This a blog about trying new things. Reaching beyond my comfort zone, exploring and making the most of life. My goal is to try 52 new things. One per week for a year.
If you have been reading my blog, you know that my husband and I recently visited Seattle, WA. We had a great time! When we had made the decision to go there for our anniversary, I knew that Seattle would be where I would try my first cup of coffee. Now, I know you are thinking, that sounds impossible. How does one go 40 years in this coffee crazed world and not try it at least once? Simply, I never had the desire. I am an anomaly. I have tried coffee flavored ice cream and candy but, never drank a cup of coffee.
When you think Seattle, you definitely think coffee. It's the home of Starbucks, for goodness sake! Upon doing a little bit of research, I found out that the very first Starbucks was still in business located at the Pike Place Market, established in 1971. So, while visiting the Market, we went to the original Starbucks. As we approached the unassuming store front there was a line out the door. There was a man sitting out front playing music on his guitar, singing blues and selling his CD. As I entered the shop, there was a Starbucks employee directing the traffic flow to the cashiers counter. The place was packed. Once I was at the front of the line Tiffany greeted me. I told her that I would be trying my first cup of coffee and asked her if she had any recommendations. She asked me a few key questions and then suggested a mocha. When the next register became available Tiffany walked me over to Nick and told him I was having my first cup of coffee. Nick was great, he also made a couple of suggestions. I told him that I didn't want something too sweet. I wanted to stay as close as possible to a regular old cup o'joe. Nick recommended my mocha in a "short" size. Short is not on the menu. It's smaller than a tall. It's great for a newbie like me. He also explained exactly what goes into making a mocha. 2 shots of chocolate syrup with steamed milk and one shot of espresso with a dab of whipped topping. I ordered a short mocha. Nick wrote my name on the cup, as they traditionally do, then also wrote...First Cup Of Coffee. Next we were off to see the barista-Dan. Dan was chatting with the guys in front of us while making their drinks. He said, "you guys must not be from Seattle?" they seemed slightly offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" the guy asked. Dan said, "you guys have color on your face, we are all paste-ey and vitamin D deficient here". Then Dan grabbed my cup, read it and said, something about it being my first cup of coffee. The two guys before us looked shocked and one guy said, "come on, really?" I don't think he believed me. It was like I was a 40 year old virgin or something! Dan prepared my mocha with style and a smile(see attached video).
So, I took the lid off and started blowing on it then...took my first sip. Not bad. I thought the Mocha would make it sweeter though. As we were walking out I gave Nick the thumbs up and Tiffany said, "don't get addicted now". We decided to walk down to a park-like area overlooking the water. I drank my coffee. I didn't taste chocolate but soon realized it probably really cut out the bitterness of a regular coffee. Overall, I enjoyed it. I ended up drinking about half and gave the rest to Joel. I can definitely see why people would like drinking this after dinner, it's very soothing and comforting. Other than that, I still prefer tea.
The experience of my first cup of coffee at Starbucks was fantastic thanks to the great customer service by the employees there. I guess that's why Starbucks is the biggest...they sell the experience. Thanks Tiffany, Nick and Dan!
If you have been reading my blog, you know that my husband and I recently visited Seattle, WA. We had a great time! When we had made the decision to go there for our anniversary, I knew that Seattle would be where I would try my first cup of coffee. Now, I know you are thinking, that sounds impossible. How does one go 40 years in this coffee crazed world and not try it at least once? Simply, I never had the desire. I am an anomaly. I have tried coffee flavored ice cream and candy but, never drank a cup of coffee.
When you think Seattle, you definitely think coffee. It's the home of Starbucks, for goodness sake! Upon doing a little bit of research, I found out that the very first Starbucks was still in business located at the Pike Place Market, established in 1971. So, while visiting the Market, we went to the original Starbucks. As we approached the unassuming store front there was a line out the door. There was a man sitting out front playing music on his guitar, singing blues and selling his CD. As I entered the shop, there was a Starbucks employee directing the traffic flow to the cashiers counter. The place was packed. Once I was at the front of the line Tiffany greeted me. I told her that I would be trying my first cup of coffee and asked her if she had any recommendations. She asked me a few key questions and then suggested a mocha. When the next register became available Tiffany walked me over to Nick and told him I was having my first cup of coffee. Nick was great, he also made a couple of suggestions. I told him that I didn't want something too sweet. I wanted to stay as close as possible to a regular old cup o'joe. Nick recommended my mocha in a "short" size. Short is not on the menu. It's smaller than a tall. It's great for a newbie like me. He also explained exactly what goes into making a mocha. 2 shots of chocolate syrup with steamed milk and one shot of espresso with a dab of whipped topping. I ordered a short mocha. Nick wrote my name on the cup, as they traditionally do, then also wrote...First Cup Of Coffee. Next we were off to see the barista-Dan. Dan was chatting with the guys in front of us while making their drinks. He said, "you guys must not be from Seattle?" they seemed slightly offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" the guy asked. Dan said, "you guys have color on your face, we are all paste-ey and vitamin D deficient here". Then Dan grabbed my cup, read it and said, something about it being my first cup of coffee. The two guys before us looked shocked and one guy said, "come on, really?" I don't think he believed me. It was like I was a 40 year old virgin or something! Dan prepared my mocha with style and a smile(see attached video).
So, I took the lid off and started blowing on it then...took my first sip. Not bad. I thought the Mocha would make it sweeter though. As we were walking out I gave Nick the thumbs up and Tiffany said, "don't get addicted now". We decided to walk down to a park-like area overlooking the water. I drank my coffee. I didn't taste chocolate but soon realized it probably really cut out the bitterness of a regular coffee. Overall, I enjoyed it. I ended up drinking about half and gave the rest to Joel. I can definitely see why people would like drinking this after dinner, it's very soothing and comforting. Other than that, I still prefer tea.
The experience of my first cup of coffee at Starbucks was fantastic thanks to the great customer service by the employees there. I guess that's why Starbucks is the biggest...they sell the experience. Thanks Tiffany, Nick and Dan!
Comments
I am glad you enjoyed the blog this week. It defintely was the perfect first-cup experience. I hope you get to go there one day too! Great customer service is hard to come by these days. I always appreciate it!