CAFFEINE (ain’t) FREE

How do you like your coffee? Consider this barista’s top 10

Gabby Paterson

More stories from Gabby Paterson

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Gabby Paterson

Placing fourth on Gabby Paterson’s top-10 list, this white chocolate salted caramel mocha from Second Street Coffee is shown in all its glory. 

You walk into a coffee shop having no idea what to order because the menu seems to never end. 

You end up ordering what you always order because the barista looks angry that you’re taking forever. You’re sad because you never branch out to try new things. 

Have no fear, this barista is here … to help you order, find some new drinks to try and assist you on your coffee endeavors. So try one — or more — of the following, generated by a local coffee-serving aficionado. Here are her top 10:

10. A white chocolate coconut mocha. A variation of the white chocolate mocha. The coconut adds a tropical flavor to the coffee, but somehow it still pairs super well. Iced, hot, or blended this is an all around good drink.

9. strawberry pineapple Red Bull kicker. It’s sweet and overall delicious, and if you put an immense amount of flavor into it, you can’t even taste the grossness of the Red Bull. Adding cream and whip cream makes it at least 10 times better unless you’re lactose intolerant.

8. A quad shot americano with white chocolate. Running off three hours of sleep? This drink pumps caffeine straight into your veins. The flavor of coffee is so strong that you could mistake the fact that you’re not just eating straight coffee beans. But, the drink is phenomenal especially if you know that you’ve got an entire paper to write and need a swift kick of energy.

7. A caramel frappe. If you’re looking for a dessert drink, this is definitely the one for you. Perfect for summertime, the icy, cold-blended fave will cool you off from the hot summer sun. Or if you’re crazy, you can drink it in the winter time to not only freeze the outside of your body but also the inside.

6. A vanilla chai. This drink makes you feel like you are literally drinking a warm autumn hug from a cup. The absolute perfect balance. Not too sweet but not too bitter either. If you want to spice it up a little bit, add some pumpkin flavoring, or you can add a shot of espresso to make it a dirty chai.

5. The simple, basic white girl drink, a white chocolate mocha. This go-to is the basis to almost every amazing coffee drink ever; however, it’s pretty dang good by itself too. Iced or hot. You can never go wrong with this drink.

4. The salted caramel white mocha, but you HAVE to add salted caramel cold foam. This caramel whip cream deliciousness is unforgettable and a must-have for this drink. And adding caramel to pretty much anything makes it better. The mocha in general is full of sweetness, but not so much as to cover up the taste of coffee.

3. A white chocolate raspberry mocha. It might sound weird, but hear me out. The raspberry adds a whole other level of flavor that a basic syrup like coconut can’t reach. And no other fruit flavor can combo with coffee as well as raspberry. A bonus, the drink is a gorgeous shade of pinkish red and definitely picture worthy.

2. A peppermint white chocolate mocha. This drink may spark the idea of Christmas, but this drink is too good to only drink during the festive season. It’s best hot, but it can also be drunk over ice and with whip cream on top if you’re feeling fancy.

1. A white chocolate breve with vanilla. This drink builds on the aspect of the basic white mocha by adding the vanilla sauce. The vanilla makes it sweeter, smoother, and adding the half and half cream makes the drink thicker and creamier. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: PHS sophomore Gabby Paterson works as a barista at one of Powell’s popular coffee spots.