It comes packaged in a white cup with an elegant mermaid who entices you with green eyes. Yes, I’m talking about Starbucks, every college girl’s obsession.
They use the perfect blend of spices, syrups, and coffee and add a touch of flare. Anyone wearing a pair of sunglasses and sipping on a Grande Iced Caramel Latte looks a tad more refined for some reason, and anyone hunched over a book drinking a Venti Caffé Americano at 2 a.m., looks like she is studying harder than most.
But with every addiction comes a price to pay; in this case the emptying of our bank accounts.
“It’s never ever a good day unless I have Starbucks, so I go every afternoon,” said Courtney Walsh, a UF accounting sophomore. “I don’t want to think about how much money I spend on it.
“That’s a scary thought.”
The coffee keeps you going for a while, but then your eyelids slowly start to droop; what’s a girl to do? Give that kind Starbucks employee more money for a double shot, so you can actually start studying this time? Up to $10 in just one night can easily be spent without even noticing.
But here is the best solution: at-home Starbucks. Starbucksfs.com supplies the recipes to all of their drinks and even comes supplied with handy diagrams of the ratios of the different liquids. The site gives you step-by-step instructions as to how to make it.
1. Pump syrup and sauce into serving cup.
2. Steam milk.
3. Pour drip brew into serving cup.
4. Pour milk to within 1/4″ from top of cup and stir well.
5. Add whipped cream.
6. Garnish with caramel drizzle.
Voilà! Gourmet coffee at home! The baristas at Starbucks know how to do it, so I’m sure any other coffee lover can too. As exams start looming in the future or those 8:30 a.m., classes start to feel like 5:30 a.m., classes, consider being a bit thriftier and make a gourmet cup at home with the recipes you find on Starbucksfs.com.