Please welcome UT Caffeine Queen's first guest! My sister, who is also a blogger, wrote this post on what coffee shops mean to her and also gives us a rundown on her favorite drink orders. When you're done, be sure to check out her website, This Sunday Kinda Love. Happy reading!
xoxo,
UT Caffeine Queen
This post is three-fold. 1) I want to tell you how coffee and I met and begin our torrid love affair. 2) I want to tell you why I adore coffee shop culture and 3) I want to spill the tea on some of my fave beverages. Let's BREW this! (sorry, had to).
I drink about 2 cups of coffee a day now, but I dipped my toes in the metaphorical coffee waters sometime in the later days of my college career. Junior year of college my girlfriends and I lived across the street from a Starbucks. My love of the green straw begin as many others started: with a pumpkin spice latte. The spicy, sweet "Fall in a Cup" drink was the perfect intro to coffee. As time went on, I began experimenting with other coffee drinks and shops. In addition to branching out and figuring out what drinks I enjoyed, I really fell in love with the coffee shop culture.Â
It was during college, with that fantastic Starbucks across the street that I first heard the term "third place." The idea is that there is home, there is work, and a local coffee shop can be your "third place" where you can connect and relax. The Gonzaga Starbucks (which I am told is no. longer. there!) was such a place for the community. Walking in, one would always find familiar faces and hear great conversations going on. I completed many a paper and met with many a friend in that spot. Later, while I was living in Chicago, the neighborhood Starbucks was once again my "third place." Every lesson planned my first two years teaching was planned there. You can read about it in this post, My Love of Starbucks Runs Deep.Â
In the world today with everyone on their own device, it's nice to sit near others and ignore the world together. Haha, but really, it's so important to be in a community, whatever form that may take for you. I like getting in my monogrammed onesie and watching hours of HGTV alone and munching on kettle corn as much as the next person (yikes, have I said too much?), but it's so important to get out and be in the world. Even if you're on your laptop, like I am, at a new coffee shop, writing this very post.Â
Finally, let's talk drinks! Here are some of my faves:Â
-Iced nonfat caramel macchiato: My friend Trevor in college introduced these to me. We used to get them in the evening as dessert. This drink is sweet so it's rarely a morning drink for me, but I love the swirls of caramel in this decadent drink.
-Cold brew: I love an iced coffee and like to order this with a pump or two of some sweetener and some milk.
-Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte/Skinny Vanilla Latte: Both of these drinks are my go-to's and odds are good I'll get one of these if I'm wanting a coffee fix.
-Blonde Flat White: A flat white is very similar to a latte. This is one of my winter favorites.Â
-Passion Tea Lemonade: This is a classic summertime favorite that is so refreshing and the perfect pairing with banana bread.Â
Even if you're not a coffee or tea drinker, there is something special about having a "third place" and a treat. So cheers with your beverage of choice. It's a BREW-tiful life (Gah! Couldn't resist!)Â
Savor Your Sparkle,
LeslieÂ
Check out Leslie's blog at This Sunday Kinda Love.