Meet Riley: Starbucks Flat White Expert

Archie is a beer snob. He also is a coffee snob.  Other than those 2 departments, he is not snob.  Before we became friends, I was already a coffee snob.  Starbucks coffee, really?  It’s a chain just like McDonald, right?  That was our attitude before I actually started working for this company.  I have to admit espresso drinks are not my favorite.  Well, usually.

I have been working here a little over a year and I haven’t gotten tired of coming in to the smell of coffee yet.  It makes me happy every friggin’ morning.  Like I wrote before, coffee fixes everything.

Flat White; creamy micro-form steamed milk poured over two ristretto shots of espresso (Casi Cielo beans).  Ristretto shot is a smaller, more concentrated serving of espresso.  This drink has more intense espresso flavor.  Yes, if you are a Starbucks hater, I highly recommend to give it a try.  I hear it a lot, that Starbucks espresso drinks are too milky and they only taste milk.  I hear this all the time from Archie.

Riley is shy, lovely, cute and an experienced barista at Starbucks store on the 8^th floor.  When she called my name when my flat white was ready, she was smiling ear to ear and said, “Mimi, look!  I made a heart (latte art for flat white is usually a white dot) for you.  Happy early Valentines’ day”  I was actually able to hear excitement and pride in her voice.  It was nice, such an amazing moment to share with Riley on Friday morning about 6:30am, on the 8^th floor of Starbucks office building.  So, I snapped this photo right at the counter.  She got so excited when I told her that I was going to write about her in my blog soon.

My coffee snobbish attitude is slowly diminishing due to this kind of moment.  Also Archie had one the other day and he even said, “hmm, it is not bad at all.”  That is huge.  Just one short flat white might make your day and you might have a really nice surprise.

If Riley can make you one, even better.