[Pessimisticat]

Coda: I think I'm okay with McDonald's because I usually just get the iced coffee things, and those don't murder me. Neither does Dunkin Donuts'. Starbucks', on the other hand, their ice coffee makes me poo my soul out, lol. I normally buy the cheapest coffee at the store, or whatever is on sale, and I use a percolater. I can't drink too much of it, since it usually does kill me.

Den: It's weird, I get hella-bad migraines, too, but caffeine doesn't really seem to help. I've also never gotten drunk to the point where I end up having a hangover.

Potironette: GOOD! That's a super awesome habit to have. I wish I could say the same for myself ;( I don't like hot drinks, so I normally just drink iced coffee/tea/chocolate milk, but will go for a hot chocolate every now and again.

[Coda]

IMO, drip > perc.

If you want to order iced coffee from Starbucks, order an iced Americano instead of iced coffee. The former is brewed on the spot and poured over ice while the latter comes out of a premixed box in the refrigerator. Though do note that it will come black by default (unlike an iced coffee which you CAN'T order unsweetened or without milk) and you'll need to say "with cream and sugar" or however you like it.

[Poggio]

@.@ oh man, I am so glad I am a tea drinker.

And I think its hard to gauge if being around people makes me excited or not. I work in customer service. You do it in high volume long enough it makes even the most energetic person tired.

And sadly I can't really figure out how to order at starbucks. I think my coworker once told me I may like a frappcino? Or an expressio.

As for McDonalds in general, idk how you eat there. At all ._. I've heard stories.

[Coda]

Actually I rather like most of the menu at McDonald's. It's obviously a guilty pleasure because it's not good for you at all, and their regular hamburgers are kinda bland, but aside from that and the coffee it's not bad.

As for ordering at Starbucks... They just made up fancy names for their sizes. Relative to common soft drink sizes, "tall" is very small (12oz), "grande" is small (16oz), "venti" is medium (20-24oz depending on the drink), and "trenta" is large (30oz).

Frappuccinos are definitely things you can feel safe ordering in terms of flavor, because it's BASICALLY like a milkshake. They're also ridiculously loaded with sugar and will ruin your diet. >.>;

Straight espresso is NOT something you want to order if you don't know what you like. It's worth trying, because you MIGHT like it, but it's VERY strong -- it's served in shots, not cups. So don't order espresso unless you're willing to take a gamble on whether or not you like it. (Me, I like it, but Starbucks charges way too much for the straight shots; something you can add to a drink for $0.60 costs twice that if you want to order it straight?)

Cafe Americano is espresso plus hot water. It's roughly the strength of normal brewed coffee, but it's got a different flavor. It's a little sweeter and a little bolder. You can also order it iced, which is basically the espresso poured over ice cubes so that they melt into a cold drink.

Cappuccino is a bittersweet drink. It's espresso plus steamed milk and frothed milk.

Cafe Latte is espresso plus steamed milk. The flavor is similar to but milder than cappuccino. It's considered a good starter drink if you don't know what to order.

Cafe Mocha is a latte with dark chocolate added to it. It's one of the sweetest traditional espresso drinks, and it's also a good starter drink.

A flat white is similar to a cappuccino, except the espresso is made differently and the proportions are different. It's sweeter and richer than cappuccino, but not overly sweet. It's one of my favorite drinks. It's... also rather expensive. The way I order it (venti, with mocha syrup) rings up at over $6.

But basically, yeah, if you don't know what you want to order, a mocha is pretty safe, or a latte if you want something less sweet.

[Pessimisticat]

Coda: I really don't think I like Cappucinos. Too boring for me. :P
I'm definitely going to try out the Americano next time I go, just to see how I like it/how it effects me in comparison to a regular iced coffee.
I also had a drip coffee maker, but then someone forgot to clean it and it got filled with bugs...so I bought a percolater since it is just wayyyyyyyy easier to clean, at least for me. xD

Poggio: Next time you hangout with your friends see how you feel afterwards 8) I work in retail, so because of it I've definitely gotten more extroverted. You'd probably like a frappucino since I'm pretty sure there isn't coffee in there at all and it's just an awesome flavored drink full of sugar and diabetes 8)
And as Coda said, McDonald's is basically a guilty pleasure :P

[Coda]

Some Frappuccinos have coffee. Some don't. They used to be listed separately on the menu but it seems that most of their menu isn't actually posted up on the wall anymore. Kinda annoying when I feel like trying something different. ^^() At least the mobile app has a more comprehensive (but still not complete -- you can order stuff in person that isn't listed) menu.

(It's not so much a "secret menu" thing as it is that the baristas know how to make a LOT of stuff and it just gets rung up as a variant of the items that are on the menu.)

[Coda]

Me, I want to try a cafe Cubano next time. You add raw/demerara/turbinado/brown sugar to the coffee grounds in the espresso machine. That said, I don't know if Starbucks will actually DO that because I'm not certain their espresso machine will let them.

And thinking about it, I remember a couple more drinks I forgot to mention; they're not on the menu, but I'm reasonably certain they can make a cortado, which is an espresso mixed with steamed milk to make it less acidic. (It's basically a cappuccino minus the foam.) There's also the cafe macchiato, which is the same thing but with less milk.

It makes something of a sliding scale of darkness:

Espresso/Americano > Macchiato > Cortado > Cappuccino > Latte

Then you've got the flat white and the latte macchiato (a Starbucks invention, but it's foamed milk and espresso) that don't quite fit in the scale directly because they're prepared differently (basically, both are thicker and creamier, and the flat white is sweeter without needing to add sugar), but they're both roughly in the middle of the scale.

[Pessimisticat]

Yeah, I think it definitely depends on the kind of Frappucino. Like, I doubt the Vanilla Bean Frappe has coffee in it, but I'm pretty sure the Java Chip Frappe does.
I wasn't a huge fan of the cafe macchiato, either. I guess I just like the stuff pumped with creamers. I also find myself having a hard time differentiating between tastes. To me, a lot of it just tastes the same. Different brands, different styles, different brewing, whatever. I don't have a sophisticated tongue, I suppose. Its like that with beer, too. Can't taste a difference. xD
Also, holy crud, you weren't kidding about coffee (caffeine) being life, lol. Were you a barista once, or are you just a huge coffee connoisseur?

[Coda]

I drink a lot of coffee, but I wouldn't say I'm a coffee snob. I'm just one of those people who have a mind for trivia, so lots of little things get stuck in there if I've read about it before.

Sounds like you'd be one for a mocha, then, if the normal steamed-milk-and-espresso drinks are bland for you. You might try a flat white (it's more different than it sounds due to the different espresso extraction technique) too, and like I said, a flat white with mocha is my favorite.

[Poggio]

@Coda: See I am more of a Caribou person and they send me emails all the time about their Frapps. I don't think they have a secret menu, I also don't think they have tall vente and what ever the other size is, which removes one layer of confusion for me. I think I will try a Cafe Late though. Or XD just stick with tea.

@Pess: Errr I feel both really? Sometimes my friends make me happy, sometimes I am tired and overwhelmed like its too much at once and I want to be alone.

[Pessimisticat]

Coda: I think you'd be right about that. I definitely do like the "mocha" drinks you can get from DD and Starbucks xD Although, I haven't tried that one.
Poggio: Yeah, I feel like that sometimes, too. I like being around my friends but after awhile of doing it I just need some super "me time". Hung out with my friend for like 3 weeks, basically almost spending the whole time at her place, so now I've been taking a couple of weeks off from hanging out with her. xD