| Best
vanilla latte is at Citrus and Sage
By Brittany Strickland
October 26, 2007 |
Hungry and addicted, the average coffee consumer drinks
because there is no ending to their cravings. They are
obsessed, they are intrigued, and they are in love with
the high that accompanies their addiction. Their utopia
cannot be attained in popular ways such as soda or alcohol;
it is a euphoric gap between their sanity and their
insanity. They take it seriously.
I am not one of those people. I drink
coffee not for the thrill of caffeine racing with every
drop of espresso pulsating through my veins. I drink
coffee not because I get headaches without it. I drink
it because it is perfect, and that is because of the
beauty of a crushed bean.
In my attempt to discover the most
sensuous cup of coffee, I picked one of my favorite
tastes to abuse with overconsumption: a skinny vanilla
latte. I ordered one at the hell I call "my old place
of employment," Barnes and Noble, serving Starbucks.
Their deceit was dripping out of every pore in their
coffee mugs, as it had always done, yet still I stood
strong. The taste was not all horrible and the price
was lenient considering I own a discount card, taking
10 percent off of my purchase. Accompanied with a warm
cinnamon scone, the coffee was quite pleasant.
My next adventure brought me reluctantly
to Starbucks. Now this is not Barnes and Noble.
Working there, I was painfully cursed for having to
explain this to every customer who came in with a plastic
Starbucks card, etched with silly pink umbrellas and
blue picnic tables on them. They were simply unaccepted.
No, this was Starbucks. Better management, better pay,
and certainly better coffee. Their vanilla latte had
a smoky, hazy taste which was worth the heavy price.
With a full-bodied texture, it took control over my
taste buds and it consumed my mouth in its bitter taste.
It's as if you licked a penny three times, and the taste
was subtle but unavoidably there. Anyone who knows coffee
knows that "bitter" is a good thing.
In Salt Lake there is a shop known
as The Coffee Break. It is charming. It is welcoming,
and late at night, around one or two in the morning,
it is still open. The couches that line the walls are
occupied by hard-core twenty-somethings taking the moment
to share their opinions about the art bleeding from
the plaster. Sadly, the coffee there is confused. It's
organically raw but it doesn't know when to mix properly
amongst the milk that was processed and tainted with
little sugar packets. A candied taste filled with the
aroma of chunky coffee beans is all that remains as
an after-taste; however, the scenic view within the
joint is worth the disappointing beverage.
My final stop was my last stop. I
didn't have to look anymore. I had found the most beautiful
vanilla latte as I sat becoming one with the leather
that hugged my thighs and supported the curvatures of
my back. Citrus and Sage Espresso and Gifts had
impressed me. The tender touch coming from the most
mellow drop of vanilla beans into slightly sugared water,
dabbed every crease in my lips as it slid down my throat
like honey. I couldn't see the book I was reading and
I didn't want to. I had a cup of sable coffee swirling
into a whirlpool with its fellow foam. It was warming
and thick and I could not sink into my chair any further.
There was no need. As I immaturely slid my finger around
the inside of the mug, bringing every bit of froth from
the cup to my lips, my eyes closed and the taste was
gone.
I may not feel withdrawals if I lack
the motivation to go buy a vanilla latte and I may not
crave the burst of caffeine in order to keep me awake
in the day, but I do have an addiction. It is unlike
euphoria, and it is sitting on a black chair facing
the window in a little house on 1st East, but I can
say I am in love.
---
If you go to Citrus and
Sage Espresso and Gifts:
-- Events such as jazz presentations,
poetry readings, and an art gallery are available.
-- Wi-Fi hot spot
-- A short vanilla latte costs: $3.25 + tax
-- Location: 130 N. 100 East, Logan, UT 84321
-- Phone: 435-752-7979
NW |
