HOT CUP OF COFFEE

It's the third day of November, and the first day that I felt compelled to put on a coat, scarf, and gloves. The DC area got a blast of cool air last night, and this should linger on throughout the day. The drive into work this AM surely prompted me to make a Starbucks run; today is a true "warm morning beverage" day.

Unfortunately, the stop at Starbucks only reminded me of what I'm missing this season back in SoCal: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I know, I know ---cry me a river. You've heard it all before, and I will not let it go. But in a place where "cookie-cutter (non)-trends" seem to be the norm, there really isn't any other choice than Starbucks. Not that I dislike Starbucks, but I guess I'm just over it. It is surely the "McDonald's" of coffee houses, and it's the same wherever you go ---from Anytown, USA to Любой городок, Россия. Sure, there are a spattering of Caribou Coffees around, maybe even a Gloria Jean's, The Coffee Beanery, and somewhere you'll find a little shop that serves Illy. But the cold fact of the matter is that there is no TCB&TL here. (Nor is there a Peet's.) This, my friends, makes me sad. With the on-set of the holiday season upon us, I am amiss without my Apple Tea Latte.

TCB&TL store front

Fall Offerings @ TCB&TL

So even though I get to plow around in winter coats and boots once more, I will have to do it without a forever-sunny sky, without the beach, and without The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Starbucks, you'll have to do... You will have to do.
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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Domestic Locations: California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and Texas

(Photos from the company's website.)