i like coffee, but not too much of it. i drink mostly tea, and then some coffee. preferably strong, and definitely no milk or sugar. ah, and absolutely no sugared, milky iced coffee. beeeeghhh! but i feel thats what most people around here drink. i mean, they drink it partially, and then they "forget" the cup somewhere.
i think starbucks coffee is expensive, and nothing special (i only like this starbucks, next to the boston city hall, because there is real steam coming out of the kettle! i have never atually been inside..). i do like their lemon pound cake, but i guess its quite full of calories... :) the different "coffees" you can get are endless. one shot espresso, or two. with caramel, without. whole milk, skim milk, 2% milk, soy milk, whipped cream. then there are the flavored coffees; hazelnut (beeehh!!), dark roast, light roast, caffein, no caffein.... etc etc. so many possibilities! i read somewhere that there are some 35000 drinks you can order at starbucks, in theory; ordering coffee is scary just for that reason. what if you dont know what you want? can you really just get a coffee? will they know what you mean if you order that, a coffee...?
but the most important thing; i dont like drinking from a paper cup. or the plastic thingie they put on top. it tastes so much better when you take some time, sit down and drink from a real coffee cup!
(last time we were in amsterdam i was amazed by the number of starbucks that were suddenly around; dont we already have nice "cafes" where you can get decent coffee...?)
(last time we were in amsterdam i was amazed by the number of starbucks that were suddenly around; dont we already have nice "cafes" where you can get decent coffee...?)
8 comments:
You're so right, I really have no idea why Starbucks thinks they have better coffee than in the Netherlands. That whole concept with asking your name and the thousend choices, it is so weird here. Just strong black coffee, that's the best!
There are too many coffee shops for anyone to have to settle for Starbucks.
I give Starbucks credit for making North Americans more aware of fresh coffee, roasting, espresso, etc. but they were surpassed years ago by just about every independent coffee shop anywhere.
The whole paper cup thing makes me mental. :-)
You can't just order "small," "medium," or "large." There's the Starbucks size terminology. Then if you ask for plain "brewed" coffee you can unleash a decision-making process of whether or not you'll take "Americano." But we've found it appealing if we're traveling: it's more likely to be drinkable than the hit-or-miss of finding a good cuppa somewhere. And you can bring your own cup. And they often have lemon pound cake.
ah yes, i didnt even think of the different sizes, and indeed, they have these fancy words for it.. !
and yes, you're right in case of traveling; i guess thats why those places work, even mcdonalds; something people know. and consistency....
I know that place! Years ago it was an independently owned baked goods and coffee shop called The Steaming Kettle. It is sad to discover that it is now a Starbucks, even though I like Starbucks. The Steaming Kettle had particularly good muffins, like cranberry muffins and bran muffins.
oohhh!! i have only seen it as a starbucks.... (first time in oct 2009). i did think it was quite atypical, the kettle, so that explains! that really is too bad....
Seconding Jack's comment - that steaming kettle has been there for decades and was a source of great fascination for me anytime we came into the city when I was a kid. When I realized that Starbucks had moved into that spot I was quite miffed.
Here,s I found a link with some history on that cool kettle:
http://www.celebrateboston.com/strange/giant-tea-kettle.htm
@ali: that sure is interesting! i read the link and have to admit i didnt realize this kettle is THAT big! i have to return and look at it more closely, also to see if i can find the measurements on it, as shown in the picture in that article. thanks!
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