I live in the land of Starbucks. There is almost one every block. If I go there, I get the China Green Tips tea or the hot apple cider. I don't drink much coffee, but if I do, I get a capp. (I think Starbucks makes a good capp.) I don't like lattes since they have too much milk and that is what Starbucks is known for. It just seems silly to me to get coffee with so much milk. It's like a glass of hot milk with essence of coffee. (Plus, it doesn't help that I am lactose intolerant.)

When I was in high school, we used to go to the original Starbucks in Seattle. It was the only one in the world at that time, and it had a rather risque logo showing a mermaid with her rather ample breasts exposed. It was completely different than the stores are now. It was a sort of counter culture hangout, the only place in town where you could get whole beans. The counters were hewn wood and everyone carved their initials in them. And they had huge glass jars lining the wall behind the counter, filled with teas from all over the world. I used to love to go there and get an exotic tea and bring a sack of tea leaves home with me. Now they serve chain tea in bags there. And the stores seem so sterile and clinical. Just not the same. I feel old, longing for the "good old days."