I have a friend who orders her lattes with extra foam. They feel like air when you pick them up. I was behind a lady in line once at the local coffee shop and she ordered a cup of foam without the coffee. It reminded me of when I used to work at McDonalds and East Indian vegetarian ladies would order cheese burgers without the beef. Those were called special orders back in the day.
I order my lattes venti-sized, no foam, with milk-to-the-top. They are so weighty I must wear my purse as a cross-over bag because I need two hands to carry the venti, no foam, milk-to-the-top latte from the counter to the table. If I am at the drive-thru window, I also use two hands to maneuver it to my car cup holder.
I have on occasion made the mistake of grabbing the latte by the lid. Venti, no foam, milk-to-the top lattes make a big mess when the lids pop off in mid-transfer. I have experienced this first hand.
After thirteen years together, my husband knows how to order my lattes but sometimes when I am sitting next to him at the drive-thru, he falters and forgets to ask for milk-to-the-top. I am an exacting person and can be intimidating when supervising drive-thru orders.
Sometimes the barista asks me if I’d like chocolate or cinnamon sprinkles. I shout, “NO, THANK YOU!”
Several years ago, when I was young and single, I was Christmas shopping at a local mall. Mid-way through, I treated myself to a very foamy cappuccino sprinkled with chocolate. I remember feeling relaxed and content as I drank it. Chocolate and coffee go so well together, a nice break from the madness of shoppers.
After my cappuccino, I headed to a men’s wear shop to pick up some presents for my dad and brother. A young, good looking sales clerk asked if I needed assistance, staring deeply into my eyes as he did so. I remember blushing under his gaze, or did I flush? I was having a really good hair day that day.
Items purchased, I headed back to my car. There was no vanity mirror available then so I tilted the rear-view mirror towards me, hoping to see in my reflection, validation of the clerk’s interest. What I observed instead was that the chocolate sprinkles from the milk foam had drawn a perfectly outlined pencil moustache over my top lip.
Aghast, I stopped ordering foam from that moment on.
A latte in the late afternoon is my reward for getting through the day. It is a sacred pause that signifies “me time”. That being said, I am well-aware that the half-life of caffeine is seven hours and that I should be drinking my coffee earlier in the day.
As a compromise for drinking late in the day, I changed the size and not the time. I no longer order a venti latte when out. Rather, I order a small or medium sized cup, something I can carry with one hand. Alternatively, I use my nifty espresso machine and milk frother at home, though I never set the latter to froth, only to hot milk. And no chocolate sprinkles either.
bogeyandruby 