Caribou Latte

If you ever talk to me about coffee, you know that I am not a big supporter of large nationalized coffee companies. I like to support the smaller, locally owned coffee joints, and if they roast their own coffee- big plus! It really comes down to service, unique atmosphere, barista expertise, and the quality of coffee.

I did have a rather pleasant experience at Caribou Coffee this past week. I go into Caribou every once in a while as it is the closest coffee spot to my home. This particular time I was meeting a friend there and I arrived a little early. Usually, I would order a regular coffee or iced coffee since the baristas there are a little… inexperienced. More often than not my latte is not made to order and is almost always lukewarm in temperature. I decided to give it one last chance and order a latte anyhow.
The customer in front of me had ordered a cup of tea and she requested a mug. I had no idea that these large, corporately owned shops still even used ceramic mugs! Well, this made me a little excited. I ordered my latte extra hot and in a mug. When it was given to me, I topped it off with a little bit of cinnamon and it was perfect!
If you don’t know this, let me tell you: lattes are ALWAYS best served in a ceramic mug. The process of constructing a latte goes much smoother this way. If you ever have the option and you’re planning on enjoying your latte “for here” then be sure to have it made in a mug.
This experience was a good one for me, and it restored just a little bit of confidence that maybe not all commercial shops are as big and scary and awful as I think- after all, the Caribou latte was perfect!