Starbucks

The Starbucks "red cups" are always a thing to look forward to when Christmas is around the corner. As finals are right around the corner (for me, literally next week!), I can't stop but think about how soon it will be until I am home. Living half way across the world also makes it hard for communication. I haven't really talked to my parents for a while, so I am even more excited to be heading home. Christmas is always a time for family. To keep myself motivated during finals, I decided to hit up Starbucks on University Street last week. Not only were the red cups such a nice reminder of the holiday spirit, being surrounded by Christmas decorations reminded me of home and how soon it will be before I am back.

During holiday period prior Christmas, Starbucks always release holiday drinks. This year, my favorite two coffees are the Caramel Brûlée Latte and Peppermint Mocha. The Caramel Brûlée latte tastes very similar to the normal Caramel Macciato drink and they serve year round. The sweet taste of the drink warms my heart during the cold weather. The Peppermint Mocha has always been an all time favorite. I love the chocolate-y taste of the Mocha (nothing more suitable during the winter), but also the refreshing taste of the Peppermint. 

Peppermint Mocha

As Starbucks is a huge chain around the world and are super known for their coffee, most chains are almost always full. The one on University is not an exception. When I went there, I stood around for a couple of minutes before I found seats. Next, because it is such a popular place, a lot of people gather there for meetings or chats, rather than to study. Although the music is very nice and cheerful, the combination of the music and the chattering around is very distracting. In addition, because there are always so many people walking in and out of the shop, it is also very distracting. Not only is there not enough space there, there are also very few outlets. Therefore, although it is nice that they provide free Wi-Fi, if your computer dies really quickly, it is also quite not ideal to study at Starbucks.

Regardless, Starbucks is always a nice place to hit up. Not only are their drinks always well made, the holiday spirit they host always makes me feel relaxed and comfortable. Classic coffee stores will never die down.