The 'Bux'-perience

I have been a coffee guzzler for a long time now. But a couple of recent factors, namely quitting the nicotine addiction and the lack of good ol cuppa of tea ,have increased my dependence on the beverage. And I just cant stand the taste of bad coffee. My coffee should be warm, smooth with a great aftertaste and a lasting effect on the brain. I prefer a mild brew for the morning and a stronger, bolder brew in the evenings. And while sampling a lot of Coffee shops I have figured that in terms of sheer quality of the beans, STARBUCKS is unparalleled. From their current bestseller "Pike Place Roast" (Medium) to the bolder"KOMODO", "Sumatra" or "Expresso" these people know their coffee.... So even though its a bit more expensive than the rest, its bang on every buck you spend on it. And boy the people at the counter take coffee seriously. And some of their antics are really over the top, dragging things a bit too far at time. Well even some customers are as well. Read On.... (L is the lady at the counter and S is me)


In a quest to be different from the rest of the pack the bistro has its own version of cup sizes

S: "One small Latte"
L: "U mean tall, right?"
S: "No I mean small"
L: "Ya but small is tall!"
S: (thinking) "Small is tall????? Thats new? A Yankee discovery"
L: (taking pity on me and my confused look) "Well we have three sizes tall, grande, venti; so essentially Tall is the smallest size"
S: That partly explains why "small is tall"


At one of my earlier visits at the bistro the lady in front of me ordered "One Venti Caramel Machiato Fat free sugar free extra dry"....My initial impression was that I was at a wrong place as that cannot be a request for COFFEE!!!!!!!!!All I could mutter was "One Cappucino"

Bux takes customer service to an all new level. Picture this one.

S: One grande cappuccino
L: Regular or Vanilla?
S: Regular
L: Dry or wet?
S: Excuse me?
L: I mean do you want it to be more foamy or less foamy. More foam/froth and less milk is dry and more milk is wet.
S: (quizzically) I thought a lot more milk is latte??? Is Latte equivalent to very wet cappuccino. (Did not say that)
S: I shall have it dry
L: whole milk, skimmed milk or soy milk?
S: Skimmed milk
L: 1% or 2% milk?
S: 2%
L: Skinny or Low-Fat?
S: (O God, All I wanted was a cup of good Ol Cappucino): Low Fat
L: Sugar or Sugar Free
S: Couple of Splenda(s)
L: Oh that you have to add yourself
S: (Then why ask)

I mean its good to ask the customer about his preferences but when that starts bordering the extreme, its a problem.
Another one


S: Grande Mocha
L: White Chocolate or regular Chocolate?
S: Is dark chocolate an option?
L: Smiles! I like you sense of humor but sadly thats not an option
S: I shall go for regular....

I do get adventurous once in a while but thats another story. And trust me the weird sounding drinks taste just as weird. Ginger-Bread Latte was supposed to be a "spicy, blended latte just perfect for the winter" claimed the hottie at the counter. I fell for it and it tasted like coffee with an extra shot of ginger. They might as well renamed it to "yucky latte". Pumpkin Spice - its not for the faint-hearted souls....And I had the good sense to stay away from "Chantico" - Bux has since withdrawn the drink.

Over a period of time better sense has prevailed and now I use the principle of KISS (Keep it short and simple). Just walk in a order their freshly brewed coffee. Just state "Size-Strength" viz Grande-Bold or Tall-Mild. Lo and behold the beverage is there in front of you. Here again sometimes you get the question "You want room for cream/dairy/milk (whatever)".Of Course I do!!!

But then at the end of the day am willing to answer a couple of stupid questions for that excellent CUPPA. Brew On!