Before leaving for our trip to the USA, it was fair to say I was more than a little bit concerned about how I would cope without my morning cup of George (AKA a Nespresso cappuccino, lovingly made with a volluto pod, skim milk and a heavy handed shake of cappuccino chocolate powder on top, thanks very much.)
In the USA, when you order a cappuccino, this is what you’re presented with:
a huge mug filled with very strong, very bitter coffee that’s been mixed with milk so over-aerated it resembles frothy water! And just when you thought the coffee couldn’t get worse, BAM! You discover the yanks like to top their cappuccinos with cinnamon. Weird.
So after a few trial and errors*at various Starbucks locations, I’ve discovered that the best way to order a cappuccino is to actually order a Full Fat Cafe Latte. Skim Milk (or non-fat milk as it’s known in the USA) doesn’t help the less than ideal coffee situation at all in the states, and let’s face it, holidays are hardly a time to be worried about calories in milk, so skip the skim and go straight for the full fat stuff. Your waist line will hate me but your taste buds will thank me for that piece of advice. I promise!
* FYI a coffee frappuccino is basically a coffee thick shake, filled with so much sugary coffee flavoured syrup your teeth may or may not ache just by looking at it!
Also, if you have an exotic and/or complicated name, such as, oh I don’t know, Kirsten, you’re probably best to use a faux name for the duration of your trip.
And finally, if you have an Aussie accent, expect to get asked “Where are you from?” every single time you open your mouth, which will probably make you wonder why nobody in the USA knows what us Aussies sound like. I mean, have none of them ever watched an episode of The Real Housewives of Melbourne?! Talk about missing out!
So there you have it. How to get a decent cup of coffee in the USA…it’s not as hard as I first thought!
Are you visiting USA anytime soon? Got a tip to share with us? Also, will you hug your Nespresso machine when you get home? Or maybe that’s just me?
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