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
My absoulte favorite is a grande 5 pump vanilla latte. That sounds like a lot of vanilla but it is really just one extra pump! If I am in NEED of some coffee it is a Venti 6 pump vanillia latte. The great thing is my 3 year old since she just turned 2 ask for a treat when we go. The ladies or men that work there give her a sample cup of whip cream…the best part…it is FREE which is a lot better then the $1.50 milk that she likes!
I love Starbuck’s peppermint mocha latte. They used to have a honey latte on the menu, which was delicious, but the Starbuck’s in my area no longer makes it. Oh well.
I am definitely a pumpkin spice latte. The return of the latte each fall is reason to stop everything and head for Starbucks. My other true Starbucks delight, however, arrives a little later in the year. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Oh. My. Word. I just know that God kicks back on the throne and relaxes with one of these at least once daily. Delicious. I got my poor brother (who had just lost all kinds of weight on Nutrisystem) hooked on these last winter. Poor guy. You can’t get those on Nutrisystem :o)
Well I am a big time coffee fan, but it depends on the time of year. In the fall at at Christmas time, I definitely go for the SB PSL as well as the Caramel Macciato and Egg Nog Latte. YUM! If I want a regular cup of joe, I head for DD, McD’s, or Tim Hortons ( l live in Michigan, but we do have Tim Hortons’ here.) As far as the iced coffee goes, NOBODY can beat Tim Hortons! Nice and strong, with the perfect amount of cream and the perfect price every time.
I don’t really care for the PSL, although I am usually a fan of anything Pumpkin.
Sooo…. I like a
Tall, NonFat, No Water, Sugar-Free Vanilla, Chai Latte. It’s supposed to be one of the best drinks for ya at SBux and it is mighty tasty! And, if I am feelin frisky, I’ll have the barista make it dirty (with a little espresso!!!) Yum!
Coffee at home. Folger’s 1/2 Caff. I know, I shouldn’t be such a coffee snob. But I do have a creamer preference . . . International Delight French Vanilla. None of this Coffeemate garbage—I do have SOME pride. Only last weekend I discovered (in Sunday school, of all places) Coffeemate’s Belgian Chocolate Toffee creamer and, oh my word, it’s incredible. I might have to repent.
My favorite is very strange. But somewhere along the way I became somewhat addicted to Starbucks: Iced, Grande, Skinny, Solo(a shot of espresso)Green Tea Latte. With an extra cup of ice on the side! Looks strange but tastes great! At home we are a Chock Full o Nuts coffee family with French Vanilla creamer!
Thanks for your fun post today! Susan
LOVE THIS!
No coffee for me. Everyone (and by everyone I’m referring to my mother and boyfriend de jour) assured me I’d learn to LOVE. LIVE FOR. CRAVE the coffee when I got to University, but it didn’t happen. I don’t even like the smell.
My beverage of choice at Starbucks? Grande English Breakfast tea, to which I add my own non-fat milk.
At Tim Horton’s, the god of all things hot and caffeinated in Canada? Large steeped tea with milk.
Mmm, tea.
Venti Peppermint Mocha, Non-fat, No Whip!!
It is the most delectable coffee experience on the planet.
(Not that I’m into exaggerating or anything…) :)
Go get ya a PSL! They are terrific and you’ll be so glad you indulged in the sweet nectar that is on Starbuck’s Fall/Winter drink menu.
Be sure to update when you try it!!
Starbucks White Choc. Mocha and during the holidays the Peppermint Mocha. Either one of those is one big ole cup of ministry to me.
I don’t drink coffee … mostly because it burns my tongue and things taste weird for about 3 days afterwards. BUT, with all the hoopla surrounding the PSL this fall, I agreed to meet a friend at Starbucks and was going to try it.
I went to order AND I KID YOU NOT, it turned into a Saturday Night Live episode. It was hilarious. venti, tall, latte, mocha, nonfat, it went on and on and I was just trying to make sure I did it all correctly … and to make sure I was going to like what I was about to spend more than I thought I should, on a cup of coffee.
The barista (?) offered to make me a sample tester cup. I kind of think he just wanted me to move on outside. I tasted it and, let’s just say, I wasn’t a fan.
So I ordered a cinnamon orange hot tea and took my test Pumpkin Spice Latte (that IS a pain to type) and went outside. A bit later I tasted it again and it was MUCH better. Drank the whole tester.
I told my new barista friend and he said that I had learned … “the secret”. He said the flavors of the PSL (much easier) come out as the coffee cools and that no one should judge a coffee experience on the first sip.
Now, you probably knew all that, but I felt like I had just gotten my moneys worth.
PS I read the Oct. issue Southern Living last page today about the GPS and I checked the author 3 times because I could have sworn it was you writing it.
Longest.comment.ever.
I’m a total sucker for the specialty drinks Starbucks brings out, ESPECIALLY this time of year. But, I must say, when they bust out the red Christmas cups and put peppermint mochas on their menu, Christmas songs of joy start playing in my head.
Nonfat though. Most of the time no whip.
(And even though you could technically order the peppermint mocha year round, I choose not to. It would be a my-favorite-time-of-the-year tease to the highest order.)
Also, your reflection of the past reminded me of this clip, which is making its way around Facebook. I just watched it yesterday and thought it was funny, and thought you might enjoy too.
“Everything’s amazing and nobody’s happy”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk&feature=related
Believe it or not- I HATE coffee. Don’t even like the smell of it. SO- even though we are deep in the heart of the Community Coffee area, I just can’t be a grown-up and drink coffee. I usually get hot chocolate. Or if, unfortunately, I find myself at a Starbucks with my husband I will order the strawberries and cream thing that is like a milkshake…yum!
I don’t get them often enough, but I LOVE a peppermint white mocha. I get a little crazy when Coffee Mate puts out their peppermint mocha creamer around the holidays. I bought the first of the season this past weekend.
PSL is good, but trust me, the PEPPERMINT MOCHA is the one to go for!! HO HO HO!!
So, it’s the next day… have you had one yet? :)
I don’t particularly like coffee, but I do like the Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider! Except I can’t really justify it when I can get a whole package of the Alpine brand spiced cider packets for the same price… :)
Also, Tazo Passionfruit tea and Wild Sweet Orange tea are lovely!
I drink a grande, soy chai tea latte. Hot usually, but I’ll drink it cold too, with a shot of caramel. I’ve found it to be energizing and calming at the same time– which is what every mom wants/needs right?? :)
Goodness, posting on coffee really does bring people out of the woodwork, doesn’t it? Well I gotta tell you, I love me a PSL, but I ask for half the syrup so it’s not quite so sickly sweet.
You know my favorite though? Stop in to a borders and go to Seattles Best Coffee and order one of their mochas. For some reason I just LOVE theirs in particular. Yum.
But if we’re talking just plain coffee instead of these dessert-like drinks, hey… Folgers. It does the trick.
Grande white mocha! Ya gotta love an oxymoron beverage!!
Starbucks Gingerbread Latte is my seasonal favorite, but it doesn’t hit until closer to Christmas. I usually order a venti because i figure if I am going to pay over $3 for a cup of coffee, I may as well get the biggest one that only costs about 20 cents more!
I’m a fan of the Peppermint Mocha, non-fat, no whip. It’s delectable. However, I’ve also learned that I can make the EXACT same thing at home with a packet of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, a spoonful of instant coffee granules, and a few drops of peppermint extract. I’m with you — no coffee is worth four bucks.
Um, a Diet Coke, with crushed ice, in a styrofoam cup.
I don’t drink coffee. Yeah, I know…unAmerican. I like the smell, but CANNOT STAND the taste.
That said, I am addicted to hot chocolate in the winter. And I always order the same thing everytime I go to Starbucks (our only coffee shop, unless you count Waffle House, which the hubby does!)Double Chocolately Chip Frap with chocolate whip cream. Oh my word, it’s yummy!
I LOVE THE PSL!!! Couldn’t wait till it came out! That plus a pumpkin pie concrete (like ice cream but better) are my absolute faves. But not in the same day – the poor tummy couldn’t take it. Other than this time of year, I’m a cafe mocha girl. Other than the price. so really, just folgers with a splash of flavored creamer ( there is pumpkin creamer out now, also!).
Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte with no foam or Grande Cafe Mocha
Well, let’s see…here in NC we have a fabulous chain of sorts called Dilworth Coffee that is local :). I love their Spiced (or sometimes Vanilla) Chai Tea Latte with skim, I also like their caramel apple cider–YUM.My. In the summer, they have an amazing Mocha Chiller :).
When I am at Starbuck’s, I usually get my old faithful, decaf cafe mocha with skim and a little bit of whipped cream, or a lot, depending on my mood :). Because I drink the skim to enjoy the whipped!
Fall: PSL
Christmas season: Peppermint Mocha
Any other time: White Chocolate Mocha with Raspberry
When I need a hot chocolate fix, it needs to come from Cracker Barrell…it’s the BEST & has homemade whipped cream (or at least it tastes that way).
Go as soon as you can and get a PSL it is the bomb. They only serve it from labor day to about Feb. So you have already missed almost 2 months of divine! HURRY!!
I am a retired “air hostess”-so I was the pack mule that brought pounds and pounds of Jamaica Blue Mountain home. A freezer was devoted to it.
I love Cafe du Monde chickory!
-I have not tried the pumpkin yet-but I LOVE the gingerbread!
Venti Skinny Caramel Latte with 5 Splenda from Starbucks..it is THE only coffee place to me. I can’t drink coffee from anywhere else and I’ve been known to tell people that I will starve before I give up my Starbucks!! :) I am also on pins and needles waiting for the red cups…oh the JOY of the red cups is overwhelming. LOVE THEM!!!
Favorite drink to order in a coffee shop? Diet Coke (preferably caffeine-free) or an Ice Tea. :) Cannot stand the taste of coffee.
I usually order the same thing at Starbucks. A Venti, iced coffee, three pumps of sweetner, leave room for cream. It’s just too good! If I’m feeling like a hot coffee, I usually order a Venti coffee of the day and always have cream. At a regular coffee shop, I’ll usually just order a cup of coffee. I just love coffee and have been drinking it since I was 2!
God bless you – Julie
I am a tea girl, as was my dear mama. Tea with a spoonful of honest-to-goodness sugar. Unless, of course I am sick or nursing my strained vocal chords for a singing “gig”…then it’s tea with honey. I am currently sipping on the latter right now, as I am home sick with a cold/flu thingy…thus affording me the opportunity to stop by and visit with you to discuss the important things in life, like warm beverage preferences. Love to you…=)
I am a pumpkin flavored hot coffee (much cheaper than latte’s with same flavoring) or a caramel flavored hot coffee kinda girl myself. I LOVE pumpkin anything and as it happens, I am sitting at my desk drinking a Hot Pumpkin Coffee from Dunkin Donuts as we speak! Girl, go out and GET you one NOW – they are SO YUMMY! :o)
Go ahead and get yourself a Pumpkin Spice Latte because you’re gonna’ need the caffeine to read all the way through 200 plus coffee preferences.
Should you make it alll the way down here. OVER HERE, YOOOO HOOO, #230 something or other . . .
I’m a skinny vanilla latte gal. Plus three or five packs of Sweet n low and some half and half to cool ‘er down because if it’s too hot, I just can’t drink it. I’m not much of a sipper. More of a gulper. And unfortunately, that means hot beverages, too. Got have it cooled down a little.
At home, Community Coffee, of course. With at LEAST five Sweet n Lows and either evaporated milk or 2%.
Sophie, are you going to commit all, ALLLLL, of our coffee preferences to memory. Because I’m thinking you could set a record or something. But again, you’ll need that PSL.
My usual coffee order is grande, decaf, no-fat, caramel macchiato. But, this fall I had my very first pumpkin spice latte, and that first cup seemed to be a little slice of heaven. But since that first one, the others I’ve ordered have not measured up. I’ve come to the conclusion that my first barista must have put in extra syrup to get me hooked! ;)
I have a personal boycott on Starbucks. (I know it’s un-american since I live in Washington state and all) – but I think:
-their coffee tastes horrible
-they are THE MOST expensive in town
-they don’t do punchcards!!!!
-they don’t carry Irish Cream flavor.
So, I am a devoted Sundace Espresso junkie. I drank Irish Cream Mocha’s forever….until I met the Heath Mocha at Sundance!
16 oz – Heath Mocha – single shot – ICED (no matter the time of year!) regular milk, no whip.
BLISS!
I do have a special place in my heart for the PSL, but I do believe for me it is also what commentor #1 said… that I like the idea of the PSL and all that is signifies, not necessarily the PSL itself.
My favorite it a Mocha Breve decaf from Full City, because even if I drink caffinated coffee in the morning, I have trouble sleeping at night.
Oh and the Chai Latte is my 2nd fav.
Since we don’t have a Starbucks in our little town and it’s not as cool to drive thru Sonic for a coffee, going to the BIG CITY and getting to go to SB is considered a little luxury in life!
I do not like coffee but, of course, Hubs is drinking enough for two! He loves SB but is also happy with MacD’s. I love MacD’s hot chocolate but think it is kind of expensive( for a small) for $2. (I’m cheap like that)
I bought Kelly and I a Carmel Apple Spice in SB inside Target this week. It is my all-time favorite of the season! But I found a recipe for it and I plan on making my own!
I did not drink coffee at ALL until a couple of years ago on a cold Thanksgiving morning. Cousin and I were both hungover and tired tired tired, but we had to leave at o-dark-thirty to make it over the Delaware Memorial Bridge before it got hopelessly jammed. At our first rest stop cousin bought me a Gengerbread Spice Latte as a suck up gift before he fell asleep in the passenger seat. Oh. my. word. Heaven in a cup and caffeine to boot! We arrived on time, but both Cousin and I took hearty naps while at Uncle’s. Thank goodness he was understanding about it.
Since then I have switched to Skinny Caramel Lattes to save on calories. And I’m a Starbucks-on-occasion kind of girl. Except when visiting my folks in Florida. I need caffeine every day to keep up with the retired peeps!
Chai tea latte from Panera Bread..yummy – if it wasn’t $4, I’d drink it daily.
I almost always order the Soy Chai Latte anywhere I go – although Starbucks is the best (but you have to order it extra hot because it isn’t good any other way). If I’m feeling crazy, I’ll go after the Say Mocha Latte. I know – I’m wild. But, alas, coffee keep sme up at night if I drink it after about 10:00 am so I have to get the Mocha early if I’m gonna get it. I’m not a fan of the PSL – which is right near blasphemy, I believe.
Enjoy your coffee!
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” is actually referring to the one and only pumpkin spice latte (yes, I can see how typing that a thousand time would get annoying). I steer clear of Starbucks the whole rest of the year just so I can savor the PSL. It’s the best. ever. thank you.
I miss commenting here. So I think I shall start up again.
I think I might try this PSL you blog of. Starbucks is way too strong for me, so if Terry and I go, I get a hot chocolate. Signature HC if I’m really not caring about calories that day. It would be nice to have 2 choices.
Will let you know how it turns out!
well, since you already have TWO HUNDRED AND FOURTY FOUR comments…I’ll be brief. I’m Canadian. Tim Hortons. French vanilla cappacino. That is all :)
We have a little drive through place here call Seattle Drip and I get the toasted Southern pecan coffee with a shot of hazlenut syrup, 1/4 c. skim milk and 2 Sweet N Lows.
I, too, am Canadian. If I’m going out for coffee, I usually go to Timmy’s for a large “double double with milk” (2 milk and 2 sugar). But at Christmas time, I am very much a fan of the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks.
You certainly know how to ask a question and get a response or a million, crazy lady. ;) Healthy Me orders a tall nonfat misto with two pumps of white mocha, no whip. Not-so-healthy-me orders a grande white chocolate mocha, full whip. Depends on the day, ha.
I am a big toffee nut latte fan (at The Starbucks).
But here is the real news: I went to my first-ever Publix this past week while we were in Orlando and I immediately thought of you.
Is that weird?
Of course it is. But I so enjoyed the Publix and couldn’t help but picture you shopping with your black sharpie and all.
(If it makes it less weird, you can picture me shopping in Safeway(s).)
And lastly, I really like the look of the Publix store-brand products. Do you? (A good-looking store brand is a real plus in my mind…)
Try being a barista and see how many drinks you can memorize! I was a barista at It’s A Grind during college, and had at least 30 of our regular customers’ drinks memorized, down to how many packs of sugar in the raw.
One of the perks of barista-dom was getting to experiment with all the drinks: my favorite was an ice blended triple chocolate (milk chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate shavings YUM) mocha doctored up with either mint or caramel syrup, depending on how early in the morning I was working :) I refused to let my coworkers tell me how many calories were in it.
Ah, I miss that job!
Diet Coke.
Lame huh? But I don’t like coffee (gasp) and I don’t enjoy hot drinks that often.
I MIGHT go all out and get a skinny hot cocoa..but that is rare.
I enjoy my good ol’ Diet Coke…everywhere I go.
Favorite regular coffee: Dunkin D.
Favorite decorated coffee: Pumpkin Spice L. from Starbucks – no joke
Favorite decorated non-coffee item: Peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks.
bless your PSL experience in the am :)
Me? I’m a tall, non-fat mocha with light whip (just enought to cancel out the non-fat milk!) And oh, the thought of some Starbucks hot chocolate…..unflavored, peppermint flavored. My children will actually ASK for that when offered the choice of a treat. Go figure….
It varies, but the old PSL is definitely one of my top 3!
I am so insanely glad that you are going to try it!! I just can’t imagine you disliking it. YUMMMMMM-Y!
Grande, Iced, 3 pump, 3 shot, white chocolate mocha – no whip. No seasonal flavors for me.
I hated coffee until I moved to Jackson, MS where I was introduced to the White Chocolate Turtle at a lovely coffee shop called, CUPS.
D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S
well…I happen to be a Starbucks employee and I have to say that I can’t pinpoint what my favorite drink is b/c when you work there you make stuff up and it always tastes good, but it’s NEVER on the menu. anything with White Mocha in it though is DELISH! oh and a little FYI for ya since if you have some sleep issues with late afternoon caffeine fixes, you can order anything on the menu in DECAF except iced coffee, chai, and the frappuccino’s.
OK… You had to ask…
At Starbucks:
1) Mocha with salted caramel topping
2) Upside down caramel macchiato
3) Vanilla breve latte
At Java City:
– Sugar-free vanilla, non-fat latte
At Monk’s:
– Mocha Straight
At Brew.net:
– Sugar-free French vanilla, caramel latte
At McDonald’s:
– Large coffee with 5 cream and 5 Splenda
At Home:
– Any K-Cup with 2 French Vanilla Creamers and 2 Splenda
Gur.ur.URL! You know how to strike a (highly-caffeinated and artificially-sweetened) nerve.
You know what I drink? Water. It’s The Elixir of Life, and, also, I’m broke. Plus, when I’ve weighed this much in the past I was inhabited by a human embryo symbiant and dangit, I keep mashin’ around and all I can find is flub. So, it’s water for me. Or, as I like to tell skinny waitresses, “I’ll have a venti diet water, please, spring, not tap, double lemon, no ice.” They LOVE when I do that.
I’m about to say something that will rock almost everyone of your worlds.
Ready?
I don’t like, or drink, coffee.
I love the smell of it. But it just tastes NASTY!
Not trying to offend anyone. If you drink coffee, more power to you!
So, really, I’m no help at all on coffee choices!
raspberry white mocha.
at Dunkin Donuts:
caramel cappuccino blast. delish. and bad for you.
Sorry to throw rain on your PSL parade here, but, like a couple of others, I used to like them and now I don’t. The last one I ordered was cold–and that’s enough to quench your desire for a LOOONG time. Plus, has anyone ever lifted the lid and actually looked at a PSL?? They are orange and kind of gross-looking. I’d say that if you order one, make sure you order it extra-hot and don’t look under the lid.
I’m a coffee and milk kind of girl…
At Starbucks…it’s called a Misto
At Cafe du Monde (New Orleans)…cafe au lait
In Miami…and much of Tampa…cafe con leche (or cafe Cubano, meaning made with a Cuban coffee)
Basically…half coffee/half steamed milk.
At home, I steam the milk in the microwave, froth it with my handy=dandy frother, then add the coffee. Of course, I drink it in my S-bucks venti coffee mug.
Jane (Artfully graced)
Love to smell coffee but it’s Pal’s tea for me all the way…(you have to be from East TN to know Pal’s — they know my order, extra lemon, blah, blah w/out me saying a word).
My husband is the coffee drinker — we call it BigBucks — and he likes McD’s. Seriously.
Fun comment thread!
I love the Pumpkin Spice Coffee this time of year… but I have to confess something: I actually like the cheapo version from Speedway (yes, a gas station) better than the expensive one from starbuck’s! :)
Normally, I’m a Tim Horton’s girl. A large Mocha from there makes me very happy… and in the summer, I absolutely crave TH’s Nonfat Iced Capps.