This is something for which most desis nod heads with me. From the suda suda filter coffee in davara tumbler to the slogan on the coffee cup saying, The beverage you are going to enjoy contains hot liquid, I’m learning to accomodate.
Starbucks is beginning to be a costly replacement for my Indian Filter Coffee. Yet I’m becoming comfortable to walk to into a Starbucks Coffee shop and order in a single breath “Hey, How-u-doing, Mocha-Tall. Make it extra hot. No whipped cream. You see, I’m already going bonker bonks with the cheese thrust”. Get the covered coffee cup, open again and add sugar-like-stuff to make it sweeter. Yesterday, trying to act smart, I added some cane sugar and you must have seen my face go all eight directions.
If you didn’t know, Starbucks, the American Coffee shop revolution, started in Seattle. I knew that just a week back. While I landed, I was surprised to see a Starbucks at evey corner of a street. Not anymore. So if you are anywhere in Seattle downtown, you might be just 50 feet away from a Starbucks.
I am starting to love all the Cappuccinos, Lattes, Mochas and Espressos. Just as I enjoyed the ambience in the Chennai Barista, I’m enjoying the crowd here. Geeks sitting around with a cordless mouse and working on their laptops connected to the wireless hotspot, Women – while sipping their Caramel Mocha adjusting their upperlip lipstick on a handy mirror, a gentleman on the blue shirt and a thick reddish tie relaxedly reading The Seattle Times, a middle aged woman reading just the first page of The New Yorker and me still stirring the cane sugar in the Mocha. Vivid Images inside a Starbucks Shop. Enjoyable.
P.S: My laptop is still adjusting to the WI-FI. So it might take a week before I do some Vetti Banda stuff of blogging from Starbucks and name the post, The First Post From Starbucks On My Laptop. What a boast that was !! I hear you saying Lazy finally becomes GEEK !! Atleast I hope.
kirukkal.com 
26 responses to “Starbucks-ing my life”
I love the fact that most of the Starbucks are wi-fi enabled. I guess they were the first to start the trend.
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i like them better when they are within a bookstore. a cup of mocha and 4 hours for a book – wat more do you need in life.
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a friend once told me….”open a starbucks in a place unheard of coffee ……offer them free coffee every Wednesday for a month….and then wait for the crowd after that…. u will be a rich man in less than a year”
what say?
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Yeah!!..what is with these people?
You don’t find people opening up their laptops in Pizza places, restaurants, McDonalds’s …but the moment they enter a coffee shop they think it’s their office.
“Just get you your Moccha lala ya ya and get out. You don’t own that place!”
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Guru,
Did you happen to see my email? We can hook up by phone (I am three hours to the front :-)) if you want to send me an email.
Regards,
Mukund.
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Lazy, try [Tall] “Americano” with milk, this is the only thing that can come near “Besh Besh”
narasus coffee .. 🙂 and in starbucks, also did you try “Tazo Chai” aka. namba oor Masala tea.
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Oops I missed this during c&p.
“The American Coffee shop revolution, started in Seattle.”
Why? suicides rates were very high because of the dull overcast weather in Seattle. But thanks to the Coffee revolution, that reduced the craze for suicide. I have heard this story from many “geekamatic Seattlians
In Seattle Coffee saves life.
🙂
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Kriba, True. I was thinking that those geeks were playing solitaire till I came to know that they were actually blogging using WI-FI.
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LG,
Did U try out Terravida ? Terravida has very fine interiors than Starbucks 😉
And “Seattle’s Best” coffee is more famous in these areas.Try out that also.
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Lazy becomes Geek or lazy becomes sleek?? 🙂
True..Almost everytime I go to starbucks I curse myself for spending too much on the coffee,when It hits me hard that my mom would have purchased 1kg of specially brewed coffee powder for amount!!
ANyway..nothing would compare the good old life of Amma’s filter coffee in the mornings,as I work my way through the Hindu crossword!
-Raapi
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I have been living in Seattle for a while now and Starbucks is very much a part of our daily lives here. First I used to spend huge amounts of money on coffee as well, until I stared drinking dip coffee.
“Seattle’s Best Coffee” is also a chain owned by Starbucks. Try Tulleys, its good, but when ever I take a friend visiting me to Tulleys, they invariably wanna go back to starbucks the next time. Dont know why though.
Also if you are in the downtown area visit the First Starbucks Store. Its like a temple for all coffee addicts, because thats the place that started the coffee shop culture. Its located in the Pike Place market.
Theres also an interesting bit of trivia about the Starbucks angel whom you can see in all cups. In all the pictures, her hair falls over her bosom and covers it. Only in the first starbucks store in the Pike place market in Seattle its different.
Enjoy your stay in Seattle and feel free to write to me if in case you need any help here in Seattle.
Ram
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Sriks: Americano with milk.. huh.. hmmm will try that next time i am around a Starbucks. Till now, barring once or twice, I have had a Cappuchino every single time 🙂
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I love Starbucks and I love Seattle. Try the Starbucks new Chantico. if you are a hot chocalte lover. I am in Seattle almost every month, so I will catch up with you the next time I am there
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One of the closest to “namba” coffee – “double shot of espresso(or whatever their best flavor is) with steamed milk and no foam, steamed extra hot and milk added to the requested level” – They dont steam it extra hot unless you mention it and they add lots of milk and dilkute the coffee so you have to be careful. I have made the above my std. Yeah, the price is a little high but the ambience is worth it. Where else could you sit peacefully and read newspapers or play scrabble with a nice cup of coffee and pastry to go with?
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If you give Starbucks in Google, the third search result is a site named I hate Starbucks…. A nice read if you have time 🙂
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wow, i have lived in the US for 7yrs now, and I have never been to any of the Starbucks. i usually get their capuccino that comes in bottles at walmart or some other place, or have good digarshan cofee in my house.
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Wi-Fi at Starbucks will cost you dearly. There are so many free connections and websites to help you find them.
BTW, a $2/day Starbucks habit adds up to a great espresso machine of your own, e.g. Rancilio, Gaggia, Saeco, etc.
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Thennavan, I did see. Will call you over the weekend. Thanks for the note.
Sriks, Thanks for that. Tried Americano today with Steammed milk and as you said it was a Besh Besh stuff.
Raj, Will try terravida. Any idea where they are located.
Raapi, Don’t remind me of that. Same here too.
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Ram, Will certainly try Seattle’s best Coffee stuff. Thanks for the info and will let you know if I need some local info.
Sudhar, chantico ? will try that next time. The Starbucks girl near my office is already surprised that I am trying all types of coffees.
Nitin, Take you car keys, drive-by, check out starbucks and reply. I am sure you will enjoy.
YB, You are right about the costly WI-FI. Also the coffee but it’s so tempting. And for me, a filter coffee addict, prtty tough without coffee.
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I think having a starbucks has become more of a status symbol. You end up paying for the brand rather than for the coffee. I like smaller privately owned coffee shops who take their coffee seriously rather than their brand. Thats how it is in Europe. And thats how it should be.
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We luv Dunkin Donuts.
Verizon is doing an ad. in east coast, spoofing the coffee-shop-netters and the convenience of their wireless broadband. Always the Dunkin’ Donuts – The Great One. By Bryan Curtis (slate)
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Came across this post by chance.
The ambience is good no doubt. If not for the coffee, you would atleast get into starbucks for the ambience and like to spend some time. But being an avid coffee drinker, I have frequented starbucks so many times and spend so many nights there, reading a book or doing assignments. But I can vouch that the coffee at the small shop around the corner is way better than the one sold at Starbucks. Overpriced and commercialized. there is nothing unique about the coffee you get there.
And btw, I stopped visiting Starbucks for entirely different reason and I m thankful it no longer burns a hole in my wallet.
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Varun, may I ask what made you to stop going to Starbucks? Any particular thing that annoyed you? Just curious to know…Dont worry I dont work for Howard Schultz.
i’m not a big fan of it as the product here sucks to the CORE! eventhough I like the store setup and everything… to me, if you can provide the quality, the experience equation neutralises… it has not increased!
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Sorry in my previous post, as usual, i’ve typed out something that didnt mean lol
[QUOTE]
if you can provide the quality, the experience equation neutralises… it has not increased!
[/QUOTE]
lol, what was i thinking… Anyhow, just meant that if you cant serve good coffee, then it is no point.. its like quality * experience = loyalty. You know what happens when there is a null to the equation.
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My suggestions..Sorry if its repetitive of others’ comments
1)Chai – Dont add xtra sugar. Also make it xtra hot.
2)Cappuchino- asal filter coffee thaan with nurai 🙂
Starbuz and tullys – they are one and the same in terms of teh flavors they provide. Other than the brands, I dont find any diff in their drinks.
Btw in tullys, they have something called 3:21 wakeupcall or something. when u make urself visible around that time, they distribute coupons for free drinks..
So enjoy ur kapi!!
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Waiting for starbucks to come to india…i tried it in dubai and its mindblowing
GK!
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