EpiphanyDigest

Those who know me know that I’m an enormous fan of coffee. In fact, I have a book project that I’ve been dabbling with for a while that deals with coffee as a source of inspiration. It will eventually be finished. Watch for it.

As a true coffee connoisseur, I drink my daily brew black, freshly ground (in a burr grinder for consistency), and brewed (by the cup) in my french press. OK, I admit it. I’m a bit of a coffee snob. I certainly don’t mean that I look down on those who drink, say, robusta beans. It’s just that I personally have a well-developed palette where it comes to fine coffees.

(A.D.D. Moment: Want a really great book on the benefits of caffeine? Nab The Caffeine Advantage: How to Sharpen Your Mind, Improve Your Physical Performance, and Achieve Your Goals–the Healthy Way)

OK, back to my point: I have one guilty pleasure, as it were, where it comes to flavored coffee beverages. I know, I know… real connoisseurs don’t use any flavoring. But, years ago an astute barista who was a personal friend of mine made me an almond cappuccino.

Now, I’m not going to say that the skies parted, light shone, angels sang, and that I was enraptured by a glorious ecstasy as I partook… but it was close. Thanks, Mike, wherever you are.

Since then, I’ve been an addict. When Starbucks finally entered the Florida market, I quickly made the Grande Almond Cappuccino my beverage of choice… when in the mood for something other than a bold drip or a doppio.

I’ve partaken of this particular beverage all over the United States in Starbucks locations and even as far away as Singapore. I love it. It is truly an pleasurable experience that I enjoy.

So, imagine my dismay when the baristas at my local Starbucks announced that the almond syrup was being phased out. First, their ability to ring the drink up properly was taken away by a software update to their POS system. Now, they’ve actually told me that the syrup is gone. Some locations still have some, but almond — as a flavoring syrup at Starbucks — is basically dead.

I don’t spend enough at Starbucks to have the clout to pressure them to bring it back (despite whatever my wife may think about my Starbucks budget), so I’m not planning to mount any major campaign to boycott or ask people to join me. However, I am truly saddened by the loss. Most people stick with vanilla or hazelnut or one of the more popular syrups, I know. But they simply don’t know what they’re missing.

So… I bid the almond syrup a fond farewell. And yes, every time I’m in a small private coffee shop (which I’ll admit I’ll be on the lookout for now more than ever), I’ll be forced to inquire… just in case they have some.

*Update* I’ve been told that this Torani Orgeat Syrup is the exact product that Starbucks used to sell with its own label. You can grab it up inexpensively from Amazon and use it in your homemade beverages. Alas, since I don’t make espresso-based drinks at home, this doesn’t help me.

Don’t forget the pump!

Sarasota-born Syesha Mercado heads for the next round in American Idol Season 7.

This week, she seems to have picked up some supporters, since she avoided landing in the bottom 3. The AI theme this week was focused on the music of Dolly Parton, and Syesha admittedly took on an ambitious song with I Will Always Love You. The judges noted the difficulty of doing the song, which was launched to mainstream popularity by Whitney Houston.

Syesha’s vocal arrangement ran right down the middle between Whitney and Dolly — not overly flamboyant like Whitney, but certainly not country like Dolly (although the band lent a bit of a “Nashville” flavor to the overall arrangement). Comparisons to Whitney were inevitable, however, which may have hurt Syesha a bit.

Even so, she did just fine in the end, amidst a strong field of candidates. Fellow Floridian Ramiele Malubay was the candidate who drew the fewest votes this week, which leaves us with only 8 candidates for next week.

As we previously noted, Syesha Mercado is a Sarasota native and hometown girl. Sarasota is behind you!