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	black_spot 2007-06-16 08:10 pm UTC (link)
	I really don’t understand all these different coffees. There’s instant, Arab/Greek/Turkish, filter and that machine that condenses the stuff. I drink the lot and enjoy it all, maybe I’m not sophisticated enough. I hate going into Starbucks because, I all I want is a coffee, not a barrage of options. Anyone got an idiot’s guide? (Reply to this)(Thread)

scarah2
2007-06-16 08:25 pm UTC (link)

You can get a plain drip coffee at Starbucks. They will ask you if you want room in the cup for cream, so be prepared for that.

The other popular drinks are lattes (espresso with steamed milk, and a bit of the foam from the milk on top) cappuccino (sort of an inverted latte, espresso with only a bit of the milk and lots of the foam) and mochas (just like a latte but with chocolate syrup. Sometimes this comes automatically with whipped cream, I can't remember if it does at Starbucks so watch out if you don't like whipped cream. Or maybe have to ask for it if you do like it, I forgot which).

The other thing a lot of people get which was only introduced a few years ago is Frappuccinos, which is a crazy milkshake blended thing in 99 flavors of the rainbow. You can get it without coffee too, in like "peach." I think.

There's a lot of other stuff on the menu like macchiatto, don't worry about those too much.

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	black_spot 2007-06-16 09:04 pm UTC (link)
	Seems I want an espresso with milk. I like to have full fat milk in my coffee, but I like the sugar in before the milk, so it dissolves. A cup can last me over an hour; by the end, a couple of ice cubes wouldn’t go amiss. One client, the other year, gave me Bird’s Mellow. He’s very lucky I didn’t get him struck off. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	scarah2 2007-06-17 07:33 am UTC (link)
	Espresso with cold milk on top of it? I'm sure they'd do it but you'd have to ask them to sweeten it for you so it melted. Everyone jokes about lol spoiled entitlement whores and their complicated drink orders, but every time I see someone actually placing an order that takes more than six words, the baristas kinda seem happy about the interesting order. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dragonfangirl 2007-06-17 09:18 am UTC (link)
	Considering how much training they have to go through, I'm sure they appreciate not having wasted all that time. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	jetamors 2007-06-17 01:23 am UTC (link)
	Order coffee americano. It's just regular coffee, and a lot more mellow than the french roast they usually give out. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ladybirdsleeps 2007-06-17 07:09 am UTC (link)
	I'm not sure about that. Where I work, an Americano is espresso diluted with hot water, not regular drip coffee. Wikipedia seems to agree--and I suspect that if it was commonly just drip coffee, the article would mention that. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	mochibuni 2007-06-17 08:45 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, an Americano is half expresso, half hot water. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

ladybirdsleeps
2007-06-17 04:46 pm UTC (link)

The ratio depends on the shop. Starbucks has standardized ratios--which are usually pretty weak, in my experience. (Half espresso, half water seems way too strong for a Starbucks drink. Then again, I've never had an Americano at Starbucks. I like some of their flavors but I'm not a fan of their actual coffee.)

Where I work, if you order an Americano we immediately ask how many shots you want. It's not the best thing to order unless you know what you want or aren't shy about asking questions.

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	mochibuni 2007-06-17 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	And this is why I'd totally fail at being a barista. XD (Reply to this)(Parent)

	jetamors 2007-06-17 06:57 pm UTC (link)
	Guess this shows how much of a coffee noob I am blush Thanks for telling me. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	ladybirdsleeps 2007-06-17 07:13 am UTC (link)
	The idiot's guide is your barista, if you've got a good one. Seriously, I would much rather make recommendations or explain what goes into a drink than charge someone over three bucks for a 12oz cup of something they won't like. (Note: I do not work at Starbucks, but at a place that is even more confusing.) (Reply to this)(Parent)

funwithrage
2007-06-18 12:15 pm UTC (link)

See, I love Starbucks, because I hate coffee.

Really. The only time I drink the stuff is when I need caffiene; the only time I drink the stuff non-adulterated-by-mocha is when I *really* need caffiene (e.g. I've been up 'till dawn at a LARP, I'm working a ten-hour shift) and then it's Cream and Sugarland, Population Me. So someplace that sells raspberry mocha lattes, which keep me semi-alert at work while simultaneously not tasting like crap? Made of win, y'all.

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