starbies

About five months ago I began the next adventure of my life as a barista at Starbucks.  The majority of me puts hope and faith that this is a very temporary phase of my life.  However, I'm sincerley trying to work on "blooming where I'm planted." There are days where I'm headed off to work at 4 am, very disheartened that making latte's is what I spend the majority of my time doing these days. While I know Starbucks most likely isn't in my deck of cards for years to come, I've decided to take the most I can out of this experience.  (and also, of course, partake in as many espresso drinks as possible while I'm on the clock.  they're FREE y'all!) 

I work in an insanely busy and active store; having a line out the door all day long is our normal.  While this makes the time go by more quickly, I truly have never had a job that has been quite so exhausting.  Recently, I was promoted to a shift manager, as well as asked to participate in the Starbucks Coffee Master program.  It's been a little bit of a coffee information overload for the past month of my life, but I can truly say that the coffee industry is absolutely fascinating; and the scale at which Starbucks participates in the industry is incredible.  I've gained more respect for Starbucks as a company; for their social and economic initiatives, fair-trade coffee production, and ongoing relationships with small scale farmers and cooperatives.  Did you know that by 2015, Starbucks will only serve 100% ethically grown and sourced coffee?  Pretty great.

I've always loved coffee, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to go through this program.  Now I can officially say that if I quit Starbucks tomorrow, I'll be taking away more knowledge than how to grind a full batch of coffee.  I've gained soooo much knowledge on coffee growing, production, processing methods, roasting methods, and flavor profiles of every kind of coffee you can imagine.  Basically what I'm saying, is that if you EVER, and I mean EVER have any coffee related questions, send them along my way. :)  

Oh, and also if you want to bootleg some Starbucks recipes, they are all imprinted in my mind-brain.  SABOTAGE!!   Just kidding.  Kind of.

TAKE NOTE

If you are thinking about going to visit espressolé coffee shop at 4:00 on a Thursday, be forewarned that there will be a live talk radio blog streaming from the MIDDLE OF THE CAFE. If your plan was to get some good work done in a coffee environment, consider this place a failure at the aforementioned times.

However, the benefits of said talk radio blog are included but not limited to:

- Watching "lookie loo's" take pictures of the Deejay's.

- Getting a wink from a deejay when I kindly pointed out that he had the wrong input channeled on his lav (Thank you Verité Studios. Yah, I learned things)

- Free internet access!! :)

call me crazy....

I think I could live at Starbucks. Yes, I love the small, independent coffee shops. And yes, I will drink that Santa Barbara Snickers Blended Java Jones. BUT...there is just something about Starbucks that leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling on the inside. Of course I realize this warm fuzziness is probably a direct result of drinking hot beverages that actually physically increase my body's temperature, but I like to think of it as a more magical experience than that. Don't get me wrong; I have my complaints about the empire. As a whole, however, well done Buckies, well done.

I know it's silly, but I get SO EXCITED to go to the Bucks. Something about the ability to order whatever you want, and the anticipation of receiving "the regular," or something you've never tried before...it just rubs me the right way.

One semester in college I spent a significant amount of time in my ALL TIME FAVORITE STARBUCKS, on the corner of Victoria and State Street in Santa Barbara. By the end of the semester, I knew almost every barista, and going to Starbucks was more like hanging out with friends than anything else. (I realize that buckies can get expensive, and YES, there is a lot of initial investment that goes into the process. (buying drinks, meeting the barista's, etc.) But I'm a firm believer that there is a good return on investment once you get to know the barista's, and they HOOK YOU UP!)

To note: Starbucks is far better in the fall and winter time. I mean, what can be better than drinking a latté or cappuccino in chilly weather while sitting at a window table. There are few things I appreciate more than a good book or a good conversation over a cup of coffee. And if you even dare to add a little Ray Lamontagne or Mindy Smith to the mix, watch out.