On an unusually warm day for December, I walked into Starbucks after track practice. I don’t like coffee, so I planned on buying peppermint hot chocolate to quench my chocolate desire. Yet after smelling the rich aroma that naturally surrounds Starbucks, I thought, perhaps, I would branch away from the typical hot chocolate and actually venture into the Starbucks world of…..coffee. I scanned the menu, searching for that perfect drink that would create a certain bliss and help me enjoy coffee.
Then I saw it on the list, glowing like a gift from Heaven — the peppermint mocha. A combination of peppermint, chocolate, and more milk than espresso: The drink seemed to be the perfect thing to ease my naive self into coffee.
I stepped up to the register, confidently, and said, “Hi, may I please have a small peppermint mocha, with no whipped cream?”
“Sure; you said you wanted a tall?” asked the barista.
“Oh, no thanks–a small is fine,” I responded.
But apparently in the coffee world, which I was on the verge of entering, a small is the same as a tall.
After placing my order, a little less smoothly than I had hoped, I waited semi-patiently, excited to try this new drink. I felt a little panicked…what if this drink wasn’t even that good?
After a few minutes, the barista placed my drink down and said, “Tall peppermint mocha, no whip.”
I grabbed my drink and sat down at a table. I breathed in its delicious, rich smell, and I instantly felt filled with bliss. Feeling more confident, I took a small sip of my peppermint mocha.
The warm liquid rested in my mouth for a moment, then the warmth spread to my fingers and toes. As I drank more coffee, I began to taste the slightly bitter aftertaste, the minty peppermint, and the sweet milk. It was so delicious, and the perfect drink to give to a coffee-hater.
I went from a person who usually stayed the safe course to someone daring enough to try a new, foreign drink. The peppermint mocha is one of the most delicious seasonal drink at Starbucks, so get it while you can!
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