You knew it was coming...
It's time to talk coffee, y'all. And I don't mean just regular Folger's or whatever motor oil they serve at gas stations. I'm talking Starbucks. The one, the only.
This green logo is like a beacon in the night, do you feel me?
Today let's break down my never-ending love for SBux and what you should be drinking from my favorite spot in the land.
When I turned 16 and started driving myself to school, life got better in more ways than one. I could pick up my friends, listen to Britney Spears at an unhealthy volume level, and most importantly I could drop by my local Starbucks every morning before first period. Ahhh, to be a teenager again. My friend, Kendall, and I would walk ourselves right in (they didn't have drive-thru back then which makes me older than I'd like to admit) and order a grande caramel macchiato. It was sweet, it was hot, it was perfect. Before I discovered my beloved macchiatos, I was only accustomed to drinking black coffee with a dessert like key lime pie or tiramisu. Those early morning macchiatos changed my outlook on coffee and caused Starbucks to gain a customer (and thousands of my dollars) for life.
A lot has changed over the years, but my love for that white and green cup has only grown.
(Yes, I realize this is dramatic.)
My drink preferences have changed throughout the years, but every once in awhile I'll treat myself to my old fave from my glory days, the macchiato.
During the summer I tend to only drink hot coffee first thing in the morning, then I switch to iced. I can't hold a steaming cup in 100 degree weather (I've tried.) But during the winter I drink them anytime of the day to keep warm and cozy.
Here are my favorite HOT drinks:
Cinnamon Dolce Latte:
If I have a Starbucks cup in my hand, there's at least an 85% chance it is a latte of some sort. A latte is basically expresso with steamed milk and a flavored syrup. You really can't go wrong with a latte. Cinnamon dolce latte's are the bomb dot com. I love them. If I'm not ordering cinnamon dolce, I ask for hazelnut or vanilla. Unless it's Fall and then it's ALWAYS pumpkin spice, and if it's winter it's almost always gingerbread.
If you are watching your calories, order it with nonfat milk and no whip cream to save over 100 calories. But if you AREN'T dieting, enjoy your whipped cream while I hate you from afar. Just kidding.
The Flat White:
This is a new favorite of mine. I discovered it during a trip to Target where I always, 100 million percent stop at Starbucks to fuel up for mindless shopping at The Dollar Spot and to make the fact that one of my kids is going to have a meltdown a little easier to cope with. Cheers! I have to admit that I don't know exactly what The Flat White is, but it includes expresso and milk so it's a win for me. If you love sweet drinks, this probably isn't the one for you. But if you are an expresso fein like me you will love it.
Americano:
I'll be honest about this one...I only drink Americanos when I'm watching my calorie intake. This is just expresso with water, and I usually add a splash of milk to make it a little more tolerable. It's definitely not my favorite drink, but if I need an afternoon pick-me-up and I've just eaten or something I'll grab an Americano.
Doppio:
Warning: Doppios are not for the faint of heart! This is the hard stuff! If I'm feeling super zombie-like and don't want to carry around a big drink, then I'll grab a doppio, which is just two shots of expresso in a cute little cup. My sister, Shelby, introduced me to these during our annual Houston shopping trip. They were perfect to grab in between stores. We tend to need two hands while we shop the Galleria (we don't mess around) so a quick doppio is perfect.
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I love Starbucks' iced options. When the weather is warm I always crave one of these ICED drinks:
Passion Tea:
This is by far my favorite of SBux's Tazo teas. It's naturally sweet, so I'm able to drink it plain. Occasionally I will ask them to add a little lemonade to make it sweeter and tangy. It's so refreshing! I also buy Passion Tea bags to brew it at home, although for some reason it never tastes as good. It's all mental... If you like sweeter drinks, try a Passion Tea Lemonade. You will love it! I've also had Passion Tea mixed with apple juice (a barista suggested it once) and it was really good. When you order a Passion Tea they will make it sweet (by adding their classic syrup) unless you tell them not to. It's great either way. Just try it today. Unless you're stuck indoors because the weather is psychotic and it's snowing outside like it is here. Today is not a good day for passion tea in West Texas.
Coffee Frappuccino:
I really am not a huge fan of super sweet drinks, so when it comes to fraps I keep it simple. They are plenty sweet on their own, so I never add whip cream and I almost always stick to coffee fraps because I like my drinks to taste like coffee and not ice cream. Adding whip cream makes it a dessert. And I'm not up for dessert at 8 am. Unless maybe when I'm on vacation.
Iced Coffee:
An oldie but a goodie, this is one of my go-to drinks. I always ask them to add about an inch of non-fat milk and voila! Summer coffee! You can ask them to add a flavored syrup as well if you'd like some sweetness in your life. I am usually surrounded by lots of sweetness so I don't need the extra sugar in my coffee. Ha.
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Starbucks has a really good rewards program that I recommend you use if you like free caffeine. Simply buy a gift card and register it on their website. You can track all your purchases by using the Starbucks app. It's really simple. You earn stars for each purchase and will earn a free drink after 12 stars. If you drink enough coffee to fill a swimming pool in a short period of time, they will send you one of these bad boys:
The Gold Card. Can I get a hallelujah?
I jumped on the rewards bandwagon after my friend, Joanne, told me about the perks. I owe her my life. Or at least a cup of coffee.
There you have it! Hope you are inspired to make a run while you're out and about today.
What are your favorite Starbucks drinks? I would love to know!
*all coffee images belong to starbucks.com*
*all coffee images belong to starbucks.com*
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