Extra Large Grande Barista, Bangalore vs. Venti Starbucks, Washington, DC

I have a minor coffee addiction. Like many things in my life, I blame it on my mother. I grew up with the smells of ridiculous amounts of Turkish coffee brewing at all hours of the day in our Soviet studio in Kiev. By the time I discovered lattes with the little drawings at Berkeley’s Café Milano, I did not stand a chance.



Unlike Berkeley, the proud of home of liberal lattes, Washington, DC does not have a café culture. Or, if it has one, it is carefully hidden from the naked eye in case Washingtonians decide to have a leisurely Americano before getting to the all-consuming task of running the world. There are a few exceptions like Tryst and Politics and Prose that are consistently good and perpetually overcrowded, so I mostly resort to Starbucks and Cosi to quench my latte thirst. If I get “my” Starbucks guy, I can be assured that my latte will be decent. Otherwise, it might appear disguised as a black coffee gone bad or a glass of warmed up milk with traces of caffeine. A botched latte is a tragedy indeed and is better than no latte at all.

The most annoying aspect of going to Starbucks is being exposed to Starbucks-speak. If you order “a small latte,” the barista will remind you that it is a “tall latte.” Through the years, I have been relentless in my affirmation of the cup’s smallness. If I say, “I like tall men,” I mean that I like men over 5’8”. I don’t mean I like midgets. So why should I say “tall” when all I am getting is a midget latte? Starbucks may be taking over the world, but there is competition. Take Barista, the deservedly popular Indian chain with a knack for bombastic labels, which is now part of the Lavazza empire. Starbucks, behold Barista’s “cappuccino grande...served in an extra large grande cup.” Venti cappuccino, you got served!



(Photos: Cafe Milano drinks courtesy of anniemalchang via Flickr; Bangalore menu, NonnaBlog)