As part of its “Transformation Agenda Communication #8” Starbucks across the United States will close Tuesday night between 5:30 – 9 p.m. Starbucks is facing some hard times: they’ll shut down 100 slow stores and cut 600 jobs. Tonight’s closing is an internal employee pow-wow,
to teach, educate and share our love of coffee, and the art of espresso. And in doing so, we will begin to elevate the Starbucks Experience for our customers.
My husband, now in Orlando, says his Starbuck’s is open. They couldn’t get out of their lease contract that forces them to stay open during normal operations — no matter how bitter things are at Starbucks. In lieu of this shutdown tonight, here’s a recipe for Chai Latte just to hold you over until the storm clears. By the way, the recipe here is much lower in calories than the real thing.
Organic Black Chai Tea (You can buy caffeine free if you want). Available in most grocery stores.
1-2 teaspoons honey or splenda or sugar
2 tablespoon of whipping cream (or half and half). Whipping cream is more fun — and you only need 1 tablespoon.
Low-fat milk (or soy milk is fine)
Cinnamon and or fresh nutmeg (Fresh nutmeg tastes incredible. Buy whole nutmeg. (Available in the spice aisle beside the jar of grated nutmeg.) Store in the freezer, and grate what you need.
Boiling water
1. Put the teabag in your mug, add honey.
2. Pour just enough boiling water to cover the tea bag — no more.
3. Cover and steep.
4. Warm milk in a double boiler, or in the microwave. Add cinnamon and grated nutmeg.
5. Pour into mug — leave a little room for your cream.
6. Cover mug, and continue to let it steep with the milk.
7. Whip whipping cream — 1 tablespoon gives you two tablespoons, once you’ve whipped some air in it. See, it’s half the calories! I use a Cuisinart SmartStick Immersion Hand Blender
8. Scoop the whipped cream into your mug, and sprinkle with cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg. If using half and half, just pour a little bit into your cup.
9. There you are.
I hear tell that they are going back to hand pulled machines instead of automatic making for longer wait time for your beverage. I just go to the local gas station for my $1.69 huge cup of coffee that taste like liquid heaven.
I love Starbucks just fine – it’s hard to hate – but I hope they will bend a little in their prices. (I’m a dreamer.) When I stop off for a coffee drink or order a cocoa for Zack with soy or rice milk, we always pay more.
I don’t ‘buy’ their justification for the extra charge…
wow. i just heat up some water in the micro, pop in the tea bag, add a bit of water and milk (or.. the ultimate… EGG NOG…) and some splenda and I’m good to go. yours does sound yummy, though.
i heard about starbucks…and couldn’t believe that such a large company like that was shutting some doors. this economy…it is scary!!
xoxo
But then Starbucks has always been about saturating areas with more shops than could be sustained until the local small shops were driven out of business…
I saw the same sign on our Starbucks too, but I don’t go everyday. I ususally make my own coffee, it’s only special treats that I go there.