald’s, WACO (aka Westchester Taco) and the Ave. I walk this stretch of North Ave every day and every night, and on-campus I walk from LaPenta to Murphy almost four times a day. But unless I’m walking down to Smokehouse, I don’t usually make that extra three-minute walk past the dorms just for a coffee kick. Plus, Dunkin does get busy, and when I am grabbing coffee, I’m usually in a rush.

For equality’s sake, there are also coffee options in Vitanza Commons – aka Spellman – and Sage Café. That said, I get these options so rarely that they don’t really rank on my coffee list.

But let’s talk about my real favorite, coffee from the Ave. With a location just past Sage Café, it’s conveniently in between Starbucks and Dunkin. It’s a short detour from walking to the Murphy Center (where most of my classes are), and I pass it every day on my walk to campus. Of course, there’s the added bonus of being on the off-campus meal plan, but what really sells the Ave’s coffee for me is the service and the quality.

We’ve all seen the lines out the door when it’s peak lunch hour. But when you’re looking for a quick coffee, you can get served and be on your way in five minutes. And no matter which regular worker serves you, the coffee is always consistent, which can’t be said for chains like Starbucks or Dunkin. I don’t know how they pull it off at the Ave, but I’ve had four different people make my coffee and it tastes the same every time. Plus, if you get an iced coffee, they’ll put the straw in for you.

Now this is just my personal pros and cons list, but I can say without a doubt that the Ave has my favorite coffee. And I won’t be changing my opinion anytime soon.