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Happy-Go-Lucky: Harmony Tea Bar

If you prefer tea as your caffeine source, Harmony Tea Bar in Mission Viejo is the spot for you. This quaint tea place suits a range of personalities from the easily-distracted to the heavily-focused students. Harmony provides a unique sort of quiet, generated by its customers. The acoustics of the clean, smooth walls provide just the right amount of white noise. Simple decorations sooth patrons as they sip their fruity green and jasmine teas. Boba beats beans in this eclectic tea house. The common purpose of studying and working creates an atmosphere that encourages diligence and discipline. If you are drawn to Harmony, you may need some outside influence in order to motivate yourself to study. Or you might need the soft silence aspect that’s unique to Harmony. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, Harmony will provide the peaceful ambiance needed to study and complete assignments.

“Everyone at Harmony usually at night hours is also [apart from conversing over a cup of tea] studying, so it makes it really easy to focus,” said junior Lauren Drysch

“I need a quiet comfortable work environment with limited distractions in order to focus on my homework,” said senior Elizabeth Morris. “Harmony provides both, plus delicious tea and boba.”

Recommended Drinks:

Chai Tea, Black Milk Tea, Coffee Milk Tea, Lavender Earl Gray, Strawberry Jasmine, Sea Salt Jasmine, Pomegranate Green Tea, Blueberry Matcha Green Tea

Recommended Pastries:

Snickerdoodle Cookie and Blueberry Muffin

25380 Marguerite Parkway

Unit L

Mission Viejo, CA

92692

United States

Old Soul: JC Beans Coffee House

If you need a change of scenery and don’t mind a bit of a trek, you would best study at JC Beans Coffeehouse. This petite percolation palace is tucked away in Dana Point. With both indoor and outdoor settings, JC Beans offers a variety of study environments. There are high tables, a long table, stiff wooden chairs and plush cushioned armchairs. Wisdom and knowledge radiate from the shelves of books that line the walls (mostly classics and romance novels). If you need motivation or simply a break from sitting to wander around, a board plastered with ads, posters and creative little cards hangs across from the restrooms. The gusty winds blowing around JC Beans remind you of the close proximity to the ocean. Seasoned explorers flock to this comfy and cozy haven. It is a nice escape from the beige buildings found in Rancho Santa Margarita.

“It’s warm, it’s inviting and it has so many little options [for studying],” said junior Isabella Marquez

Recommended Drinks:

Chai Tea Latte, Zebra Mocha, Vanilla Latte

Recommended Pastries:

Blueberry Scone and Cinnamon Twist (Warmed Up)

34114 Pacific Coast Highway

Dana Point, CA

92629

United States

Industrious and Intense: It’s A Grind Coffeehouse

The name of this coffeehouse says it all. Once settled in your favorite cushioned armchair or perched on your usual wooden seat, you immerse yourself in your work, refusing to become distracted by those around you. The atmosphere at It’s A Grind sharpens focus and directs attention just where it is needed. The baristas even bring your drinks out for you so that you don’t have to break your concentration! The upbeat music and productive environment make it easy to get in gear and enter the mindset of completing schoolwork. You don’t need much motivation, merely a cup of coffee and a comfortable niche will do the trick.

“I like to be able to focus on what I do, which is why I prefer It’s A Grind to the hectic atmosphere of Starbucks,” said junior Nikki Adhami

Recommended Drinks:

Sweet Tea, Iced White Chocolate Mocha, Funky Monkey

Recommended Pastries:

Bagels

25522 Marguerite Pkwy

Unit 102

Mission Viejo, CA

92692

United States

Adventurous and Outdoorsy: Hidden House Coffee Roasters

The coffee connoisseurs and courageous scholars gravitate toward Hidden House Coffee. Up until March, the only Hidden House Coffee was nestled in the Los Rios Historic District. However there will soon be more additional Hidden Houses located throughout Orange County. One who studies at Hidden House works at their own steady pace, plugging away problem after problem, page after page. The faint rock and roll anthems that drift out through the windows along with the bittersweet aroma of coffee incentivize a Hidden House client to get to work. The buzz of Los Rios Street provides great background noise, and the shade canopy woven by tree leaves protects coffee-drinkers from the sun.

Recommended Drinks:

Latte, Mocha, Macchiato, Mixed Chai Tea, Cold Tea

Recommended Pastries: Almond Croissant, Bagel Bomb, Banana Bread

31791 Los Rios St

San Juan Capistrano, CA

92675

United States

20025 Lake Forest Dr.

Lake Forest CA

92630

United States

1534 Adams Ave

Costa Mesa, CA

92626

United States

Social Butterfly: Starbucks Coffee

By far the most common study attraction, at least for SMCHS students, would be the Starbucks in the Antonio Plaza merely a short drive or walk away from school. If you study at Starbucks, you don’t mind running into every other SMCHS student, in fact you like to see the familiar faces. Those who study at Starbucks can be more outgoing, and they feel comfortable approaching others whether it be to strike up a conversation or to beg for help on free response questions. You enjoy the camaraderie and school spirit that fills this large and roomy Starbucks.

“So many kids from SM go there so I could run into someone that I might need help with that I can ask a question of if we are in the same class or they have taken the subject before,” said junior Isabella Marquez.

Recommended Drinks:

Skinny Vanilla Latte, Strawberry Acai Refresher, Hot Chocolate, Carmel Macchiato, Cool Lime Refresher with 2 Pumps of Raspberry

22421 Antonio Pkwy

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

92688