Long time, no write! Looks like there hasn't been a new blog post since... [checks date of last post] Oh dear, has it really been... oh. Never fear! Despite my lack of posts, I've been caffeinated as hell, doing micro coffee shop reviews on my Instagram, obsessing over monthly specials (I still think about the Kit Kat latte from Raw Bean on the daily. That drink absolutely owned me for the month of August), and putting on my figurative barista cap and experimenting with coffees at home.
I figured the best way to give you a recap of what I've been loving lately (or I guess, for all of 2021 so far since I haven't posted all year) is to do it in list form.
The Apple Crisp Macchiato from Starbucks
This fruity concoction was added to the Starbucks seasonal menu in late August, joining its pumpkin sisters (PSL and PCCB, obvi) to form the fall menu trifecta. Okay, I just need to put it out there that I'm a slave to this drink. I know a lot of people hate it. A lot of people think it's gross. Well to that, I shake my fist and say... pleasedontbemadatme but I don't agree with you.
Folks, I don't know what to tell you, but I've been getting this thing multiple times a week. I get it iced and with oat milk, and just now I'm realizing how amazing it would be with blonde espresso and now I'm drooling over the thought of a macchiato at 9 p.m. as I'm writing this paragraph. It's a problem. My BFF Kat and I have exchanged some fervent words over this drink and how it makes us feel. (Check out her Youtube channel here, including the video review she did of the drink!
I just love sweet and fruity flavors in coffee (blueberry, raspberry, etc.), and the brown sugar element to the apple crisp syrup gives it an autumnal twist, making it my go-to drink lately. It tastes identical to an apple cinnamon muffin, but in tasty espresso form. Starbucks, you have done it again. Constantly raising the bar for us all.
Dirty chai
Between all my oat milk lattes and cold brews with foam (and my brief summer affair with the Pink Drink), for awhile I lost sight of a classic, a drink that brought me comfort, tidings and joy for many years: the dirty chai. I reignited my love of chai with a visit to Songbird (a Phoenix gem with truly the best chai around) and after that, it was game over. It was all chai, all the time. I ended up perfecting an at-home dirty chai recipe that was a perfect mix of sweet and spicy. It involved rose syrup, Chobani oat milk, and giving the Trader Joe's spiced chai concentrate another chance (which I used to hate and swore to never consume again until I tried it in this recipe and now it's my favorite chai. That's what we call growth). I also started ordering the iced dirty chai again at my favorite Midvale spot Crema, which just hits the spot.
Remembering why I love coffee shops in the first place
Have you ever sipped a coffee so good that you think, "Damn, everything's gonna be okay"? HA, that's a little dramatic, but honestly, yes. Yes I have. Maybe for you it's not a coffee. Maybe it's your favorite food, your favorite book, your pet, or your best friend. It's whatever lifts you up, brightens your day, and feels like sunshine when everything else looks like clouds. A lot of big changes happened in my life this year, but you know what always made me happy? Going to coffee shops where they know my name, ordering my favorite drink, and snagging a spot by the window with whatever library book I'm diving into at the moment.
After the pandemic, I will never take this for granted again! Earlier this summer, I went to Sunset Coffee for the first time in over a year and it was SURREAL. I used to go there almost every week for hours and hours, but obviously stopped going into coffee shops (or anywhere, really) for an extended period of time in 2020. It was so fun to be back in a coffee shop and just hear the sounds (a random radio station or Spotify playlist playing through the speakers) smell the smells (espresso, mmm), and vibe the vibes (I'm so sorry).
I know things aren't "back to normal" the way we had hoped they would be by this point. But I'm so grateful that we can appreciate the little things in ways we hadn't before, like spending time in a window spot or a barista handing you your iced latte with a smile.
Stay tuned for more coffee adventures, and let me know what you've been loving lately!
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