^Pretty much. The grande was also probably topped up with extra milk, rather than extra coffee and milk. You grind your coffee beans and then water them down, how cute
good coffee comes from few places. There areo so many factors, from beans to machine, skill & training to attitude. Harp Lane Deli and The Green Cafe are my two favourites
I bought an espresso machine to satisfy the quality shortfall left by the likes of Starbucks - I haven't had a single cup from them that passes for decent, never mind good. Costa's Latte is ok-ish but no better than that supplied by McDonalds which, believe it or not, is far from a bad latte. Oh, the horror - I wonder how many hipsters threw up or passed out after reading that. I have always had a strange fascination with McDonalds coffee, even back before they claimed to use arabica beans, and their choices for coffee were simply white or black monkey pee in battery acid. I've bought and tried many brands of beans and pre-ground coffee for my machine, including Starbucks and Costa - both are far from good, although Costa beats SB - and decided that the best I've made comes from blending a Brazilian bean from Has Bean (thanks Mr Tad) with ground Carte Noir of all things. Taste in coffee, like many things in life, is very subjective.
Whenever I have a takeaway coffee, this may sound pretentious but I like a flat white. You can really tell whats going on with the machine, and the operator as usually if its a good independent, thats what they usually make themselves. But when its hot, give me an iced latte and the world is in order. **** could be falling out the sky, people turning into moths and I couldn't care. I savour those moments.
I do like a black americano from Costa's, or from Maccy D's. A good strong Hot Lava Java at home is the winner though, might get into grinding my own at some point.
I ordered a flat white from Costa last week... it was unavoidable as I was at a train station for an early train and I may have died if I didn't get a caffeine injection just then, and I figured that a flat white would be the least offensive. I mean, I wasn't going to attempt drink a neat espresso from a Costa, but I didn't want a belly full of milk either. The "Barista" handed me something the size of a pint glass, so I instinctively clarified that what I wanted was a flat white, to which he nodded, as if to say "that's what I think this is".
Whilst we don't have a Starbucks here in Weston, we do have lots of Costly Coffee (Costa Coffee) stores generally. And when you think you've had enough coffee you can go into Waterstones and guess what, they have a Costly Coffee hidden in there too !