Now by and large I’m pretty old school when it comes to my coffee. I make it at home most days, but if I’m at Starbucks, I usually order a grande Pike Place, and then I’ll doctor it myself with some Equal and some half and half. I like that ordering a plain cup of coffee means that I can get out of the Starbucks for only one American dollar and some change, but if I’m feeling wild and crazy I’ll order a Cafe’ Latte or a Cafe’ Americano – even though I cringe a little bit when my coffee costs more than three dollars and THEY DON’T EVEN GIVE ME A BISCUIT.
Well.
Earlier this afternoon I was checking the Twitter, and my friend Fran mentioned that she was craving a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Since I was with my friend Leigh when she ordered a pumpkin spice latte this past weekend, Fran’s comment (I know that I’m supposed to say “tweet” – but I just. can’t.) made me Officially Curious. Because I’ve never had a pumpkin spice latte, you see. And I wondered if I was missing out on some sort of coffee phenomenon.
Well.
I replied (TWEETED. WHATEVER.) to Fran and confessed the absence of the pumpkin spice latte in my life (by the way, the name of that drink gets SUPER tiresome when you’ve typed it for the fourth time), and Shannon, who’s a friend of my friend Annie (feel free to re-read that last part – interweb connections can be very, well, webby), chimed in and told me that I have not lived until I’ve tried the pumpkin spice latte.
Now I don’t know about y’all, but reading that I haven’t lived until I’ve tried something makes me feel a certain sense of urgency. An urgency that’s coupled with an unmistakable pumpkin-y craving.
I didn’t go by Starbucks after Pumpkin Spice Latte Alert ’09 because I have finally started to figure out that when I drink coffee in the afternoons, I – get a load of this – HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPING AT NIGHT, HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING. But I still spent almost all of my supper-cooking time thinking about the PSL (I WILL NOT TYPE THOSE WORDS AGAIN) and how specific our coffee preferences have become. I mean, when I was growing up and we were in a restaurant and my mama wanted a cup of coffee, do you know what she ordered?
A CUP OF COFFEE.
There was no tall-nonfat-caramel-macchiato-extra-whip-double-shot-extra-hot business. And there was certainly no trace of, you know, PUMPKIN. It was just coffee. If you were lucky the waitress would throw some of those little cream containers at you when she walked past your table.
Anyway, while I was cooking supper I also started to think about how much coffee-related minutiae I have stored in my brain, and oh my word, it’s A LOT. For example, I know that my husband is a venti Pike Place, three Equals and nonfat milk. Sister is a venti Pike OR Cafe’ Americano with just a splash of half and half. Melanie is a grande non-fat mocha latte no whip. Janie is a grande skinny vanilla latte. Approximately fourteen of my friends pledged undying devotion to the salted caramel hot chocolate last winter. And I could go on with lo, even more examples, but I’ll stop right now since I know this information is ABSOLUTELY RIVETING.
So, internet, given the fact that I haven’t tried the pumpkin spice latte (okay. I caved. I typed it again.), and given the fact that it might very well be time for me to broaden my specialty coffee drink horizons, I’m going to ask you a question of critical international importance:
What is your very favorite drink to order in a coffee shop?
(And it doesn’t have to be at Starbucks. I know that some of you are incredibly fond of your Tim Hortons coffee. Some of you love the coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Some of you favor a local place. Some of you prefer hot tea. So please know that all coffee shop vendors and their respective beverage options are welcome here.)
(I just felt like I needed to clarify.)
(What with my annoying tendency to overexplain and all.)
Love,
Pumpkin Spice Latte-less in Alabama
aka
Me
You MUST try the pumpkin spice latte…goes great with the pumpkin scone! (be sure to avoid the nutrition facts) I LOVE the peppermint mocha from Starbucks at Christmas time. After one peppermint mocha, I’m jingling my bells and decking the halls all day long!
I will be interceding at the throne of grace for you today and your lack of devotion to all things Starbucks.
I have tried preeeeeeeettttty much everything from The BUCKS as we like to call it here in Scranton…and I’ve settled on the most tasty AND sensible drink there is out there:
GrandeNonfat1PumpVanillaCaramelMacchiatto.
If I’m extra tired, I get an extra shot, which would make it a Triplegrandenonfat1pumpvanillacaramelmacchiatto.
Don’t worry though, I have an iPhone app from the Bucks that helps me keep track of all this…
OH–AND GET YOUR BUTT TO STARBUCKS TO TRY THE LIFE CHANGING PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE.
You’ll come out singing “I’ve Just Seen, JEEEEEESUS! And I tell you HEEEEEEEE’S ALIIIIIIVE…”
I must confess… I have never drunk a cup of coffee. Tasted it a few times but never a whole cup.
Diet Coke. Cold. In the can. ALL YEAR ROUND.
BooMama, even here in Seattle there are old holdouts for just a plain old cup of coffee with a little sugar and some milk. BUT when I’m feeling fancy I go to the local coffee shop (Victor’s Coffee) and order a Java Jane. It’s like a sundae for the morning. Also, if you do try the PSL-that’s what we call it too-you’ll need to compare the Tully’s brand PSL and the Starbuck’s PSL. In my opinion, Tully’s is better. Keep us posted!
Hot Chocolate!
Although my husband ordered a PSL at a Peet’s Coffee and Tea last night and I had a sip of the foam and that was nice and pumpkiny. If I could just get one without that coffee stuff in it.
I love Starbucks “caramel apple cider” it is a must for me every fall/winter.
This is the best post ever. I still haven’t joined Twitter and I get the feeling I’m missing something but it just seems like all status updates all the time. And you are right, “tweet” just seems so wrong. Not a big pumpkin spice fan. But that’s just me.
I’m a Caramel Macchiato girl, iced or hot. Whole milk please.
I don’t like coffee. (did I just hear you gasp?)
A friend of mine always tells me I have to keep trying it, work my way up, and basically force myself to dink it until I love it.
He thinks this is a fabulous idea. I’m just not convinced I want to do that.
PSL time is Amanda time…that is until the Peppermint Mocha comes out. :)
Half hot chocolate, half French Vanilla cappucino from SPEEDWAY :)
I only order plain, black coffee at coffee shops (well that is all I drink at home for that matter). All the coffee lingo frightens me. At least this way I know what I am getting.
Hot chocolate made by a friend of my brother. Cream, expensive chocolate, and a few spices. Oh it’s wonderful!
Chai! I loooooove some Chai. Strangely (though I am a skim milk drinker) I hate Chai with skim, I have to have it with 2%… and now I want some chai! :)
Come on girls!! Who, besides me, will admit that the McCafe’ coffee is awesome?? Oh how I love it!! We don’t have a Starbucks, so McD’s is the next best thing! I avoided it forever b/c the line was always SO long at the drive-thru, but then, I discovered that it goes SO FAST in the morning… ONLY in the morning b/c everyone is only ordering coffee! Even if the car line is all the way to the street, I can get thru it in 3 minutes! TOPS! Gotta love that!
Decaf mocha. Preferably from this little coffee shop we went to in San Francisco called Blue Bottle…. alright, but since that’s not my reality, I usually just stick to tea or a venti water from starbucks (it’s triple filtered.) Hubs is a coffee SNOB, so we have a fancy machine at our house. He makes yummy lattes and we even have the pumpkin spice syrup (a fancy brand) to complete the package. And I’d give it to you for free. Come on over! Call Leigh and we’ll have us a coffee meet-up. I’ll be the barista. Ooo, and I might even give you a BISCUIT.
I enjoyed that PSL as much as the rest of the cheerleaders of it . . . the first year. I am finding in the area I live that our Star$$$s is stingy with their rich coffee and regularly water down my favorites until they are simply a shadow of their former selves.
My new favorite when I’m not home is the Pumpkin Cappuccino at our local BP where I can also fill up my tank while I fill up on a tasty drink.
At home it is Creme Brulee by Folgers Gourmet Selections. Oh. my. goodness!! The smell alone is intoxicating, but the taste w/ a little cream and sugar is divine.
I see that there are others who are Peppermint Mocha lovers. Word, girls. You can get that thing all year long at most Starbucks!!!!! Needless to say that revolutionized my life. I take mine thus –
Venti No-Fat No-Whip PM with 4 splendas – I know, I know. I take a little splash of coffee with my flavorings.
Here is another not-as-good, but closer-than-anything-else substitute. Coffemate during the holidays comes out with a Peppermint Mocha creamer. Two of my staff members are also big fans so we literally buy it all up in our area and freeze it…We finally ran out this year in June. But we aren’t obsessive about it all. Really.
I have been sucked into the PSL vortex this fall, for the first time. They are pretty darned good especially with that dab of the wicked whipped cream. My usual order at the ‘bux is a grande nonfat latte. No sweetener, but then i will pour in a splash of 1/2 and 1/2 and chocolate sprinkles and a dash of nutmeg sprinkle. I am also a big fan of the Peppermint Mocha in the wintertime, and please please i hope they bring back that salted caramel hot chocolate this winter too. That darned drink is to die for .
Vanilla Chai… made with powder NOT liquid. Extra hot, lots of foam.
I tried the starbucks pumpkin spice latte (after all the hype) and didn’t like it. In fact, I drank approximately two sips and couldn’t finish…even despite a desperate need for caffeine.
Pike’s Grande with lowfat milk. I’m adventuresome that way.
Also, I’m cheap. Plus, I’d rather eat my calories than drink them.
i feel so sorry for you. what a sad, sad -yea even tragic- situation that you have never tasted of the Yummy Goodness. you are missing out on the hailing of autumn. a fall rite of passage. please post when you have partaken.
you probably won’t even like it after all the hype. :)
By default, I am a Tall Decaf Low-Fat White Mocha girl.
Or, in the summer a Tall Iced White Mocha. Or maybe a Grande White Mocha Frappuccino if I’m feeling more dessert-y.
Or, in the fall a Tall Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Or, in the winter the salted caramel hot chocolate.
Oh wow, I just realized I have a seasonal Starbucks menu for myself.
Large Diet Coke from Sonic on my way to Starbucks to meet friends. That is my coffee of choice.
Water.
i must confess that i, myself, do not care for the PSL. i think it tastes rather like carrots. Not to say that i don’t like carrots. i’d just prefer my coffee not be flavoured with them!
My go-to order is a hazelnut soy latte. If i’m feeling kicky, i might switch it up to toffeenut!
Being that I am from the Seattle area where Starbucks found it’s beginning, I feel it is almost a sin to admit that I don’t like coffee. I do like Starbuck’s Signature Hot Chocolate, but like you, I don’t like spending the three plus dollars to get it. They sold something for a short time a few years ago that I don’t remember the name of, but it was basically a melted dark chocolate candy by in a cup. It was heaven!!
It’s seasonal. Day to day, I am DEVOTED to Dunkin Donuts: Large Hazelnut, cream and sugar (I don’t do artificial sweeteners except in diet soda). Once SBX puts up the sign for the PSL, I am ALL OVER IT. That is my de rigeur fall drink. There is something so warm and pumpkin-y that makes you feel good while you drink it. I also (if I am in a non-caffeine kinda mood) will order the Caramel Apple Spice. Once the holidays come around – it’s a free for all. The peppermint mocha and the eggnog latte are DIVINE. Also – the sea salt caramel hot chocolate. Swoon. Once January comes around, it’s back to DD.
Hands down it’s Cafe mocha! What’s not to love about espresso and chocolate!
I’m a Grande Cafe Mocha girl 11 months out of the year. Oh but I adore that Peppermint Mocha in the red holiday cup just as soon as it is available. The red cup really makes it.
It’s my drink of choice for our Christmas light drives and tree decorating marathon.
I am very curious about this salted caramel hot chocolate thing, though.
Not a fan of PSL. It is like liquid pumpkin pie and that just “ain’t right.”
Depending on the day, my drink of choice varies…
BUT! I did need to tell you that Caribou (started right here in MN, so not found in every state!) has a pumpkin latte that has a few shots of white chocolate added (hot one only…not the cold latte) and it is SHEER PERFECTION!! Do yourselves a favor, skip Starbucks, and go find a Caribou. And no, I do not work for them! :-)
I’m a DD lover. I’ve probably order this a couple hundred times….Medium, mocha-swirl-ICED-latte made with skim milk and no-whip, please! See I live in FL and sometimes HOT coffee just doesn’t sound good. This one is good no matter the time of day! However my other favs include:
Starbucks: grande non-fat cafe mocha, no whip. PSL is good in the Fall as well as their Gingerbread Lattes. MMM…fact There are 2 Starbucks located with in 1 mile from my house. 1-24hour store and 1 in the Super Target behind my neighborhood. Tooo temptiing….
Love ya Boo Mama!
I love this post! My favorite hands-down is Segafredo Espresso. No milk. No cream. No sugar. Just pure, unadulterated, espresso. The Segafredo is the best. But there aren’t any places around me that have it. So I usually settle for one of the following:
– espresso
– dark roast coffee (none of the light-wimpy stuff!)
– Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Latte (WAY WAY better than the pumpkin spice one. WAY better. You are living now w/o the pumpkin spice, but seriously, you will live longer and have a more full life after you’ve tried the Peppermint Mocha Latte). But you’ll have to wait closer to Christmas… :)
While I love the smell of coffee, the idea of coffee, I don’t like the taste of coffee. But I do like a good hot chocolate. The Signature hot chocolate at Starbucks is quite good. But the BEST EVER CHOCOLATE DRINK was chantico, the drinkable chocolate they sold a few years ago!!! It was like melting a bar of dark chocolate, adding a little cream, and drinking it. I’m still sad they don’t sell it any more! But I wouldn’t be surprised if I get to drink some in Heaven!!
Coca-Cola! Iced! and if a coffee shop doesn’t sell Coke, I don’t order!
IF you get around to reading ALL 135 comments here goes:
1) I thought the same thing. That I might be missing out because half a dozen of my friends have pledged allegiance to the PSL and Emily from chatting at the sky even wrote an ode to it! So,… I tried it. And. ??? What’s the big deal? Don’t bother is what I say.
and 2) My favorite is Folgers Colombian made in my own house from my own coffee pot doctored with a little less than a 1/2 tbsp. of sugar and plenty of Coffee Mate’s Vanilla Caramel creamer!!! And… the best part? It costs me all of about 6 cents to make.
All my friends have reacted similarly to the PSL, so I finally caved and tried it last fall. And….I HATED IT. I love all things pumpkin, but that drink was awful, blech. Maybe it was a singularly bad case and I should try it again, but I don’t want to give up the three bucks for a potentially bad cup when I can get one that I love – like the white chocolate mocha.
I think starbucks staff secretly love the complicated orders.
Tall skinny latte, 2 equal, no foam for me please!
The rare treat at Starbucks is a small decaf cinnamon mocha. I am not hip to the lingo there so I say small. It is so good.
Tall DECAF (so I can sleep at night) peppermint mocha, extra hot from Starbucks.
However. I recently bought pumpkin spice creamer and it is pretty good, not very pumpkin-y, more with the spice. Just found out that my friend prefers an extra shot of the pumpkin spice at Starbucks to make it stronger with the pumpkin AND spice and who knew you could do THAT??
(I must confess that I am a new coffee drinker so anything that gives it a flavor besides the actual coffee is good with me. :))
136 comments already…thou hast touched a nerve methinks!
I order an iced tea (enti half black/half passion, no sugar…we tea folk didn’t like being left out of the coffeehouse speak). Or if it’s particularly rainy or hovering near 60 here in SoCal I’ll order a hot tea. I don’t care for coffee.
But when the temps plummeted to 67 a few weeks ago and everyone out here was pulling out their Uggs and hoodies the PSL was being Facebooked and Tweeted as if it were an element of the Host and I have to admit to becoming a bit PSL-curious. With words like “pumpkin” and “spice” in there it may not even taste that much like coffee. Which is what I would need if I were to drink it.
I’ll be interested to hear what you decide…you influence more than you know! ;)
I vote the Grande Pumpkin Spice Frap with just a smidge of whipped cream and cinnamon over the latte every time. But the Peppermint Mocha…can’t wait for it to arrive!
Yeah, no coffee for me either. Coke Zero over ice any day, any time. My husband is the coffee drinker and he started boycotting Starbucks when the only thing they would brew in the afternoon is Pike Place. He wants to know what happened to the Sumatra or Komodo Dragon or even just having a choice of brews. He also thinks PSL is not coffee, it’s dessert.
I love the Pumpkin Spice Latte, look forward to it every year. My family and I were in Branson, MO this past weekend and visited a coffee shop called Jammin’ Java. Ordered the Pumpkin Mocha and my word, it was better than Starbucks and it had REAL pumpkin in it!!!
I love the pumpkin spice latte. For some reason it means Christmas is coming. And when they get the Christmas flavors out…I’m ready!
Jen
No Coffee NEVER! Chi Tea from our Farmers Market. God Bless, Pam, South Bend
I hate to do this to you, BUT, you have not lived until you have Peets coffee, a Berkley, CA-based chain. It’s strong but not bitter. A veritable “party in your mouth,” especially with real cream and sugar. Oh yes. Come visit me in San Diego and I will treat you.
I don’t drink coffee.
Sorry!
Give me an ice cold Dr. Pepper anytime.
The very few times I’ve ever been in a coffee shop, I’ve ordered hot chocolate.
When the need for a hot beverage comes upon me I normally order hot chocolate from Panera, Starbucks, or Dunkin Donuts (this is the best). I am not much of a coffee girl – it’s too bitter for me. If the hot chocolate comes from Starbucks then sometimes I’ll have them add peppermint and sometimes not; depending on the present mood. If I’m at Starbucks and I need a cold drink then I go with the Light Java Chip Frappuccino. Although, I do hear good things about the pumpkin just haven’t tried it yet; maybe I should venture out more.
Well. Since you asked …. my favorite is the Cinnamon Dolce Latte (CDL) at Starbucks. All the way, skinny on nothin’ (which is pretty much why I look the way I do..just sayin’)! But I only get a tall, so I have no guilt.
However, that being said, I have given up Starbucks for the time being because of Dave Ramsey. He calls Starbucks ‘Fivebucks’ and frankly, as much as I hate to admit it…he’s right. I’ve now settled for coffee at home (freshly ground from the bean, of course) and I buy Cinnamon Vanilla Creamer and Pumpkin Spice Creamer. Almost the same thing at a fraction of the cost. And I don’t have ‘Dave guilt’. :)
Um, definitely a PSL kinda gal. And then, after the PSL season is over, then I love the Gingerbread latte, or I think they renamed it the GingerSNAP latte last year. Whatever. To us it can just be the GL. Or we’d have to decide whether we wanted to do GBL or GSL. Why am I still typing?
I used to work at Tim Hortons so my favorite is “unofficial.”
hot apple cider with caramel drizzle (the stuff they put on ice capps – I think the buttercaramel flavor shot is gross) and whipped cream!
Just give me a cold Dr. Pepper and all will be fine in the world!!
Typically I order a double tall skinny hazelnut latte; HOWEVER, when Starbucks releases the perfection that is a pumpkin spice latte every fall, it is all I drink. Go now.
Usually I am a purist with my coffee – black and strong. The other day I was in HEB for the umpteenth time this week (shock!) and feeling daring, I ordered the HEB brand of coffee, Cafe Ole Taste of San Antonio. Oh my – possibly a new favorite with a hint of cinnamon and chocolate. http://www.hebshopping.com/product.php?productid=37&cat=0&bestseller=Y
It would be funny if I was at one Starbucks, and you were at a Starbucks across the street…then next time you were at the other Starbucks and I was at the Starbucks across the street.
Working on our Macs and reading an LL Bean catalog.
Sorry. Clearly I need some
um. Coffee.
So, I used to love the Caramel Macchiatos from Starbucks, but the $4.25 price tag was more than I could handle every day (they ARE that addicting) on my new college grad salary. So, I decided to give up Starbucks for my New Year’s resolution a few ::ahem:: years back, and I’ve pretty much stuck with it.
When I moved to Seattle, I swore I’d never be that person who walks around with coffee all day. Well, crud, here I am. I do still prefer a “coke” (that could be a DP or a Diet Coke from McD’s, y’know) at times, but most days it’s a local espresso stand because you know, we have about 2 billion of those plus the Starbucks. So at my fave place it’s a 24 oz iced white chocolate Americano with about an 1″ of cream (fat-free if they’ve got it). At Starbucks this time of year: Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte with room (then I add more half and half). In the summer it’s a Venti Iced Green Tea Shaken lemonade 7 pumps classic. (Apparently, 6 is the norm, but I’m from OK where we like our tea sweet!) Mercy. It’s a good thing there aren’t too many warm days around here!
I usually make coffee at home to save money!
However, Starbucks is a wonderful splurge for me. Yes, their PSL is delightful, but I REALLY LOVE their Peppermint Mocha (nonfat). They serve it year-round (a little secret!), but I just get it around the holidays. Gets me in the holiday spirit.
**If you want to give the pumpkin spice coffee a try, I would actually recommend Dunkin Donuts. They have a PSL for $0.99 which is REALLY DELICIOUS! Just had one over the weekend . . . on the way home from the pumpkin patch! ;-)
Oh, one other thing, do NOT spill the PSL on your grey-colored van upholstery. It will not come out. I repeat, it will NOT come out. The coffee part, yes, the orangey color? Not so much. I have a part of my van now that I hate because it looks like Texas burnt orange. Ugh.
Just give into the pumpkin spice latte craving. It’s well worth it during the holidays. Nothing says Halloween like pumpkin in a cup. And when Christmas rolls around I must have a non fat peppermint mocha from Starbucks. The best!
Great post…i love me some coffee.
As a MN girl, I need to support local business so Caribou Coffee gets my hard earned dollars!
Love: Chai Latte, Northern Lite Turtle Latte (Northern Lite = sugar free), Pumpkin Spice latte, Spiced Apple Latte…I could go on and on and on! : )
I just tried the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks and it was tasty…but nothing compares to the cinnamon roll cappuccino out of the machine at the Hess gas stations. Seriously. Seriously.
I’m with Melanie, but I also tend to favor the nonfat-sugarfree-vanilla-cappucino from McDonald’s. And the Vanilla machiatto (not sure about the spelling of that) from Dunkin Donuts, but that could be because the nice little boy working there gave me a free one because I had to stand in line so long.
I like my sugar with flavored cream and a little bit of at-home-brewed-coffee. What’s even better…the steamer. Doesn’t matter what flavor shots are added to it, it’s hard to beat sugary, frothy, hot milk. Seriously – go try it any time, day or night! I have to agree with Dawn though. I love me some Hess gas station cappuccino.
My fave Starbucks is the Caramel Frap and the Caramel Macchiato iced w/ an extra shot of vanilla.
I love the grande skinny vanilla latte!! BUT this fall I have become a fan of the pumpkin spice latte!
tall nonfat toffeenut latte no whip. =^)
if it’s the afternoon I usually go half-caf so I’m not bouncing off the walls at night (but enough to slog through the afternoon)
At home? Plain old Folgers Columbian, black, no sugar or sweetener.
For hot tea, I love Earl Grey with more sugar than I like to admit. No milk.
At Starbucks, I either get the coffee of the day, black, no room for cream, or a venti white chocolate mocha with a extra shot (or 2!) with whip. I don’t get the mocha very often, so I figure if I might as well do it up good while I’m wrecking my health.
And I haven’t tried the pumpkin spice latte either. I just can’t bring myself to adulterate my coffee with a vegetable. The white mocha is a major concession for me, a usual black coffee only gal.
This one time, at Target, the Starbucks barista was handing out samples of the PSL and, LET ME TELL YOU, it was fabulous! (Not only the fact that we have a combo Target-Starbucks, but the PSL tasted fabulous as well.) So I’ve been known to throw down a few dollars to get one on occassion. But my drink of choice is the Tazo Chai Tea Latte all frothed up with a bit of pumpkin pie spice on top. You can get one at Starbucks, OR you can buy the liquid tea concentrate at Target and add the milk at home. It doesn’t get as much frothy goodness when you make it at home, but the essence is there. Essence of yum.
A grande Americano, in a Venti cup, filled the rest of the way with whipped cream and caramel sauce on top. Then you can eat some of the caramel and whipped cream off before it all melts into the Americano. Heavenly.
Oh the Holiday Peppermint Mocha Latte at Starbucks…amazingly delicious. I don’t love spending 4 bucks on it…but you must try it, totally worth it now & then!!
freshly brewed real honest to goodness COFFEE – and if I’m feeling frisky – a shot of real cream and a blessing of Kahlua! (obviously I get coffee places other than Starbilionaires )
On the rare occasion that I actually GET to step foot into a bona fide coffee shop (Starbucks or otherwise!), I’m a sucker for a nice creamy chai latte.
But really, with the aforementioned sticker shock of all these fancy la-dee-dah coffee drinks, I honestly prefer to brew my own at home. In my fuzzy leopard print slippers and flannel pants. Throw in a nice fuzzy sweater and stir in a dash (or two or a huge dollop) of sugar free hazelnut creamer to that home brew and I’m good. Really. A cheap date, if I do say so myself.
Not that anyone asked.
Oh my stars…after we got our kids, I lived at Starbucks. It was the only way I maintained any notion of sanity in those early months. I’d give my toddler a baggie of cheerios and a sippy cup of mild and my baby would get a bottle.
And Momma got a Zebra Mocha. Hallelujah.
I think we went 3-4 mornings a week that first year. Yikes. I do love the PSL. But only for a coupla months and then it’s dead to me for a year.
Yeah, sippy cup of milk, I meant. Excellent.
Right now, I’m loving the Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte from Starbucks. It’s warm and wintery but not as heavy as a Chait Tea Latte or even the PSL.
I LOVE the Rainy Day Latte at Seattle Drip. I am so a Seattle Drip girl…it was here before Starbucks. I also love any southern pecan from any coffee shop. AND I love Cinnamon Spice from Dunkin Donuts.
I’m a fan of the Caramel Latte. I Like the PSL a LOT, but it is usually more expensive, and so I just stay with the Caramel Latte. But, to make things difficult, I prefer it with only about half of the Caramel syrup that they usually use. So, that throws a hitch in their get-along.
I don’t drink coffee, but I go to Starbucks for their iced tea (even though I realize it costs about 3 cents to make it at home). Large black iced tea with four Splenda, no classic (the syrup). I don’t say “venti” or the other weird words for sizes. I’m sure the baristas all roll their eyes at my stubbornness about that.
On a special day – I order a Double Tall Caramel White Chocolate Breve with lot’s o’ whip. (on a good day)
On a cheap day – I order a Tall Caramel (two pumps only) Breve.
On a normal day – black coffee – one cream.
I’m probably the only person who said this, but I tried it and did not like it at all. I didn’t want to waste it b/c it was so darn expensive, so I gave it to my neighbor since I know she loves them. I am cheap (like you) and make my own coffee everyday.
PSL all the way! I always look forward to October 1 when the official PSL season starts. It’s my absolute favorite and I’d be even more broke if Starbucks sold it year round.
I don’t really like coffee. I KNOW. But, I drink it. And I drink it black. Just for the wonderful effect of the drug. I KNOW. So my favorite thing to order is a doppio espresso. That’s two shots of espresso. Comes in a cute little cup, straight down the hatch, and I’m good to go for like 8 hours. Just goes to show, not all drugs are bad.
Well, I am not reading through all these comments even though I live off coffee and am dying to know what people say! Ha.
For the record, i love pumpkin spice during these fall months only. I hate the christmas coffee blends…i think of peppermint and coffee and instantly feel sick.
All the other times of the year I LOVE a grande non-fat white mocha very light whip!
You completely crack me up!
Oh yeah…while in memphis, i’m sure i consumed 28 of these pumpkin spice thingys in a 48 hr period. I’m still detoxing.
Oh how I remember the day when my parents would ask a waiter for ‘coffee’.
I’m not a coffee drinker myself but I did have to buy a pumpkin scented candle after reading your post. Now Fall is in the air, minus the caffeine!
Blessings and thanks for the laughs,
Kaye
Matthew 21:22
Wow – almost 200 replies – to coffee… : )
I am a big fan of the PSL, but think the price for it this year is RIDICULOUS!!!!! I’ve only succumbed to two so far this season.
Once the Truffle Chocolate Espresso comes out in December, I am a goner, though.
I love a Grande Half-Caf Americano with Extra-room. Then I fill it up with half-n-half. yummy!
At home though, I now use a Coffee Toddy system. I make coffee concentrate and put it in my fridge and then can make hot coffee drinks, or use milk, almond syrup and toddy coffee and I have a delicious, inexpensive iced almond latte.
Also, I am ashamed to admit that I really had to consider a new friend who declared she didn’t like coffee, or even the smell of coffee. I seriously had to think “can I be friends with this gal?”
Enjoy your first PSL!! Let us know what you think of it.
Coffee.Black.NO instant.The End.
I have never tried the PSL. I think I need to try it because I keep hearing about it! My favorite Starbucks drink is at Christmas. Peppermint Mocha (low fat WITH whip of course). It’s like Christmas in my mouth…literally. You HAVE to try it!
I love an Amaretto Latte. Unfortunately, it seems fewer places carry Amaretto syrup these days. The PSL is yummy.
If I’m at Starbucks or similar chain I generally go for the latte, no flavorings because ew. I have not had a desire to taste the psl. My preference is really just excellent strong coffee with a little cream.
When we first moved to the UK we were often asked if we wanted a ‘white coffee’…that just cracks me up. I always wanted to say no, make mine light brown please. White coffee is a coffee with milk as opposed to black coffee-you’re welcome. Obviously I also attended the university of over explaination.
Oh I do enjoy the PSL, at least once or twice a year. Come Christmas I switch to their delightfully delicious Peppermint Mocha. DELICIOUS!!!!! (and I don’t even like minty things).
However, I have to admit my favorite of all Starbucks beverages is their Venti Passion Tea with Lemonade, lightly sweetened. It is joy in a cup and super pretty as well.
Well I am from Seattle home of Starbucks so I am really into it. If I’m not splurging I am a Venti, Non-Fat, Extra Hot, 2 Splenda, No Foam latte. If it is the red cup season (us Starbuck fanatics go crazy when the red cup comes out just before Thanksgiving to celebrate Christmas) then I am either a Venti half eggnog, half non-fat, extra hot, no foam latte or (again in the red cup) a Venti, Non-Fat, Extra Hot, no foam Pumpkin Spice latte.
But I really only do Starbucks on special occassions because I am cheap so 7 days a week I make my own latte at home in my Starbucks espresso machine.
You asked :-)
I, too, love the PSL. It screams Fall! Do you know what’s even better? A free PSL. I tried the PSL for the first time last week when one was accidently delivered to our table. The Starbucks guy said, “just keep it”, so I did and it was super-yummy!!! However, I fear that all this build-up will lead to your disappointment in the PSL. I hope it lives up to the hype.
I love love love…. the Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s fall in a cup. Makes my heart warm just thinking about it.
When there is no PSL, my standard Starbuck order is a Triple Shot Venti Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Hard core stuff.
If you order the PSL you won’t be disappointed.
I’m in LOVE with McDonald’s iced mocha…SO DELISH!! Their hot mocha is pretty good too. I used to be a huge fan of Starbucks’ Mocha Frap, but they’ve been messing it up something awful the last few times I’ve gone.
This post made me laugh. I am from Seattle (birthplace of Starbucks) so we have plenty of different coffee options. I didn’t get addicted to Starbucks until I was in a college though. My favorite drinks? A nonfat, no whip, white chocolate mocha…in the summer I get it iced. In the winter I love nonfat peppermint mochas….they’re available year round, but to keep them special I limit them to winter time (or as a good rule of thumb….when the christmas cups come out).
My other favorite kind of coffee? Zoka coffee. There are locations in the U-District and Greenlake (in Seattle) and a new location in Kirkland. If you are in the Seattle area, try it out! They also have free wi-fi, yummy food, and a great atmosphere.