Coffee: a drink that people have the most range of opinions on. Love it, hate it, or like it somewhere in between with a flavor shot, everyone has a stance. As someone who would have the occasional, and by occasional I mean monthly, coffee-infused beverage, I recently decided to try to get into coffee more. In doing so, I realized that I was going about it absolutely the wrong way, which made me realize that there may, in fact, be a wrong way to do it.

The first instance of when I felt this way was while walking into a locally owned coffee store, that to my knowledge doesn't even have a second location, and asking if they could flavor my latte. The best that the employee could do was add honey (which was a delicious addition), but that made me realize that my coffee perspective was quite limited.

With Starbucks and other big chains offering seasonal flavored drinks, it makes it easy for non-coffee drinkers to still enjoy a warm beverage in the winter or a cold one in the summer. The reason that non-coffee drinkers still purchase these beverages, is because the caffeine is hardly noticed over the sugar. There have been many reports and articles that talk about how, in European countries that pride themselves on taking coffee seriously, Starbucks has only been implemented for tourists, exclusively. Its version of coffee is so unique, yet has such a mass appeal.

I'm not hating on Starbucks, at all. In fact, I go there so much that multiple friends and family members have repeatedly suggested that I just become a gold member, and get it over with. From the age of around 12, I loved the Starbucks brand. At age 16, I would proudly walk around in a T-shirt with its logo, and act as if it was designer clothing. Despite never being a big coffee-drinker, I would still stop by at least once a week and pick up my hot chocolate and baked good. Over the last few months, I've started expanding my choices to try out more of their menu. I've even expanded to do this in other coffee shops, and would advocate for that being the next step if you're new to your coffee journey.

I think Starbucks is an exceptional model of how marketing and reimagining a product to include an experience bundled in can speak volumes, and effectively self-advertise.

(If you don't believe me scroll through your Instagram and count how many frappuccinos you see. Free. Advertising.) At this point, a large portion of consumers purchase Starbucks out of convenience. A perfect example: the building in which I work faces two Starbucks cafes on both street corners. Or else, they purchase Starbucks for Starbucks sake.

It's a brand name that was able to invent an entire vernacular around coffee. I don't think any other store would accept my order, should I ask for a "grande" as opposed to a 16oz. While both Starbucks' model and coffee are nothing but efficient, does it take away from the coffee lover's experience? Well, there's certainly nothing disallowing a customer to pick up a more traditional caffeinated beverage, minus all the whipped cream and flavor shots from Starbucks or another establishment of their choosing.

So if you're new to the coffee game, and want to experiment around, be sure to expand both your coffee and coffeeshop exposure. Locally-owned stores may have their own creations that are just as delicious without the myriad of choices that one may feel a high pressure to spurt out at record-breaking time - the Starbucks stereotype. Not to mention, it'll be a slower-paced atmosphere and you just may find your new, cheap hang out spot.