The Pumpkin Chai Tea Latte, the Eggnog-Chai Latte, and the Dirty Chegg: Part I

This is a three-part post, so you’ll have to tune in later to see the second and third parts.  I also have to give a shout-out to the barista B (I won’t use his full name, partly in order to preserve his anonymity, and partly because I do not know the remaining letters of his name), who gave me multiple samples yesterday.  He is obviously a patron of the arts.

But this post isn’t entirely about coffee: I also have some wisdom to dole out, gentle reader. You see, a few days ago I had to go into town to meet someone and I ended up going to a different coffee shop. This café had two-person tables tightly bunched together and I was sitting beside a young man and woman. The guy was complaining to his friend that he hadn’t been able to get any dates online and his friend told him: “Just keep being yourself.”

Not to be a contrarian, but I think if this guy is really not getting any dates then probably it would be better advice to say:  “You need to be a completely different person, Bro.”

But I wasn’t about to insert myself into their conversation. I nevertheless would like to give that guy some advice. You see, I briefly tried online dating about eleven years ago before I was married, and---not to brag---I was pretty successful. I should point out that by “successful” I mean I spent most of my evenings sobbing into an embroidered throw-pillow while watching The Secret Life of Bees---but I like to think that is still some measure of success. So I’ve got a few tips for this guy that could help---I hope you’re out there reading, young Sir!

While these tips are really intended for that guy, they apply to any heterosexual man who is trying to survive in the world of online dating.

The first tip—and this one is solid gold—is that before even making your profile, you should make a simple woman’s profile without pictures.  Then sift through the responses you get and see if there are any that stand out as being particularly effective. This will give you an idea of what works and what doesn’t. But you can’t stop there: this is only going to get your foot in the door and you need to know what to do next. So you should pick the top potential suitors and go out on a couple of dates with these guys—you know, kick the tires a bit, really find out what makes these guys tick. If you want to take things to the next level, allow yourself to be ensnared by their spider’s web of seduction. At that point, maybe you’ll even be in a relationship, but if not, you'll at least have a better sense of what works and what doesn't.

I’ll have more insights on this later, but I should get to the first beverage I tried: The Pumpkin Chai Tea Latte.  This was recommended to me and it did not disappoint, although I am very glad I got it half-sweet. The pumpkin and chai complement each other well and the pumpkin spice on top gives it an extra bite that is a perfect taste of fall. Even half-sweet it is still a bit sweeter than I like, but not overwhelmingly so, and I had no problems finishing this one. Would I get it again? Not sure, but I acknowledge that it’s delicious. If you’re looking for a new fall beverage, give this one a try!

Verdict: A great combination of flavours. Delicious!

Score: Six Stars and four Bucks out of 10.