Yesterday could have been very disappointing. If I had purchased two over-priced tickets to game four . . . if I’d bought two AA tickets . . . and if today we had to pay through the nose to get the tickets changed since game 4 was rained out. Those game 4 tickets can’t be used until Friday night, at the earliest, since game 5 tickets are now to be used for game 4, and game 4 tickets for game 5.
As it was, I got to hear Jerry Taylor preach from Luke 4 and also to hear a Highland couple tell about the orphanage they’ve started in India. (Check out www.sanctuaryhome.org.)
- - - -
I’m thinking about trying a cup of coffee. I do that about once a decade.
Having been to Starbucks a couple times recently with students, I’m drawn to the coffee names. But I still keep getting bottled water.
So if I buy one cup of coffee for this decade, what should it be? Someone tell me the perfect cup of joe to get.
- - - -
I just read that Kurt Cobain is the highest-earning dead celebrity. He’s ahead of Elvis (#2), John Lennon (#4), Marilyn Monroe (#9), and Johnny Cash (#10). Cobain brought in about $50,000,000 last year. That’s a lot of Nirvana.
1) I never understood rainouts - does that make sense?
2) Black, from a coffee-maker - no frills - just coffee.
3) Would Cobain be any happier today with $50M rolling in every year than he was when he tragically took his life? Truth be known I’m thinking he was happiest as a complete unknown starving rock singer in Seattle. Yet, we all want to be a rock star.
4) Speaking of rain - nationally televised HS football tonight on the Deuce - in a Houston thunderstorm - I may dry out by Thanksgiving. Blessings.
The Sumatra coffee at Starbucks. It is, by far, the best I’ve had.
And don’t wimp out and put cream and sugar in it. It is meant to be enjoyed black.
–
Kurt Cobain over Johnny Cash? That’s just wrong.
Kona with a little 1/2 & 1/2
My recommendation at Starbucks would be Gold Coast Blend. I, too, like Sumatra, but that would be a very difficult one to start with for a non-coffee-person, IMHO. Gold Coast is much smoother, again IMHO, and more likely to be enjoyed by someone who does not already like coffee. Sumatra is a bit of an acquired taste - you have to work up to flavor that strong.
And I agree - you put stuff in your coffee, you don’t have coffee. You have coffee with stuff in it! (wink)
Mike,
Hallelujah! The game was rained out! A friend called after 10 p.m. to say he was at the game, could not use the tickets for Friday night, and wanted to give them to me.
Being the compassionate one I am and not wanting the poor man to break out into uncontrolable bawling if I did not accept the offer, I forced myself to say, “Yes”. I am meeting Dusty in Springfield tomorrow and we’ll smile all the way to Arch-ville. We are just a few rows behind the Tigers dugout.
It’s just a good thing I learned compassion from some of you church leaders!
I wish myself all the luck in the world.
personally, if i were trying coffee for the first time i’d opt for more of a dessert choice. something like a coffee ice cream taste. it won’t taste like coffee, it’ll be like a dessert. maybe some would call that wimpy, i’d call it luxurious. go for the coffee frappaucino.
ON COFFEE — My Swedish wife and I subscribe to Gevalia®, a Swedish brand admired by connoiseurs the world over. If it’s available at Starbucks, you may want to try several cups, different blends, until you get the one you savour best. All your other concerns, above, pale in comparison to your self-confessed need to experience great coffee. I’ll pray for you, brother.
Fair Trade Green Mountain Coffee (beans), French pressed, and poured into a travel mug, consumed on the subway to work.
Could I be any more yuppie?
I guess I could … I could pick it up from Starbucks (or FourBucks, as it were…).
OK. Here’s what you do. Go and get you some used 10w-40 Quaker State. Add you a couple pinches of sea salt. Stir in 3 beef bullion cubes. Scrape in a couple of shavings off the bottom of your shoe. Mix in a little of that lick-um-aid stuff to taste, and in my opinion you would have the equivalent of a cup of coffee. Yuck!
Mike, for the sake of your soul, don’t do it!!!!! Run from Starbucks! Ruuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnn!!!
I learned to like coffee at my grandmother’s house, because the water in Irving in the 50s/60s made everything else taste like Epsom salts. Anyone remember that? But it made pretty good coffee.
Starbucks of any kind is too strong for a non-coffee person.
Enjoy your cup of coffee at the home of a brother or sister. No chlorine in the water. Almost all the Central and South American types taste great to me. Put in a little whole milk or half & half to smooth out the bitter taste. Skip the sugar.
Drink it at night, with a bite of a good dessert, at the kitchen table. Stay up way too late talking about how good the Lord is to you.
Come to Houston and we’ll be glad to make some for you.
Michael
I am glad you were not disappointed…that would be sad.
At Starbucks, order a Latte, no flavor. You will get to enjoy the flavor of the coffee buffered by steamed low fat milk. Somehow, the steaming of the milk changes its consistency. The milk will be poured into a shot of espresso and you will have an awesome cup of ‘Joe’ - if I can say so myself. Give me a call and I will go have a cup of coffee with you sometime, later Joe.
PS. Did anyone here the comments from the sports casters after the televised ACU game last week? Quite impressive on Coach Thompson, and not because the team won….. We may have already discussed this and I missed it… I have been out of pocket the past week.
Starbucks-Venti-Carmel-Macchiato-Half-Calf-Non-Fat-Upside-Down-with-an-Extra-Shot!
Pre-Drink Procedures:
1. Check the limit on your ATM/Check card.
2. Drink this drink no later than 5:45am if planning on sleeping before midnight.
3. Warn wife, kid and co-workers that you will not be held responsible for any stupid comments or sudden outbursts.
Post-Drink Procedures:
1. Must be close to a bathroom until lunch.
2. Must not engage in any neuro-surgical activity or Lasik surgery.
3. Must not attempt to explain the drink’s contents or cost to anyone who thinks a 7/eleven 99 cent cup of coffee with a hazelnut creamer is both exotic and expensive!
Coffee? Stay away from Starbucks. It’s overpriced and tastes bitter. I’d say, in Abilene, go to the truck stop with the most 18-wheelers. Drink it black.
I would have guessed Hendrix was the top grossing dead person.
@Joel G. Quile, that’s not coffee, that’s dessert.
As someone else mentioned above, try Kona. It has a rich, almost chocolatey taste.
Starbucks-Venti-Carmel-Macchiato-Half-Calf-Non-Fat-Upside-Down-with-an-Extra-Shot!
Pre-Drink Procedures:
1. Check the limit on your ATM/Check card.
2. Drink this drink no later than 5:45am if planning on sleeping before midnight.
3. Warn wife, kid and co-workers that you will not be held responsible for any stupid comments or sudden outbursts.
Post-Drink Procedures:
1. Must be close to a bathroom until lunch.
2. Must not engage in any neuro-surgical activity or Lasik surgery.
3. Must not attempt to explain the drink or the cost to anyone who thinks a 7/eleven 99 cent cup of coffee with a hazelnut creamer is both exotic and expensive!
ooh…nice drink, Joel. Throw in a “breve, two-pump vanilla,” and you could be confused for a SB barista…
that’s the one I usually get (when I break down and bow to the corporate gods).
Jamacan Blue Mountain sells for $45 a pound. It is grown in the best enviornment andis very tasty. No I didn’t by it all by my self. I went in and bought a pound with some other college friends. One of them now own’s his own coffee house in Lubbock on 82nd, I think it was Aroma’s (haven’t been to Lubbock in a while). I remember living across form Day Break waking up in the morning and smelling them roasting the beans. The best smell in the world.
Nirvana was a great band. Sad that Kurt Cobain went out the way he did. He was our generations John Lennon or Elvis. Nirvana was definately the king of Alternative Music.
I am glad that his band mates stuck together after his death and are now known as the one of greatest rock groups of all times, The Foo Fighters!
Pumpkin Spice Latte all the way.
Mike - I love coffee but would not recommend Starbucks for a beginning coffee drinker. Unless you get a desert version, it’s way, way too strong. Brad gave a pretty good description. My wife says that you can get the same taste by licking an ashtray. Haven’t tried that though.
Ok, no death threats please from Sbucks lovers.
I love how you keep describing yourself as a Cardinals fan. Nice try. But I know Terry Rush.
Terry was on local TV (Tulsa) last night. They called his office a shrine a couple times.
A person needs exotic sounding coffee when living in west Texas.
I live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My parents were visiting last week and I took them by trolley to, Santa Teresa, the arts district. I sipped expresso in Lola’s art gallery while they looked at her paintings. That was some good coffee.
It’s WHERE you drink the coffee that counts. I’d bet that a 50 cent coffee in Paris tastes like a $4.50 cup from Starbucks!
By the way, Mike, you’re invited to stop by on your next Brazil trip.
Gordon
Hi, my name is Cathy, I’m a black coffee, one cupper.
Please, I beg of you, don’t go over to the coffee side.
Hot tea is much better. I recommend hot Chai tea.
In the tea aisle with all the common stuff, Wal-Mart has an eight pack for $3.21–40 cents a cup.
Oregon Chai –Chai Tea Latte Mix–black tea, honey, vanilla and spices–tastes like you’re drinking a cup of pumpkin pie.
Hmmm. Do “perfect” and “coffee” ever go truthfully together in the same sentence?
Nope.
French Press……ummmmmmmm.
Rush-
You don’t know how glad I am that a true Cardinal fan is going to get those tickets! I bought those tickets - those are my dad’s 64th birthday gift which was yesterday, the rained out game!
Fortunately, my dad and my 13 yr. old son got to see game #3 on Tuesday night - quite a thrill. Last night, they sat for 3 hours in the rain praying for a miracle. Today, it is doing our hearts good to hear you celebrate - you go, Terry! Enjoy every minute of section 158/4th row for us and cheer loud for alll of the true die-hard Cardinal fans! I’m proud of your compassionate example!
PreacherMike:
Whatever you get, you have to ask for it to be “pressed,” as in French pressed (like Steve said above). You don’t lose any of the flavour by using a filter, or plastic or metal tubing. Hot water directly onto freshly ground beans…can’t beat it!
@Joel Quile:
Half-Calf?!? I don’t know how they do it in the Metroplex, but out here in West Texas, we prefer our coffee VEAL FREE!
Why not just get a bowl of coffee ice cream? Check the ingredients on any decent coffee ice cream (Hagen Daz, Breyer’s, etc) and, yes, it has coffee. Alternatively, I agree with GKB and Steve et al - a pressed cup from fresh dark-roasted beans with cream and sugar and no added “flavors.” Taste’s almost as good as coffee ice cream. (All Apologies to those who think coffee ice cream doesn’t count.)
I was in the northwest recently and heard people really rattle off their twenty-word coffee preference at the Starbucks counter. Too complicated for me, but I do love Starbucks. Just get a tall coffee of the day–you get out easily for less than $2. Try it black, the way God made it, but doctor it up if needed. And, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but McDonalds has recently upgraded their coffee and, if you like it rich, is almost as good as Starbucks.
Kyle - It’s a very thin, fine line between fan and raging lunatic. I think Terry Rush and I may be on different sides of that line.
I don’t go to fantasy camp, I haven’t written a book about Jack Buck, I don’t personally know any of the former stars, I don’t have a baseball card of myself in a Cardinals’ uniform, and no one has called my office a Cardinals shrine.
Still, I made it to the World Series in ‘64, ‘67, ‘68, ‘82, and ‘85. I did ask my parents to name my youngest sibling Orlando. When she turned out to be a girl, I pleaded for Orlanda. And I’m pretty sure Gibson’s 1968 season was the best ever by a major league pitcher.
Whatever you choose, drink Fair Trade coffee. This way, in case you don’t like it, you can at least feel good about your $$.
Elvis is dead?!
pssst: Tall nonfat extra-hot Chai TEA latte
With apologies to mchristophoros, Lawrence B, and perhaps others who entertain that coffee can be “too strong,” your logical problem evokes insomnia far beyond the potential of the lowly coffee bean.
Coffee can no more be “too strong” than a circle can be “too round” or an orchestra “too harmonious.” Jeff Slater, an expert (see his http://jeffslater.net), upholds the truth and exposes error: “. . . don’t wimp out and put cream and sugar in it.” If you want cream and sugar, then consume those things - to your heart’s content - separately.
There is no substitute for purity.
Mike:
If you want straight coffee, get Sumatra – a good flavorful coffee. If you want something a little sweet, get the White Chocolate Mocha.
I respectfully disagree with preacherman on the subject of Nirvana being our (gen x) Lennon or Elvis. Alternative music has faded somewhat–but apparently this is just my opinion–record sales speak for themselves.
Coffee is a ritual-an essential part of table fellowship! You don’t have to consume it in mass quantities (although I prefer it that way)–but whatever you choose, Mike, savor it! Let it roll around on your tongue and the roof of your mouth, and relish the flavor of fellowship. I buy my coffee at Central Market (an HEB store), and my favorite is Ecquadoran Oliva. I have sampled the Jamacan Blue Mountain, and it is superb. If you are being a tad more conservative, try the Folgers Simply Smooth–I have found that it is a good inexpensive substitute, and leaves little bitter aftertaste.
Yes, McD’s has a great cup of coffee these days. Be careful, the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot.
Being a little bit of coffee addict, I have to weigh in on this one. I go to Starbucks nearly everyday, and I realize I could do better things with my money. . .but, this is one vice I choose to indulge with abandon.
Mike, you should try a latte. I agree with the earlier post suggesting that it’s a great way to enjoy mild, well-blended coffee that already has milk in it to balance it. It’s yummy and good.
If you want to start out as a purist, go with a small cup of the daily mild brew (Breakfast Blend is spectacular), and don’t let anybody convince you to dry to bold. That’s an acquired coffee taste for the truly addicted (like me). Put whatever you want in the cup, a little shot of vanilla or that new maple flavor makes a fine coffee-drinking experience.
Enjoy!
My reccomendation is wait for a cold day…… sit outside somewhere beautiful, feel the warm cup in your hands and let the steam warm your face….. it’s so yummy that way. -g
Mike -
Be a purist, forget the Starbucks (BIGbucks) coffee and eat popcorn. Take some with you to Starbucks if you must.
It’s the perfect gourmet food as I pointed out in not one, but two posts several months ago and for the price of a week’s worth of Starbucks, you can have a year’s supply of gourmet popcorn. (Really - there’s such a thing as gourmet popcorn of all colors and types and we had one of each for a while that lasted us a months and months.)
But that being said - if you want to socialize and hangout with your students at Starbucks, which is a rather nice place there in Abilene I must admit, have an iced coffee.
Here’s what you do:
(1) Order a Venti iced coffee (that’s the biggest one and still only $2.60, which is a huge bargain at Starbucks!!), have them leave a bit of room at the top of it and then do this:
(2) Take it over to the customer’s counter where the millk, sugars, straws, napkins are. (And it’s important you do all of this yourself, don’t let them “fix it” for you.)
(3) Put a couple of swigs of non-fat milk, add one short swig of whole milk and just a dash of 1/2 & 1/2.
(4) Then add 3 1/2 half (be exact) packets of Equal (I’m diabetic, but if you like sugar use that) and carefully stir, slurping up any escaping liquid.
(5) Put the lid back on the cup and enjoy the best cup of Starbucks coffee you’ll find.
That’s the only thing I’ve ever ordered at Starbucks, actually, because I don’t particularly care for their coffee, but that one is good. Besides, like you, I go there to hang out with my sister for a while and to enjoy the great ambiance.
Of course the iced coffee from there is best on one of Abilene’s scorching mid-summer days, but this time of year would be good, too. As long as it’s not snowing or icy!
Cheers & Blessings to you all today! Dee
P. S. Come to south Mississippi and we’ll have coffee at the New Orleans based P. J.’s. It’s much better than Starbucks and I’m drinking my morning (hot, with some low fat milk) coffee as I write.
Oh yeah - another thing - in the blind taste test I saw on 20/20 a few months ago where the tasters tried six kinds, Sam’s/Wal-Mart’s brand Arabica coffee won hands down over all the competitors including Folger’s and Starbucks. That’s normally want I drink in the mornings.
Just avoid Guatemalan varietals. Guatemala is to Kona/Blue Mountain/Sumatra as battery acid is to Pomerol ‘82 or Chimay Bleu.
Helpfully,
qb
I’m with Brad on this one… Run away! Don’t be a drugie like the rest of these chumps. Dude, it’s just not worth it. My dad didn’t start drinking coffee until maybe 8 years ago… Now he an addict. He can’t function without getting hopped up at starbucks. Just say no! What more evidence do you need that its crazy - they call the shortest cup they have a “tall” - their liars man! Run. Run away from the caffine!
i do not understand why Kurt Cobain killed himself when he had 50 million reasons to live?
vanilla latte cut the calf slobber
Grande, mild drip of the day–black or with a touch of half and half. Light your rockets, my brother! Glad to see you are thinking of coming over to the dark side at last! How did you make it through Hebrew grammar without Joe???
Vanilla latte for a hot option.
Toffee nut frappucino for a cold option.
I have to agree that Starbucks will not give you the most gentle introduction into coffee enjoyment, but vanilla helps take the edge off. Add a pinch of sugar to even out the flavor if needed, but use as little as possible. Avoid mocha at first; it strengthens the coffee bite rather than smooths it.
I love coffee so much I have a book of coffee quotes “You Know You’re Drinking Too Much Coffee When” by Aviv M. Iland and David Ilan.
Here are some great ones:
You know you are drinking too much coffee when…
“Jaun Valdez named his donkey after you.”
“You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.”
“You’re the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don’t even work there.”
“You want to be cremated so you can spend the rest of eternity in a cofee can.”
“You celebrate every moment of your life.”
“Your children don’t come near you until you’ve had your first cup.”
“Your cats names are cream and sugar.”
“Your kids sing, “I’m a little coffee pot short and stout.”"
“People come to your house for peotry reading and open mike night.”
“You think Decaf is the devil’s coffee.”
Kopi Luwak
Indonesia
$160 per pound
Luwak Coffee is made from coffee cherries that have been eaten by common palm civets, which use their keen sense of smell to select the choicest and ripest beans. The digestion process removes the flesh from the crimson Sumatran berry and the beans, supposedly sweeter as a result of having passed through the animal, are hand-collected from the jungle floor.
mmmmm mmmmm good
Jason: Your intelligence is probably loftier than mine. So please discuss the issue of coffee, so wall to wall in our lives, with arguments based in logic vice ad hominems like calling the rest of us “druggies” and “chumps.” Lack of caffeine has perhaps distorted your sense of proportionality. Billions of coffee-drinkers cannot possibly be wrong, Dude.
Jill Brown,
I want you to know I am so grateful for what you got me for your father’s birthday. I will celebrate just a little bigger and a lot louder knowing the full story.
Terry
Just a little reminder to all the Cardinals fans: Go back and look at what happened after the Tigers had a rain out against the vaunted Yankees in the ALDS. I think it started a run of seven straight wins. Will it start another streak?? GO TIGERS!! (Just a minute - the keyboard is getting stuck to the palm of my hand).
Mike, thanks for mentioning us again. We are so thankful for the opportunity to share last night.
About coffee: I love the smell, but usually don’t like the taste. Recently I tried some caramel something (caramel cream?) from Monks, and I drank it all. All of a small cup, that is - whatever that’s called in the coffee world.
I agree with Dave Ramsey. Gevalia is great stuff. My wife and I really like their Breakfast Blend.
But, for a first-timer, why not run over to HEB, and get a bag of freshly ground Taste of Abilene?
We used to have my mom bring us a bag whenever she drove into Arlington before she moved to NC.
Now, we just add a bit of cinnamon while preparing the coffeemaker.
Venti iced carmel macchiato. Enough said.
edette — see Joel’s comment above for the very best caramel macchiato SB makes (and directions on how to drink it)
I am currently sipping a grande pumpkin spice latte, my first starbucks drink in I-don’t-know-how-long. This post (and mostly the comments) inspired me.
Oh, and the 50-degree temps here in Boston might have influenced me some too.
I do Starbucks almost daily. I usually get coffee–their bold.
I must be a wimp. Afterall, I use milk. I use sugar (the “raw sugar” in the little brown packages.
I’m with Joel. You have to try a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks. But don’t worry about all that other stuff he said, just order it off the menu the way it is - yummy!
I would go against the advice on black coffee if you’re not already a coffee drinker. You need it “fully dressed” - that’s what I call it with all that good stuff in it.
Amy, don’t forget to order an extra shot of espesso to it.
Coffee is Nirvana. Remember Kurt Cobain was from Settle where Settle’s Best is at. mmmmmmmmm
All you caffiene addicts out there need to think about that next time the legalization of Marijuana (a non addictive drug) comes up on the ballot.
Justin,
Non Addictive…Say that to Snoop Dog.
Venta Cafe Mocha.
Did you know that Democrats prefer Starbucks over Dunkin Donuts coffee? Dunkin Donuts is the prefer joe by Republicans.
Question: What godess is on the Starbucks logo? Anyone know?
preacher man: You are to be commended for your courageously upholding truth and exposing error in the case of Justin’s false analogy of coffee to marijuana.
Jim Martin: I’m still learning. Use of dairy products in coffee does not necessarily make one a wimp. Down here in the swamps of Louisiana are people who fire up their innards with “café au lait,” coffee made with milk instead of water. It goes well with fried alligator. It is very potent and causes you to do things like observing Mardi Gras and calling counties “parishes.”
I always wished the state of Texas would do an ad campaign promoting its dead musicians. Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Selena…the Lone Star State has ‘em all!
Peppermint Mocha.
If it’s Starbucks, forget the coffee and go with the apple cider thingy they have this time of year. YUM.
I don’t think I actually want to trace the thread of how marijuana got into this discussion, but as an adult education teacher with double-digit years of experience, I can certainly assure you: if you think marijuana is harmless and non-addictive, you’re SURELY hooked on it FOR REAL. When my students say, “But it’s natural!” I tell them, “Yeah, so is petroleum, but you don’t drink that, do you?”
However, to be fair, at 4:30 am, I prefer coffee with a similarity viscosity (sp?) as 10W-40.
Taste of Abilene at HEB ROCKS, by the way. YUM!
The lady on the Starbucks logo is a siren. She’s some sort of mythological lady. We asked one time at Starbucks. Maybe it’s because when I go to Starbucks a siren starts going off in my wallet.
Mike, I really like coffee and coming from someone who actually enjoys the taste of coffee, don’t attempt a straight cup of Starbucks brewed coffee. It is VERY strong! Someone earlier suggested making a pot of Taste of Abilene from HEB. It is wonderful! They also make it at HEB to buy by the cup. Maybe when you make a Diet DP run to HEB you could try a cup! If you are really thinking Starbucks, something no one seems to have mentioned is that a lot of Starbucks beverages have the same amount of calories as a small meal!!! My old standby is sugar-free vanilla latte with non-fat milk. You can feel good about the fact that it is sugar-free, uses milk without fat and gives you a nice milk serving.
Oh, by the way, Joel Quile is just showing off because his wife really IS A STARBUCKS BARISTA!!!! Go Kim!!!
Amy, whatever that coffee was that Grant brought us from Continent of Great Cities was to die for! Tell him a big thank you! I’m thinkin it was Taste of Abilene. Funny…I remember Abilene tasting a little drier than that.
One might wish a “Grande Caramel Macciato with two sweet and low” upon you, but have one on Saturday night, call me and I will be interested to sit in the Highland pew Sunday morning to see what effect it had on you. Have one with a Cope Cake.
With or without coffee, you rock.
Great list, Deana Nall, but you forgot Bob Wills - an especially appropriate figure now as Texans are choosing a Governor. You remember Waylon Jennings with
“[h]It don’t matter who’s in Austin,
Bob Wills is still the King.”
And now another mug of Gevalia, both creamless and sugarless.
Has anyone on here that says marijuana is addictive ever smoked it?
Do a little research on why its illegal, you find some interesting stuff. Racism is one of the biggest reasons it got classified at the level narcotic that it did. I’ll post a url so ya’ll don’t have to go far.
Here’s wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuanna
There isn’t conclusive evidence that it is addictive (unlike caffiene, cigarettes, and alcohol) and while there are negative effects from it, there are also plenty of positive effects. ANything can be addictive (I’m trying to break a eating at chick fil a every day for two years habit) but its a psychological addiction rather than a physiological addiction. Pot smokers don’t have withdrawals when they quit like a heroin user or a cigarette smoker.
People have been misled about this drug because our first ideas of it came from Jazz musicians in the 20s and the thought of black men having sex with white women was enough to ban the drug.
I was going to suggest a great coffee drink, but I just found out my dad and brother are going to the world series. I think I’m going to need something stouter than Starbuck’s black.
I like dessert coffee. At Starbucks I would order a mocha. Sometimes it needs stirring because all the chocolate settles in the bottom.
If you like Chocolate get a Moca.
If you like Kool-Aid half a cup of regular Coffee, Half a cup of 2% milk, and sugar to taste.
It’s late in the discussion, so if you have maintained your purity and are still looking for options, why not try….Tall White Chocolate Mocha-Skinny-with only a half shot of Espresso. It is a perfect blend and will not wire you too badly. But, technically it is still Coffee. They have my order memorized, but I keep trying to convince David it’s because not many people order with my accent at this particular Starbucks in Amarillo, Tx. He somehow thinks that’s not the reason.
Surely, Grant Boone can arrange a Cafe Havanna from Paraguay for you - it may hit the spot. Taste of Abilene, from HEB rivals most regular options though.
Back during one of my previous sojourns in Abilene, America, HEB was still H.E. Butt Grocery. Pot was available on the economy, as well as largely and successfully opposed by Dean Walter Adams, but not because of jazz musicians. Surely the Dean had nothing against jazz so long as girls and boys weren’t dancing to it. Coffee was readily available in the Old Bean as well as the Student Center, which was still in a wooden building with a somewhat un-level floor that creaked. Those were the days.
Coming from someone in the NW, I would grab Sumatra or Verona if you’re going for plain ol’ coffee. Costco’s Seattle Mountain Coffee or Dutch Bros. is as good if not better than Starbucks though.
Oh, and if you want something really dark at Starbucks, get the Komodo Dragon.
Mike, I think we’re out numbered. Every imaginable flavor and not a drop worth drinking. (Although the civet poop blend is tempting…. )
Let’s go back to Kapa’a and I’ll buy you a mango cream smoothie. Now THAT’S a drink worth drinking.
White Chocolate Mocha-non-fat milk-whipping cream! Yummy…
The quality of most of the best coffee would be lost on you (sorry). I love Starbuck’s Sumatra and many other, very strong, roasts. But you need to ease into this. Don’t attempt something you haven’t trained for. You need something basic, maybe even fairly generic. Probably with the customary edge-softening additives — real cream and demara sugar.
But most important of all — drink with a friend.
Mike, come over to the ACU library, go past Starbucks back to the Technical Services workroom, find Gary Oliver, and get him to make you a cup of fair trade coffee from Cafe Campesino.
I’m with those who say skip Starbucks. I’ve seen the Mothership (first Starbucks store, in Seattle) and I appreciate a good Caramel Macchiato, but my favorite cups of coffee have been around kitchen tables with friends. Do find a person who really likes coffee, and ask them to make you a cup.
Mike,
You seem to be in the same boat as Rick Atchley. In a sermon last year (around this time) he shared not only his personal distaste for coffee, but also his fascination with others obsession in a particular flavor/style of it. He related trying to order, and I’m quoting here, a “frappawhappadingdong”.
At least you’re in good company.
Mike,
If you are only going to have one cup of coffee per decade, you can’t just go to Starbuck’s and get a “cup of joe.” If you are only going to get one cup of coffee this decade, you ought to get it at the little café a couple blocks off of Central Park in Antigua, Doña something-or-other. Just ask for the “Americano con leche, por favor.” It will cost you about 6 Quetzales - not bad for a good cup of joe (if you don’t include the cost of airfare).
God bless you, brother.
Coffee from Costa Rica is excellente!
Now here is a drink that will wake anyone up….It is called Red Eye. I don’t think they have it at starbucks. I got it a Day Break Coffee Roasters in Lubbock. It is a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. I can feel my heart racing right now.:-)
Ryan Porche got us onto HEB “Taste of San Antonio” coffee. When we’re in Abilene we always pick up a couple of bags. It makes a great dessert coffee in the evening - go for the decaf and you won’t be staring at the bedroom ceiling until 3 in the morning.
What the Sam Hill is “free trade coffee?” Is it like “free-range chicken?” More importantly, does it taste like chicken? qb
Here’s a link for you qb…does a better job explaining than I could:
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/
Come down to Guadalajara Mexico and I’ll take you to get a cafe-lechero. It’s a stout coffee to start with. Then the waiter pours in steamed milk but the more he pours the higher he raises his arm. By the time he’s done, he’s pouring from 4 feet above the table. Tastes good and fun to watch.
There’s actually more caffiene in a 12 oz. cup of coffee than there are in 3 shots of espresso. Don’t be fooled by the espresso=caffiene lie!
Have to add, a day or two late, Starbucks at Albertson’s makes a killer “Pumpkin Spice Latte” — they will make it with low fat or fat free milk and Splenda. That’s the only reason I shop at Albertsons: the coffee and a hug from Eric Ramirez (Janie’s son and school buddy of our son Lee). Other than an occasional high grocery shopping spree, I agree that HEB’s Taste of Abilene is superior, especially mixed into a freshly ground Costa Rica blend. We like it barely flavored–bright and fragrant for the less bold coffee afficionados.
C’mon over to the dark side/good stuff!