I think I’ve mentioned in the past that I have a horrible memory, so I can’t recall if I’ve written about motivation. I will at some point look back and see if I did, but for now, I will assume that it already happened. Instead, I want to talk about coffee.
There was a moment in my life where I thought I could live without coffee. I was able to, for about a month, and I soon realized that there was no need to quit cold turkey. It wasn’t like I was drinking it all day, everyday. So, once a week or so, I’ll treat myself to a cup of coffee. Now before anyone says that Starbucks is not real coffee, one I do agree with you to a point, and two, there really are not that many places to get a relatively decent cup of coffee. So, that’s where I get my cup of Joe (whatever that means).
Every holiday season Starbucks outs out their seasonal coffees, and this year, they came out with a new flavor. Chestnut praline latte. I figured, why not give it a go? I’ve tried all of their other flavors, and I figure it’d be nice to try something new. Upon purchase and consumption there was a realization. Lately, Starbucks coffees taste the same.
When you first take a sip of your coffee, you may notice that it’s got the familiar bitterness of actual coffee, drowned out by sugar of all shapes and sizes. As you continue to sip, you start to tell the nuance of the actual flavor, whether it is egg nog, chestnut, or gingerbread, but yet again, it’s beaten down by the taste of whipped cream and whatever else they put in there.
I realize this could just be my Starbucks, and others may make their lattes with a tender, loving care, but as far as I know, all these coffees taste the same. It could be the type of coffee they use. It might be a new type of bean, or maybe they’re using more coffee and less flavoring, but it wasn’t always like this. I remember a grand time when the taste of the different types of lattes and cappuccinos were vibrant with this spice and that. Now, it’s like they’re all manufactured the same way. They’re all a sweet, confectionery in a cup.
It’d be fantastic if I could get some feedback on this, so I wouldn’t think I was completely crazy. Though, I may very well be insane for continually drinking coffees that all taste the same. It’s like after the fourth of fifth sip, the flavor becomes muted. It’s cloned coffee with a bit of placebo for added, taste effect.
Well, that was a long winded observation that may have no real merit to the overall quality of actual Starbucks coffee, and may just be my lame taste buds trying to tell me that I’ve lost all sense of sensation on my tongue, or maybe I should make my own damn coffee, but you keep going back because you admit, you like the sweet and sometimes savoury flavors.
