Starbucks coffee has changed the way American's drink coffee. Gone are the days when the only choice in coffee at the local 7-11 was regular or decaf. Today's convenience stores offer not only many selections of flavored coffees as well as flavored creams for your coffee drinking pleasure. The rise in popularity of coffee in America as an any time of the day drink is due largely in part to the growing popularity of Starbucks around the nation.



There is no denying that Starbucks coffee is good. If there's any doubt, sit back and consider how much we pay for a cup of it. And yet we continue to pay it, there must be something there that we're not getting in our cups at home. Going from 11 Seattle stores in 1987 to the worldwide chain they have become has turned Starbucks into a modern day Cinderella story of sorts.

Today in America Starbucks Coffee seems almost as plentiful as McDonald's. Not only has coffee changed, but the very vocabulary of coffee has changed as well. People are drinking double shots of mocha in their coffee, flavored syrups, ice, caramel, chocolate, and any number of other goodies. People are even commonly purchasing chocolate covered coffee beans in order to provide that little extra jolt of caffeine for late night study sessions or those moments when you need just a little extra 'jolt' of energy to get you through the night.

Starbucks coffee has even expanded beyond its initial coffee house stage into a more mass-market centered medium. You can now buy Starbucks coffees in your local grocery stores in bean or ground form. You can find Starbucks iced coffees in your convenience store refrigerators and some convenience stores are even offering Starbucks brand coffee to their customers straight from the pot.

Whether Starbucks coffee is your favorite coffee or not doesn't seem to matter as much as the fact that this company appears to be in it for the long haul. They are constantly building and opening new stores, working for growth and expansion, all the while remaining the pioneers of coffee flavor and experimentation that has made them the famous success that they have become.

If you haven't bothered to learn the Starbucks vocabulary it's time you begin. You can start small and work your way up, there's no need to go all or nothing when it comes to serious coffee drinking. Baby steps are highly encouraged. The first thing you need to learn is size really matters when it comes to drinking coffee and Starbucks even has a vocabulary for this. Short is the smallest cup, followed by Tall, Grande, and Venti.

While you're learning the vocabulary, it is probably a wise idea to try out some of the flavors that have made this company so famous. I highly recommend checking out the seasonal offerings, as they are generally quite fresh and quite delicious. Remember there is no such thing as an ordinary cup of coffee when ordering at Starbucks so take a moment to behold the menu and your flavor options before stepping up to the counter.