Coffee Time! Complicated Beverages

[Amelia G]

So I fell asleep weirdly early last night and then woke up in the middle of the night and got a whole workday done and went back to bed. Now I am awake again, but feeling disoriented the way a sleep thing like that can do. There can be only one answer: coffee! I'm going to go get a venti iced latte, organic milk, two shots instead of three, half decaf ('cause I'm cutting down)

They are super nice at all the Starbucks and hipster coffee houses near me and will be totally friendly making complicated drinks as requested. Gotta love that about Los Angeles. Well, I love that anyway.

What complex beverages do you enjoy?

[ChadMichaelWard]

I like Starfuck's Caramel Frappacinos, but I REALLY miss is this drink called "Pike's Peak" from a coffee shop called Insomnia in Dallas (probably long gone by now).

I'm boring though, I always order straight from the menu, no extra weird stuff except for the occasional shot of esspresso.

[OliX]

You seem like having a fun... kinda lonely fun...

If you explained "complex beverages" for me on my cheap english then I would be glad to answer you on that question.

[morbid_lady]

my towns so small we dont even have a tim hortons let alone a starbucks

[Morning Glory]

how do you make organic milk? does that mean that it's not pastuerised or treated for bacteria at all? because that's what organic means, so that would be milk straight from the cow. that's pretty disgusting. or is it just because starbucks sells thier shit to yuppies that want to sound like they are down with a hippie lifestyle and don't even know what organic means?

[Tequila Zaire]

I tend to be the guy that throws the curveball and orders coffee black as night with no frills...I simply put massive amounts of sugar in it.

Sure I'll die by the time I'm 30 but hey...who wants to live forever?

[Amelia G]

how do you make organic milk? does that mean that it's not pastuerised or treated for bacteria at all? because that's what organic means, so that would be milk straight from the cow. that's pretty disgusting. or is it just because starbucks sells thier shit to yuppies that want to sound like they are down with a hippie lifestyle and don't even know what organic means?

The cows are not treated with the same antibiotics and are generally treated more humanely and fed less pesticide-ridden cow food. I am definitely not down with the hippie lifestyle, although I did enjoy driving a bunch of stoned friends to a Grateful Dead concert once and telling them paranoia-inducing car accident stories all the way there. Good thing I never toked or their revenge could have been scary

[Amelia G]

You seem like having a fun... kinda lonely fun...

If you explained "complex beverages" for me on my cheap english then I would be glad to answer you on that question.

A complex beverage would be something you drink which requires a variety of ingredients or special steps to make it. Coffee houses here are pretty social, not lonely at all. Going to get a coffee with someone is a super convenient way to take a break from the day and be sociable without totally losing the whole workday.

[Amelia G]

I like Starfuck's Caramel Frappacinos, but I REALLY miss is this drink called "Pike's Peak" from a coffee shop called Insomnia in Dallas (probably long gone by now).

I'm boring though, I always order straight from the menu, no extra weird stuff except for the occasional shot of esspresso.

See, this means you are now an official Angeleno. Only a Los Angeles person would think that having their number of espresso shots personalized wasn't really custom. Did you live in Dallas too?

[OliX]

well... I'm simple when it comes about coffee... it's mostly small strong esspresso with sugar.... sometimes irish coffee, depends on the situation...
but when it's about making food, that's other thing
make it as complex as possible (and try to keep it tastefull)

[curiositykilledthecat]

That's funny. I took my kids to LA last Fall to see the ocean. I was waiting in a starbucks for a reg cup of coffee and I was just amazed at the orders these people were coming up with. The one that really said LA to me was the gal that came in and ordered a decaf soy caramel macchiatto. I just remember thinking, why bother???

[motormenace]

i like my coffee like i like my women - strong, black, and kicking my ass! sugar in coffee is for candy asses. maybe this is why i consider guiness a light beer?

if it's starfucks, i get it with soymilk. since thier coffee usaully tastes like burnt motor oil.

[toxic love doll]

I usually go for straight, boring old coffee (decaf with skim or soymilk, no sugar) or a decaf cappuccino, nonfat, with a shot of hazelnut syrup. When I'm in need of something more interesting, its off to Bun Penny (I kinda hate Starbucks) for a Rob Roy, Di Napoli or Almond Roca Mocha (all decaf, all nonfat).

[Wickedanima]

Iced Chai Latte....Yum! And Chocolate Raspberry Mocha Latte....And....Orange Mocha with Cinnamin...There used to be this wonderful place in the town I went to highschool in that made a killer raspberry hot Chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles. Further more, I've recently been introduced to the grape-milkshake. Its very good, for some reason!!!

[23*]

this is a little off topic but recently me and some friends compared notes on a certain brand of hot choclate made from dark choclate and realised that a number of us had been getting weird nightmares the night after drinking it. Presumably its got something to do with the high coco content? anyone know anything about this?

[ChadMichaelWard]

Did you live in Dallas too?

I spent 1997-1999 in the hell that is Dallas. Great scene out there (or, at the time there was) but I wouldn't live there again if you paid me.

[ForrestBlack]

Speaking of Starbucks, I was on a black tea lemonaid kick for a while, but now I seem to be on a peppermint mocha bender. They even still put the holiday sprinkles on for me!

[Amelia G]

I spent 1997-1999 in the hell that is Dallas. Great scene out there (or, at the time there was) but I wouldn't live there again if you paid me.

Short explanation of why not? I keep drooling at places with cheaper real estate than the City of Angels, but I just really like living some place where my custom coffee request is no way the weirdest or most complex.

[ChadMichaelWard]

Short explanation of why not? I keep drooling at places with cheaper real estate than the City of Angels, but I just really like living some place where my custom coffee request is no way the weirdest or most complex.

Aside from the cool goth kids, everyone is Dallas SUCKS. Imagine all the idiot trendy whitebread people here in L.A. Now imagine them all being that IN ADDITION to be racist, ignorant assholes who THINK they're in L.A. That's be Dallas.

The cops are corrupt (Try driving through Highland Park sometime), the weather is abusive (110 degrees for 33 days straight one summer, and ice storms in the winter), the traffic is equal to or worse than L.A. and the job market points and laughs if you're not "one of them". I was unemployed almost the entire time I was there. Their "nightlife" is overrun with fratboys and wannabe "gangstaz", and their downtown is a vast, empty ghetto (though I s'pose L.A. is no different in that respect.

But hey, I'm not bitter.

[Wickedanima]

this is a little off topic but recently me and some friends compared notes on a certain brand of hot choclate made from dark choclate and realised that a number of us had been getting weird nightmares the night after drinking it. Presumably its got something to do with the high coco content? anyone know anything about this?

The coco shoudln't have anything to do with it. However, trolling through the internet has found an interesting link on the subject. Apparently, your not alone!

http://www.chocolate.org/health/nightmares.html

[devil13]

this is kinda funny but isnt whorebucks the walmart/ hot topic of coffee? for some of the same reasons some of you where talking about in the hot topic thread? there is a whorebucks on every corner and I do remember how some people would say that they would ruin the smaller coffee houses. I do go there every now and then but prefer places like novas or something like that. Im not trying to call anyone a Hypocrite or anything but I do think its funny.

[CarnalxKiss]

im a simple girl... i just want normal coffee...maybe french roast...and i want splenda and maybe a mocha flavoring once in a while...too much froo froo makes me want to ditch the coffee for some tea...

[Mirren]

im a simple girl... i just want normal coffee...maybe french roast...and i want splenda and maybe a mocha flavoring once in a while...too much froo froo makes me want to ditch the coffee for some tea...

Does Splenda have aspartame? I can't have aspartame but I am interested in if this has any after taste.

[23*]

The coco shoudln't have anything to do with it. However, trolling through the internet has found an interesting link on the subject. Apparently, your not alone!

http://www.chocolate.org/health/nightmares.html

hey thanks!
all i needed to hear was
"There's no cause for panic or to stop eating good chocolate."

[Lady Alias]

Does Splenda have aspartame? I can't have aspartame but I am interested in if this has any after taste.

Yep.
Also, I've never experienced any after taste, personally. Never heard anyone else complain about it, either.

[Amelia G]

this is kinda funny but isnt whorebucks the walmart/ hot topic of coffee? for some of the same reasons some of you where talking about in the hot topic thread? there is a whorebucks on every corner and I do remember how some people would say that they would ruin the smaller coffee houses. I do go there every now and then but prefer places like novas or something like that. Im not trying to call anyone a Hypocrite or anything but I do think its funny.

Like I said, I patronize both Starbucks and hipster coffeehouses, but I agree with your fundamental point. If you make the effort to patronize the hipster coffeehouses when possible, it helps keep them alive and helps prevent Starbucks from successfully becoming the same sort of monopoly Hot Topic or Walmart is attempting to become.

However, I do not feel like I am really a part of coffeehouse culture. Los Angeles does not appear to have one. I have never lived in a city which had much of a coffeehouse culture, although I have visited a few and patronized whatever the locals suggested in those places.

Starbucks makes a consistent and dependable product, but there are independent coffeehouses which roast their own superior coffee and I always patronize those when I have the option, even if they are more expensive or have quirky service. I am a bit of a foodie and Starbucks has no culture of importance, so I will always skip Starbucks in favor of a place with better coffee. I went to my local hipster coffeehouse in Los Angeles nearly 100% of the time until it was sold and they changed the type of coffee they purchased for their espresso and they refused to make any other type of coffee. They also used to let customers bring outside food of types they did not sell in to consume with beverages purchased there and, after being sold, they became very aggressive about disallowing that. Starbucks lets people bring in outside food which is not something they sell. I still go to the hipster place because I like their decor, but their clientele has changed and I go to Starbucks much more frequently now because they have a better product and are nicer to customers and I do not feel that either place strongly supports a culture important to me.

My local punk rock boutique used to be really at the epicenter of most of what matters to me culturally. Hot Topic encroaching on that has a large and damaging impact on the lives of a lot of people I care about, myself included. Your punk rock store sells the building blocks of culture and provides a location for that culture to rally around. Unlike Starbucks, Hot Topic sells an inferior product. Hot Topic sells a cheaper knockoff of the building blocks of culture and leaves you wondering if you should get a webcam so people could see your lower quality Lip Service pants.

Didn't mean to be so wordy and maybe this just merits a new thread, but I've actually given a lot of thought to which places I patronize.

[devil13]

Didn't mean to be so wordy and maybe this just merits a new thread, but I've actually given a lot of thought to which places I patronize.

yea would have been happy with, they have good tasting coffee though. like I said I go there sometimes myself and the coffee does taste good.

[KilLAtomiK]

i like coffe with organic milk and a bit of sugar thats it. im realy more of a tea drinker, and i refuce to go to a starbucks till they change their size names

[devil13]

and i refuce to go to a starbucks till they change their size names

why? are you too embarrassed to order el hombre grande del chocolate con un paquete firme and soy milk

[KilLAtomiK]

why? are you too embarrassed to order el hombre grande del chocolate con un paquete firme and soy milk

i just wanted a large cup of coffe they didint need to be jerks about it

[devil13]

i just wanted a large cup of coffe they didint need to be jerks about it

sounds like suicidal tendencies : all I wanted was a latte and they wouldnt give it to me. just one latte.

[killerkat]

i don't drink alot of coffe/lattee stuff any more ,got way to addicting...

right now i'm drinking some nasty-ass mud looking/tasting kava,thank god for the shit,but damn the taste is honestly worse than mud,and looks just like it.
,haha........

[Kidthorazine]

i hate Starbucks not so much because its a huge corporation but because the swill they peddle and like to call "coffee" tastes like dirt, highly overpriced dirt at that i guess thats why they have to dump all that flavoring in it. Id rather make my own coffee or go to a local place that sells fair trade coffee that actually tastes like coffee and i dont like complicated coffee i like it strong and black sometimes with chocolate and sugar but ussually without and if i need more caffiene i get straight up triple shot esspresso.

[devil13]

I like my coffee like I like my women, Creamy and sweet

[TheQuietPlace]

I like Starfuck's Caramel Frappacinos, but I REALLY miss is this drink called "Pike's Peak" from a coffee shop called Insomnia in Dallas (probably long gone by now).

I'm boring though, I always order straight from the menu, no extra weird stuff except for the occasional shot of esspresso.

Starfuck's is right. Haha. I modified my giftcard for them, so the B became an F. Then I used it in their store.

[TheQuietPlace]

I like my coffee like I like my women, Creamy and sweet

Haha. My friend always says "I like my coffee like I like my women, Black and witha spoon in them"

[johnny]

I'm of two minds about starbucks. On the negative, they are expensive and growing more so everyday. On the positivite, good quality control and because they are a big brand you can often get them to tweak your drinks a bit; better yet, when you are traveling and you really want a taste of home, you can usually find a Starbucks in any major European or Asian city. My personal addiction is a vente non-fat, no-whip, mocha valencia.

Coffee is life here. In the NW, we have coffee houses practically every block and sometimes on the same block you can find a local shop, a starbucks and a coffee people. Peet's is pretty good too. In many instances, starbucks is best for convenience; for good coffee however, grind your own and add your own junk.

[TheQuietPlace]

I'm of two minds about starbucks. On the negative, they are expensive and growing more so everyday. On the positivite, good quality control and because they are a big brand you can often get them to tweak your drinks a bit; better yet, when you are traveling and you really want a taste of home, you can usually find a Starbucks in any major European or Asian city. My personal addiction is a vente non-fat, no-whip, mocha valencia.

Coffee is life here. In the NW, we have coffee houses practically every block and sometimes on the same block you can find a local shop, a starbucks and a coffee people. Peet's is pretty good too. In many instances, starbucks is best for convenience; for good coffee however, grind your own and add your own junk.

NW? what state if you don't mind my asking. If you made an intro thread I must have missed it.

[johnny]

NW? what state if you don't mind my asking. If you made an intro thread I must have missed it.

PDX.

[Ellis]

How can you people drink at Starbucks? Dont you have any moral qualms with it?