I just avoid Starbucks in general. While I don’t think they’re actually on the BDS list, they sued one of their own unions over pro-Palestinian comments.
Starbucks is on the BDS list for the NoThanks app, which is an app developed by a Palestinian to help boycott products that support Israel with a simple barcode scan. I highly recommend it, easy way to make an impact via purchasing power.
But coffee itself in reasonable doses have little negative effects. Very much like how nicotine itself has little negative effects but the millions of carcinogens that come along in the smoke are like the cream and sugar in the Starbucks.
Why mock them? Our quotidian musings are seldom unique. When an individual arrives at a realization on their own, should we not celebrate it? Is it not our collective duty to foster and encourage critical thinking whenever the opportunity arises?
I always feeling like a weirdo when just ordered a small coffee. Pro-tip: it’s better getting coffee at a bakery because their danishes didn’t come from plastic bags.
I’m a big fan of their shaken oatmilk espresso drinks.
I realized at a certain point that I could buy a bottle of syrup, a cheap espresso machine, espresso ground coffee, and oatmilk, and this would all pay for itself within a relatively small number of drinks. Like, I dunno, 30-40 drinks depending on the oatmilk and the syrup.
I’ve gotten pretty good at making my own Starbucks-esque drinks, and it means I can control the sugar better.
I finally got my wife to stop frequenting them with a moka pot and some flavored syrups. Homemade is comparable in flavor, bit less fat and sugar, and $1-2 per cup all in.
I use a Kingrinder, $50-100, milk warmer/frother, $30, moka pot, $30, and light roast Ethiopian beans. I just order in a big bag of beans for pour over and use the same for other drinks out of convenience. I’ve had cheap espresso makers before and the moka pot is close enough for mixed drinks.
3 shots espresso
1 pump Torani English Toffee
2 pumps Torani Puremade Almond
A decent amount of ice (I don’t measure this, I eyeball it)
Shake well, then pour into a cup/glass
Shake up your carton of oatmilk and fill the rest of the glass. It gets a nice foamy top and the oatmilk spreads beautifully down the glass.
I use Oatly Full-Fat oatmilk (the Barista Edition is just too expensive and you don’t need it unless you’re doing hot drinks), but any other brand’s creamiest oatmilk will also work.
Honestly pretty much any syrups that sound appealing to you will probably work well in this type of recipe.
The one I was most proud of involved taro powder (for boba drinks) instead of syrup, and a pump of chai syrup, but it has a LOT of sugar.
As far as suggestions for a cheap espresso machine…I haven’t had amazing luck, because you get what you pay for. I’m on my second and at some point will probably replace it with a more expensive one. But they last long enough to pay for themselves. Also the cheap ones are good for beginners, pressurized portafilters make it really easy to get right.
👍 thanks a ton! I’ve been reading up a bunch on espresso machines and from what I’ve researched you need a metal grinder thingy which increases the cost well over 100$ and the cheap ones all have plastic ones which means more micro plastics in your drink and uneven grind/crush leading to a variable flavor. This is the only reason holding me back. Is there any good premade Expresso that I could just measure out for my drinks? Might start that way first and if it gets crazy expensive will put money and time aside to get an all metal Expresso machine.
I wouldn’t bother getting a grinder, honestly, until you know it’s something you really want to do. Because to get a burr grinder that does espresso consistently you have to pay quite a bit.
Instead, just get your coffee from a shop and ask them to grind it for espresso for you. I’ve never found a shop that won’t grind it for free if you’re buying the beans from them. Even at Starbucks, you can bring a bag of the whole bean version of their espresso blend to the counter and ask them to grind it fine for espresso, and they will (though honestly, at Starbucks I ask for Turkish grind because I’ve had mixed results with their espresso grind).
(I actually mostly use Starbucks coffee, but that’s because they’re the only shop within reasonable walking distance of my house. And it’s fine.)
Obviously this will result in some loss of flavor, since you aren’t grinding it when you use it, but if you’re putting syrup and oatmilk in it I don’t think it makes much difference.
Putting the grounds in a sealed mason jar in the fridge will keep flavor for over a year, tested it lol. So what what kind of Expresso machine am I looking for if it doesn’t have a burr built in? Do those exist?
There are plenty of cheap machines that don’t have the grinder. My current one is a De’Longhi. It’s a pain in the ass to get the grounds out of the portafilter, but it works. Had a Gevi that worked pretty well but I destroyed it on accident (long story). Anything around the $100 mark if you don’t want to spend a lot. And like I said, these cheaper machines are good for beginners because many have pressurized portafilters that produce crema regardless of how well tamped or ground the coffee is.
At some point I will probably upgrade to something better, but honestly the cheap ones work fine for what I need them to do.
What’s a good bar amount? Should I buy a hydraulic press to get that 1k bar? I should message that channel to see if they can make some really good Expresso using their press
Just a side note you probably shouldn’t be consuming foods and drinks that are high in sugar such as milkshakes, sodas and cakes. However, I think you are probably aware of that.
If you only drink water for a few weeks you’ll notice all the hidden sugar and substitutes in your food and beverages. Notice it for what it is, a cheap replacement to flavor.
wdym? i notice them either way. i consume them because i want to taste them. like when i want to taste phosphoric acid and caffeine, i drink coke. if the taste didn’t matter, i wouldn’t go through the hassle of getting them and just drink tap water and eat plain toast or rice
Not for me. I only consume coke every once in a while. I sometimes go for months drinking only water, black coffee and the occasional beer, yet I still enjoy Coke.
Not at Starbucks. I mean, you can customize your order and ask them to tone it down on the additives, but if you just order off their menu, you either get a black coffee or (I like how OP said it) a milkshake.
I stopped drinking soda for 4 months and when I started again I liked it just as much as before, it was sweet but not disgustingly so. Everyone has their own threshold.
It’s funny comparing tobacco to an actual addictive stimulant, coffee, and decided sugar is the problem. I say as I drink my black coffee in the morning.
Whatever it takes to get you away from Starbucks seems like a win though.
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