Many New Yorkers and college students consider coffee to be an essential component of their lives. If there is one thing they need to survive in the concrete jungle, it’s energy. So those of us running a little low on adrenaline often turn to delicious cup of joe. Yet a deliciously embellished and life-sustaining drink from Starbucks can cost upwards of $3. If you drink two cups a day every week, you will end up spending $42 a week or about $168 a month. Even if you buy cheap coffee at your local bodega or McDonald’s, you still end up paying close to $100 per month for caffeine.

An app called Cups, which launched last week in the city, promises to change all this. Cups offers users a subscription starting anywhere from $7 for five cups of “American Classic” – including brew, drip, pour-over, filter, and tea – to $85 a month for “Foreign Flair,” which includes “American Classic” as well as espresso, americano, cappuccino, macchiato, latte, and iced coffee.

The app promises to make it easier for drinkers to have “access to boutique coffee shops, and – of course – the extra money in their pockets.” The Free Press set out to investigate their claims of better coffee products, money-saving madness, and ease by visiting three of the 32 participating Cups coffee shops located closest to the New School campuses.

Taboonette

30 E. 13th St.

The brightly, red-painted walk-up entrance across from the Fine Arts building feels cozy and clean, cramped amongst other walkup-like stores. The interior is dimly lit like most coffee shops and the entrance is dotted with three light wood tables leading to a minibar with square wooden stools on the short side of the counter. Three people work behind the counter including a grouchy mysterious owner/manager type. The barista told me that most people purchase a cappuccino or latte from Taboonette. She also said that lots of people have been using the Cups app, particularly regular customers.

I pulled up the app, scrolled through to select the type of coffee I wanted, she typed in a code, and then handed it back to me. The wait for a cup of coffee isn’t long and the shop feels more like a mini diner than a coffee shop, with glass enclosed pastries and a delicious but impossible to read menu written in chalk. The 12 oz. latte I received is bitter; I’m a mocha person, and this was a bit strong. There are several shops close by if I wanted to try something different, but users must wait 25 minutes in between purchases so it’s not the best app for treating a friend to coffee.

O Cafe

482 Sixth Ave.

Close to the Lang building on the corner of Sixth Avenue and a block away from the 13th Street dorm, O Cafe boasts a warm and dimly lit interior. It is relatively roomy for a small coffee shop with wooden tables, window seating, and a bench outside for those who prefer the Sixth Avenue air.

“Lots of people, mostly regulars, have been using the CUPS app,” said Ivy Meissner, a former Free Press photo editor who works at the cafe. Meissner thinks that the app is “going to blow up.”

In an attempt to continue expanding my horizons I ordered a Latte Bahia, suggested by Meissner, which contains espresso and organic bahia chocolate. It only took a few seconds for me to receive my drink and I can feel the chocolate-laced caffeine working immediately.

The Bean

824 Broadway

Across from the Strand Bookstore is one of the three Bean locations in Manhattan. Seating is limited and a line forms around an awkwardly placed foundational column in the middle of the coffeehouse. The hammered foil ceiling and exposed brick walls do little to expand the space. Several people in front of me, including NYU student Jonathan Butler, purchase coffee with the CUPS app.

“A friend told me about it and I love it! Especially when I just checked my bank account,” said Butler. The barista with a scarf headband told me that the app has been very popular among customers. Butler said that he has used the app several times and will most likely keep subscribing. Thanks to quick-moving baristas, my drink arrived in no time. I ordered a small iced chai and in the few blocks between 12th Street and my Kerry Hall dorm, I completely devoured the delicious drink and considered returning to get another cup.

Despite the 25-minute wait to purchase more coffee, baristas having to handle phones, and illegible chalk-written menus, CUPS seems to be doing just what it promised: saving users money and supporting local businesses.