Projo Food Blog

So it's Sunday and my husband and I will head out to Starbucks for coffee. He'll have a Caramel Macchiato, a layered coffee drink. I'll have a dry cappuccino, meaning I like it with more foam and less milk.

But we're also sure to have a show. Customers at the Starbucks in our Massachusetts town are some of the most affected people you'll ever meet. They specify not just what kind of milk for their coffees but temperatures too.

Twice I came in behind a woman carrying her travel mug. On the first day, there was a new barista (the coffee maker). She went up to her and handed her the cup and told her EXACTLY how she wanted it. I can't remember all of it but I can tell you there were a lot of rules around milk and temperature. Then she told the barista she really wasn't a witch, she just liked it how she liked it.

"And now we don't have to talk about it again," she said.

They can't pay those counter people enough.

The next week I saw my first $7 plus coffee, a grande latte (medium size) with 8 extra shots of espresso. The latte was $3.35, the shots $4.40 for a grand total of $7.75.

That cup would keep many of us awake because each shot of espresso is 75 milligrams of caffeine. Times 10 (2 shots for the latte and 8 more) would be 750 mg of caffeine.

When I told the barista at my work Starbucks about that, she said that was nothing. When a certain syndicated radio host stayed in the hotel attached to her cafe, he sent down for shots of espresso. The barista put 4 or 5 in a cup. He sent it back and asked for the largest cup they had to be filled to the top with espresso. It took about 15 shots.

File it under crazy caffeine addictions.

The story made me wonder about caffeine levels of different coffees. I picked up a nutrition brochure at Starbucks and learned that a small brewed coffee has 240 milligrams of caffeine versus just 75 milligrams for a latte or cappucino.

 Tags  Starbucks

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