The Daily Hailey

Starbucks recently brought back their best fall drink. The pumpkin spice latte. If you’ve never had one, you probably haven’t lived.

I’m not a regular Starbucks customer. I would like to be, but it costs quite a bit to make into a habit and being that I’m not going back to work in the foreseeable future, I figure that expensive coffee doesn’t qualify as a necessary expense I can dump on my husband. I do treat myself once in a while though. Especially during Frappy Hour events (half price frappuccinos between certain hours certain afternoons) or deals like today’s deal where you buy one latte and get a second one for $1, or when a really great feature drink comes around, like this particular latte. In fact, its the seasonal drinks that get me into trouble most often. It turns out that my last four favorite Starbucks beverages have been features that eventually left the menu and my life. Some have reappeared, which I appreciate, but they leave with the wind of whatever season they rode in on. I know, dramatic, right? But its true. Shall we recount my favorite drinks? Yes. We shall.

Salted-top caramel hot chocolate. I never thought I would be the person who paid out the nose for hot chocolate but my goodness. This drink was like sipping a chocolate-covered pretzel. I had several of them over a short period of time, picking them up when I would be out depositing cheques for my job. Yes, my boss knew. One day, I ordered one and was waiting by that little round table when the barista mentioned “Oh, we don’t get the salt anymore, that’s ok right?” NO! I was kind of thrown off, but not being a fan of causing a problem, I said it was fine, although I’m sure she could read on my face that I wasn’t impressed. Normally, Starbucks is very quick to give you the option to have something else on the menu, sometimes even free of charge. Not this time. Now, there is a salted caramel mocha on the menu, so likely my treat is back in business. However, I don’t see myself ordering anything other than pumpkin spice for a while.

Blended Lemonade. Plain and simple, with the perfect mix of sour and sweet. This was obviously a seasonal thing. Tim Hortons has one but its pure sugar, and if you’ve ever eaten lemon, you know they are NOT that sweet. Sad. But I’ll survive. The Passion Tea Lemonade is a close second.

Honey Latte. I have no idea where that thing went! It was a feature drink that was there one day and gone the next. When I’ve asked about it since then, the response is usually “Do you just want me to put honey in your latte?” Um…if that’s all it was! I don’t make the coffee, so I don’t really know how that all works.

Green Tea Frap with Blackberry syrup. Ok, mainly the syrup is what I’m talking about. That drink looked awful but tasted amazing!!! Bring back the blackberry syrup!!!

Ok, rant over. The question for today is whether or not to be a coffee snob? I could make my own pumpkiny latte here, I know that. But should I instead make up some lame excuse to get to Saskatoon, where I will likely purchase a venti (that means enormous) pumpkin spice latte and an equally huge one for my husband for a mere dollar? Gas money included, those would be two very expensive coffees. But…but…I want one!!! I just want to relive the pumpkin spice latte, or in the Starbucks community, the PSL, over and over again.