Cup O' Joe

Coffee

There's a hierarchy of coffee places (large chains) in my book.

1. Peet's
2. Starbucks
3. Tully's

I like Peet's because its mixed drink coffees like mocha, chai, lattes, cappuccinos, etc. are less sweet than Starbucks' drinks. Tully's stuff just doesn't taste good. At Peet's I usually order a small chai latte or caffe mocha when I need a little boost.

Of course, if there are unique and quaint little coffee places with great ambiance, I'd like those too. However in our harried lives, it's sometimes just more convenient to pop into one of these chain coffee houses.

One of my favorite coffee experiences was in Berlin. There was a Cafe Einstein close to my hotel where we had breakfast each morning. The chai there was perfect - warm, but not too hot and subtly sweet.