The first time I tried coffee, I was in sixth grade and with my aunt. She asked if I wanted to try some. Of course, wanting to be very mature, I said yes and I absolutely hated it. Almost ten years down the line, caffeine is the blood that runs through my veins and I'm sure I'm not the only caffeine addict that went through this journey.

Here is the cycle of how a coffee lover comes to be:

1. Disgust

Probably your first couple times drinking coffee. Your first sips of coffee were probably black or just with milk and/or sugar. You hated it and don't understand how anyone could willingly drink it. You hated the drinks from Starbucks you picked just because you knew how to pronounce them.

2. Experimenting

You've dipped your toe into the coffee pool and are starting to find a few things you like. Those said drinks are probably full of flavoring to cover up as much of the coffee taste as possible.

3. Social Drinking

This ties in with phase two typically. Your friends want to meet up for coffee to hang out. This may also be the phase where you start to branch out and try sips of your friends' drinks.

4. College

Welcome to college. Your schedule is hectic and odds are you aren't regularly getting enough sleep so whether you like it or not, you start drinking coffee as a last resort. You choke down black coffee until you don't feel the pain anymore.

5. Dependence

All hail the caffeine gods. You know what you like out of your drink, you've gotten accustomed to the taste of espresso, and you've got your terminology down. You also will deliver the wrath of sleep deprivation for anyone who dares talk to you before you've had a sip of coffee. A long time ago you may have considered yourself a morning person but those days are over.

Whatever phase you're in, your coffee journey is far from over. Once you start, you will eventually succumb to this (expensive) lifestyle. Because really, truly, honestly, drinking coffee is a way of life.