It has officially become too warm outside to comfortably drink a hot soy latte. Yes, the drink is yummy and warm, but I thrive in warmer weather and despise the cold.
So much so that the only good aspect to winter for me are the seasonal espresso/coffee drinks readily available. I guess sweaters and coats are nice too... but I digress.
I have been fiddling around with the base drink that I was in love with last week (soy latte); adding ice, adding flavored syrup, changing the size, adding espresso shots, etc.
An iced soy latte is not the business without modifications. It really just tastes like milk with a hint of roastiness... yuck!
Needless to say, syrup had to be added and my goal of no syrups has been trumped.
I started my modification experiment with size and adjusted the modifications accordingly.
Tall (small):
iced latte, soy, 4 pumps of vanilla, 1 added espresso shot, half-caf.
Grande (medium):
iced latte, soy, 5 pumps of vanilla, 1 added espresso shot, half-caf.
Venti (large):
iced latte, soy 7 pumps of vanilla, 1 added espresso shot, half-caf.
The added pump of vanilla syrup pains me purely because I am trying to avoid added sugar in my diet as much as I can. However, I do not plan on drinking this everyday so I don't feel too terrible for drinking the liquid sugar every so often.
Why not sugar free vanilla if I don't want added sugar?
Because sugar free anything or artificial sugar (splenda) are utterly horrid for your body in the long run. They are not a natural form of sugar, they are synthetic. Meaning your body really isn't meant to process these fake sugars.
I completely understand if you can't have sugar for legitimate health reasons, but I would strongly advice staying away from "no sugar, sugars."
With that in mind, there is a plethora of syrup choices available at Starbucks and other coffee shops if you aren't a fan of vanilla flavoring.
Adding an espresso shot to each size is suspect for my anxiety, hence making all of the espresso shots half-caf.
My logic behind the added shot is quite simple; it is not for the added caffeine, it is for the overall taste of the beverage. The added shot provides a stronger coffee taste instead of the milkier taste that the standard shot amount has.
If the added espresso shot is too much caffeine for you and your anxiety, then try full decaffeinated! Even decaf. still has a semblance of caffeine so you will still reap the benefits of a smaller dose of caffeine. However, it won't be nearly as much as fully caffeinated or half-caf. espresso shots.
There is always room to adjust an espresso drink with plenty of modification combinations. Try something new at your local coffee shop! You can even ask your barista for suggestions.
You never know what you'll discover with coffee.
