I drink my coffee American

Guest Post by Laurentiu Badea (Alientower)

Usually, my favorite coffee is an everything-goes coffee. If it's not instant coffee, I'll take a big warm expresso with cream and sugar. That's the real deal caffè americano. I can't do anything right without a good cup of brown brew. 

Coffee is my fuel, it gives me energy, even now as I write this article. I don't really care how unsofisticated I prepare my delicious drink at home, it does the job. When I go out, I simply ask for a coffee. I'm no fussy guy, give me whatever you can concoct from grounded roasted coffee beans (or soluble freeze-dried is all the same to me) and warm water. And yes, please, the water needs to be warm! If I can have a bit of milk and a teaspoon of sugar with that, you're my hero. 

And I bet that was everyone's way of drinking coffee for a very long while in the US too. But, back in the early 1970s, three young pals from Seattle decided to open up a coffee shop where they sold roasted coffee beans. A decade later, in 1984, a time when coffee shops were going out of business, they quickly expanded their business. What they did have was a love for coffee I can relate with and their clever wit to anticipate a changing market. Specialty coffee started to become a demand, people always want something new, and in many European countries making coffee was profound as art and intense as science. That's how Starbucks was born. 

45 years later, the first Starbucks in Craiova has opened its doors at the Mercur Shopping Center. I feel proud to have been invited at the opening event alongside some of my friends in ASBO. Since it's not the first Starbucks store in Romania, I didn't really expect much, but I'm glad I didn't drink my regular morning coffee at home. 

So we got there early at dawn and we were gracefully received by the friendly smiling faces of the baristas and waiters. We've been offered spiced cold brew coffee  infused with orange and probably a hint of cinnamon, served in tall champagne glasses, it was both classy and quirky at the same time. 

Overall, it was about having fun in a cozy environment. We had cake and two more types of coffee, a coffee tasting demonstration and a few speeches from representatives of the company and the director of Mercur Shopping Center that houses the store. It was a delightful experience, I really enjoyed having my energy fix there and since they've given me lots of coupons, I will surely be visiting again.

Thanks for the invite to Evobrand.