Starbucks on the go

I'm a huge coffee aficionado for as long as I can remember, be it brewed, instant, or ice-blended. I'm one of the very few people I know who appreciates the bitter taste of espresso, not to mention plain brewed coffee without sugar (I always thought all those syrup, cream, and sugar mask the true taste of coffee).

We have a good 'ol coffee brewer from Braun at home, and it wasn't long ago when we have a coffee roaster, grinder, and a portable espresso machine. I could make really good ice blended coffee with that espresso machine, and it's so good it's at par with those huge coffee shops when it comes to taste. I even attended coffeology seminars (art and science of coffee making), read books, and collected recipes for different kinds of gourmet coffee for that matter.

I didn't like going to Starbuck's, Gloria Jean's, Coffee Bean, or Seattle's Best before since I have a very strong will against commercialism (10% quality and 90% brand name), so I opted for those small specialty coffee shops. But it all changed after I started working at ABS-CBN for my friends are huge fan of Starbucks. We often go there during lunch break or after office hours. Whenever we have an appointment Starbucks has always been our meeting place. Even our late night 'gimiks' often end in a hot cup of latte! It's kind of addictive so now that I'm here in Korea my taste buds are kind of looking for that great cup of Starbucks coffee. But it's so expensive here I limit my consumption to once a week. Good thing there's Starbuck's coffee on-the-go which is available in every convenience store and supermarket for a quarter of the price!