Starbucks = <3. It’s the only coffee I’ll drink. People find this strange, but there is a reason why. The first time I ever drank Starbucks was in London in 2003 when I went on a short trip with my mom. In 2004 I took my first solo trip to NYC. It was January and it was freezing cold. And this is where my love affair with Starbucks really started.
Because of the freezing cold, I had no other option than to hop from one Starbucks to the next. Drinking Lattes and hot chocolates as I went. Then in 2005, I went on exchange at College of William and Mary and lo and behold: there was a ‘We Proudly Brew Starbucks’ on campus. Here, I was introduced to Caramel Machiatto. The love affair became even more intense when I went to Chicago for Spring Break. Again, it was freezing cold as I had decided to visit Chicago during a snow storm and again I was hopping from one Starbucks to the other.
For a long time I could only drink Starbucks when I was on vacation: in Brussels or Cologne when going to Backstreet Boys concerts, or in Paris while visiting friends. So, to me, Starbucks was always associated with a certain amount of freedom. ‘Having Starbucks’ is so intricately linked to vacations, but also to traveling by myself that it really became a thing for me.
My love affair even went as far as taking a deliberate detour to Schiphol Airport when going to may parents, because for a long time it was the only Starbucks we had. Then more started opening up and there have been one too many trains I’ve missed because I was still stuck in line at the store on Utrecht Central Station. And then in January 2010, a Starbucks was opened on Leiden Central Station……
I now go there once a week or maybe once every two weeks. It is still pretty expensive, and I don’t want to turn it into a commodity. So when I get it, I get it when I have to catch an early train, or because I have a long day ahead or anything like that. I still want it to be special in one way or another.
What do I order? It’s either one of these:
– Skinny vanilla latte
If I want to keep it simple
– Skinny sugar free vanilla syrup Caramel Machiatto
My regular order. If I feel I need some more caffeine to keep me going I’ll ask for an extra shot of espresso
In summer I sometimes get this iced
– Skinny Caramel Frappuchino
Only on hot sweltering days
– Signature Hot Chocolate
My ultimate winter treat!
– Gingerbread Latte
It’s the only Christmas special I really really love and I am hoping they’ll have it again each year.
Q: What do you order?
One response to “My love for all things Starbucks”
I can relate to your association to freedom. I have the same with Coffee Bean. The first thing I do when I am back in LA, is go to Coffee Bean at the Grove or WeHo. I like Starbucks, but it really is not as good as Coffee Bean (ask AJ :P). The only thing I really love at Starbucks is a Cafe Mocha. And: I have NEVER had a good cafe mocha at a Starbucks in Europe. Amsterdam, Schiphol, all over Germany… For some reason they don’t seem to make it the way they do in the States.