Have you ever wondered what your favorite professors do when they’re not teaching their favorite students? Where do they go to talk to their colleagues? Where do the grad students meet up?
Luckily for you, I’ve started to crack the code by discovering some of the wonders of the Princeton faculty life by exploring their lounges, assessing their refreshment options, and most important of all: tasting their teas. The following lounges were chosen because they’re located within the academic departments that host some of Princeton’s most popular majors.
Economics
Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building, Washington Road, Second Floor
The economics professors and graduate students have it best, though the lounge itself was a little hard to find. With two coffee dispensers, two hot water machines, and a high-tech Nespresso machine, there’s no doubt that Economics has the best department lounge. Tucked behind the glass artwork in JRR is the economics department lounge, with wooden walls and big windows. The lounge is adorned with several nooks to study in, with books lining the east wall. Unfortunately, there were limitations for undergraduates: the cabinets were locked, and there were no disposable heat-safe cups in sight. So, I tasted a Raspberry Royale Black Tea from a small plastic cup that very well may have melted. The tea was fairly good, with subtle hints of raspberry and maybe polymer too.
Tea Options: Cranberry Apple, Lemon Lift, Raspberry Royale, English Breakfast, Constant Comment, English Teatime, Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Cozy Chamomile
Tea Tasted: Raspberry Royale (7.5/10)
Ambiance Rating: 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Math
Fine Hall, Third Floor
The math department lounge is a solid runner-up. I ran into a few kind women in the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, who guided me to the lounge. It was a nice, large room that I wish I had known existed while I was struggling through MAT 104. With small work tables lining the windows, larger tables in the center of the room, and blackboards scattered around, this lounge is a great space for conversation and collaboration. There was one Symbol coffee and tea machine. I made myself an oolong tea, which was on the earthy side, and sat in one of the chairs just outside the lounge to enjoy it.
Tea Options: Green Tea, Constant Comment, English Breakfast, English Teatime, Perfectly Mint, Raspberry, Royale, Oolong, and Darjeeling
Tea Tasted: Oolong (7/10)
Ambiance Rating: 8/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Computer Science
Computer Science building, Second Floor
The computer science department lounge is not only far from central campus, but also a little challenging to find. When I first peered in, I thought it was a classroom because of the small collaborative whiteboards. So I walked around, looking into every door on the third and fourth floors before returning to the first room I had peered into. This lounge is located on the second floor of Schmidt Hall and is complete with large, conference-style tables and overhead lights. There is a little kitchen nook in the corner for faculty and grad students to grab a refreshment. I was disappointed to find no cups in sight and had to settle for tea tasting out of a paper bowl. I’m not the biggest fan of Lipton tea to begin with, and the paper bowl did not make it any better.
Tea Options: Lipton Caffeinated and Decaffeinated Black Tea
Tea Tasted: Decaffeinated Lipton Black Tea (6.5/10)
Ambiance Rating: 7/10
Overall Rating: 7/10
Spanish and Portuguese
East Pyne Hall, Third Floor
The Spanish and Portuguese department lounge was smaller but cozy, with lovely wooden walls. There is an oval-shaped table in the center of the room surrounded by red spinny chairs, and a smaller table by the window. This is a great place to take a break, get some independent work done, or mingle with colleagues. There was, however, no hot water in the actual lounge; the hot water dispenser was in the kitchen and had a child safety lock that served as a college student safety lock as well. I tried their organic chai tea — chai is one of my favorites — and it did not disappoint. I would have loved it even more if they had some cinnamon and honey for me to add to it.
Tea Options: Chai, Pekoe Cut Black Tea, Lipton Caffeinated Black Tea
Tea Tasted: Chai (7.5/10)
Ambiance Rating: 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
SPIA
Bendheim Hall, Second Floor
Unfortunately, the SPIA department lounge did not have as much to offer. It is a small room on the second floor of Bendheim Hall with one Newco coffee and tea machine, a small Nespresso machine, and a small pump coffee machine. However, they did have paper cups, unlike some of their counterparts. The sweet-tart flavor of their hibiscus tea was brought out by their boiling hot water, offering a tasteful tea time.
Tea Options: Green Tea, English Teatime, Early Grey, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, Peppermint, Hibiscus, Lemon Ginger, Nighty Night Extra
Tea Tasted: Hibiscus (7/10)
Ambiance Rating: 5/10
Overall Rating: 6/10
Overall, it was fun but tiring to track down these department lounges and try their teas. If you’re looking for a wide variety of tea options, go to the economics or SPIA department lounges. Economics or Spanish and Portuguese are the best lounges if you’re looking for a quiet, peaceful place to study. Next time you’re looking for a quiet study spot to study or unwind after class, don’t overlook the department lounges. Just be warned: if you end up in the computer science lounge, you might want to bring your own mug — unless you enjoy sipping tea from a paper bowl.
Nora Choi is a member of the class of 2028 studying behavioral economics. She’s a contributing writer for The Prospect and can be reached at nora.choi@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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