Personalization

Today when heading to your local coffee shops, the options are incredible. Whole, 2%, skim, and soy for milk options; single, double or triple shots of espresso; regular or sugar-free pumps of syrup; Equal, sugar or Slenda; and tall, grande or venti for size. You could get a headache before even ordering. This New Yorker cartoon does a good job of poking fun at the Starbucks coffee naming culture.

I like to try new options when I go into Starbucks, but I do have my favorites. I use skim or soy because I am allergic to dairy, and choose sugar-free syrup with each drink. If I have a long night of studying ahead of me I’ll choose a drink with a double or triple shot of espresso (as I have previously mentioned I run on caffeine). I also try to choose drinks with low calorie options since I consume multiple cups of coffee a day.

I am not proud of this next story (but it is quite humorous). Last year during exams a barista at Starbucks laughed at my drink order saying it was the longest one that she had ever heard. Rembering back I think I ordered a triple venti sugar-free skim latte, no foam, extra hot. She may have laughed but that personalization is the reason I seek out Starbucks! And even that laugh is interaction between the customer and the employee, which adds to your experience (whether good or bad), it is not just a transaction which you would recieve at McDonalds.

Even though I love the personalization to coffee, I do not go to coffee shops every day. Each morning my coffee pot is set to go off at 7:45am, whether I get up at that time or not, it begins brewing. Additions to my coffee that I make at home every morning are two packets of Splenda and a tablespoon of vanilla coffee creamer. Occasionally I use sugar-free syrup and some milk, but that is only when I run out of coffee creamer. Last year my sister advised me that maybe I should cut back on the sugar-free/Splenda habit and go back to the natural products such as sugar. But how could I say no to no calories and the magical advertisements that Splenda has created. Even the advertisement is telling me not to be scared of sweets, because in theory (with Splenda) you can eat sweets and not gain weight. I say BRING ON THE DESSERTS (and coffee)! :) But whether I get skim or soy, syrup or sugar-free, tall or venti, I couldn't imagine life without coffee and my personal touches to it!