Alas, I did not get the chance today to try a different cafe’s coffee. Nonetheless, I did get to try not only one, but two new coffees, both of which were also from Caribou Coffee as I wrote about yesterday.
Perhaps I should have specified my objectives more clearly and strictly to myself, making more of an effort to seek out 7 different coffees from 7 distinctly different cafes, but that’s alright. It is what it is.
I’ll write about the first one I count as having tried today, as well as an “emergency” second one I had a bit later.
For some context: I woke up at 4 in the morning and stood in line in front of the doors to VeeCon from just before 5:30am till they opened them at 8am with nothing but a sweater to brace against the chilling cold and rain. Funnily enough my sweater had the word “Chill” on it, so it seems fitting… literally…
Why did I get there so early? I got early access to exclusive merch, but that’s not the focus here 🙂
Anyways, the hot malted mocha I tried, which was picked up for me by my partner while I held our spots in line, was like a warm hug that cut through the wind and gently permeated my entire body. The effects, sadly, helped for only about 45 minutes; it was nice while it lasted, but the nuances of this review fall short due to the circumstances of the environment within which I enjoyed this particular brew.
To be perfectly honest, I had to spend about 15 minutes deciphering whether this was in fact a new drink, or just the same turtle mocha that I had yesterday… It was the former. I could have just asked my partner what he got, but where’s the fun in that for a Coffee Specialist like me? The only subtlest of all distinctions were: 1) that there was the faintest amount more caramel, and 2) a smidgen less chocolate. Having had only 4 hours of sleep the night prior and being out in the cold for hours until the nearest cafe opened, it was hard to tell the difference. So, I’d rate this as a 7 or an 8, about the same as yesterday’s.
Seeing as my options were limited today in terms of cafes due to their opening hours, I’ll let this one slide… But, there is the promise of a new coffee from a new place tomorrow and the days following that.
Oh, and my “emergency” coffee was an iced caramel latte about halfway through the day to keep me going. It was delicious, caramel-infused, and much needed on a hot day inside a sweltering stadium. It offered a breath of fresh air and immediately alleviated my steadily-growing headache that afternoon.
I definitely needed 2 coffees as I’m nearing hour 18 of being awake today as I write this. It was all worth it though. Plus, I got to meet Gary Vaynerchuk! I greatly enjoyed the first official day of VeeCon 2022!
If you made it through reading this far, thank you very much. I know these particular posts are a bit scattered all over the place in terms of content quality, but I’m committed to trying new coffees here and writing about them to add some spice and consistency to my work even though I’m traveling abroad 🙂
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