Really Like Coffee? Here is how to "How To Order Starbucks Drinks With Confidence"

  Ordering Starbucks drinks can be a little nerve racking and confusing. If you're a new to the lingo, or you feel like the help behind the counter gives you a blank stare trying to figure out what you're asking for, then all you need is a little simple explanation. This how-to guide should come in handy.

Whether it's a deliberate Starbucks ploy, or it just simply evolved over time, there's actually a legitimate reason for the Starbucks drinks ordering lingo. In the spirit of efficient customer service, the drink order naming convention helps keep the line at the order counter moving, and helps insure you get the drink you're after.

First, the person behind the counter has to be sure they understand your order. Customer satisfaction starts with making sure you get the drink you want. There are enough variations and options ordering drinks, and its easy for the person taking your order to get it wrong.

Second, the person taking your order usually has to hand it off to someone else who will prepare your drink. Its harder and leaves more chance for error if the order person has to translate your request into something the drink maker will understand. Behind the counter, Starbucks employees need an efficient system to call out drinks consistently and accurately as they fill your order.

And be sure to check out our latest "Discount Starbucks Gift Cards" service. This is a perfect way to save money on your Starbucks drink budget.

OK, that's enough background and explanation. Here's how the lingo works.

Step 1. Hot or Iced Drink?

The default is hot. If you want a cold or iced drink, the first word in your drink order should be "iced".

Step 2. Coffee drinks come in four sizes.

• Short: 8 oz.
• Tall: 12 oz.
• Grande: 16 oz.
• Venti: 20 oz. The iced drinks are actually 24 oz. in the venti size. The hot drinks are 20 oz. in the venti size. In Italian, the word "venti" means 20.

Step 3. Choose your drink beverage

• Coffee - brewed coffee, featured coffee of the day, usually have several choices that include at least one stronger, darker roast, and a milder roast.
• Latte - espresso and steamed milk. This is the base for several other coffee beverages when you add different syrups and vary the milk, including a mocha, white mocha.
• Americano - espresso and hot water. This is a diluted version of espresso coffee, made popular in the US.
• Espresso Con Panna - espresso with whipped cream. "con panna" means "with cream" in Italian. The "whipped" style of using "whipped cream" is a Starbucks offering that seems to meet with definite customer approval. This drink is ordered by the number of shots (see step #6) rather than the drink size.
• Espresso Machiatto - espresso with a small spoon of foamed milk on the top. The Starbucks baristas usually get the machiatto wrong with much too much foamed milk on top. Machiatto means "marked" in Italian, and the properly prepared drink should have just a touch of foam.
• Caramel Machiatto - very little similarity to a machiatto, this drink is better described as a "vanilla latte" with caramel sauce drizzled on the top. The caramel doesn't dissolve that easily, so you may need to stir and mix it up a bit when you receive the drink.
• Cafe Au Lait or Misto - this is a brewed coffee with steamed milk. "Misto" is the Starbucks name for the more generic "cafe au lait" name.
• Cappuccino - one of the most popular espresso drinks done in three layers. 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 foamed milk on the top. Its actually a tricky drink to prepare well. Powdered cinnamon or cocoa can be sprinkled on the top as a garnish.
• Frappuccino - a popular Starbucks original, this is a blended iced beverage with a creme and coffee base. The added flavors and toppings vary.
• Mocha - espresso and steamed milk with some chocolate syrup added, served with spritz of whipped cream on the top.
• White Mocha - Same as a "Mocha" but with white chocolate syrup. White chocolate syrup is a but sweeter than regular chocolate syrup.
• Mocha Valencia - Same as a "Mocha" but with orange syrup instead of chocolate syrup. You probably won't see this on the Starbucks menu any longer, and some of the newer baristas may not be familiar with the drink, but you can still order a Mocha Valencia.
• Other drinks include Tea, Hot Chocolate, Apple Cider, Lemonade, etc. but this guide is about ordering the coffee drinks.

Step 4. Wet or Dry

For coffee drinks that include milk and foam, "dry" means more foam and less milk and "wet"means more milk and less foam. For even more dry, say "extra dry".

Step 5. How strong do you like your drink? Specify the number of espresso shots

• Single - one shot of espresso, the standard or normal amount for "tall" sized drinks (except Mocha Valencias and Americanos)
• Double - two shots of espresso, the standard amount for "grande" sized drinks, and hot "venti" sized drinks. For Mocha Valencias and Americanos, two shots is the standard for the "tall" size.
• Triple - three shots of espresso, the standard amount for "grande" and "venti" sized Mocha Valencias and Americanos. And the standard amount for iced or cold "venti" sized drinks.
• Quad - four shots of espresso. Go for the max caffeine blast!

Step 6. Choose the type of milk or creamer

• Default - 2% milk.
• Skinny - non-fat milk if you're trying to cut down on calories.
• Whole milk - if the store provides
• Organic milk - if the store provides
• Soy - silk soymilk if you prefer a milk substitute

Step 7. Extra directions

• Extra hot - if the coffee drinks aren't quite hot enough in temperature, you can request extra hot. But be careful not to burn your tongue, these drinks can be over 170 Degrees (F).
• No foam - without any foam
• No Whip - without any whipped cream
• Room for cream - leave some extra room to add cream, or milk
• Extra ice - more ice in your iced drink
• Light ice - less ice in your iced drink
• Sweet 'n' Low, Equal, Splenda - you can ask the barista to use a sugar free sweetener when your drink is prepared.

OK, let's put it all together with a few Starbucks Drinks examples.

Let's say you would like an the biggest 20oz sized iced mocha, with only one shot of espresso (instead of the standard three shots for drink that size) and without any whipped cream. Say "Iced Single Venti Mocha, No Whip".

You would like a Cappuccino in a 12 oz size, but would like an extra shot of espresso instead of the standard single shot for a hot drink that size. And you would like considerably more foam than steamed milk. Ask for a "Double Tall Cappuccino, Extra Dry".

OK, you should get the hang of it. This guide should help you with the Starbucks Drinks ordering basics. It can get a bit more complicated, but this should have you ordering the most popular Starbucks drinks with confidence.

For a helpful pictorial view, see our "Espresso Drinks Visual Guide"

Be sure to check out our new "Discount Starbucks Gift Cards" service. This is a great way to save money on your Starbucks drink budget.

by:

http://gourmet-coffee-zone.com

Do People Really Click Those Google Ads?

It’s a crazy world, this one we live in, isn’t it? “Why yes it is, Josh,” you say, “but what makes you say so on this very day?” You’re in luck, because I feel like elaborating.

You’d have to be living in a cave if you hadn’t heard about Google’s astronomical rise to the top of the business world over the last few years. The company’s stock price hovers between 1 and 2 zillion dollars per share, giving it a market cap of (roughly speaking) several hundred jillion dollars. To put that in layman’s terms, Google is worth more than Germany, New York City, Saturn, Brad Pitt, Lindsay Lohan and the Church of Scientology combined. But enough with the hard-and-fast numbers. My point is: Google is phenomenally successful. They are doing something very, very right.

Even more remarkable than Google’s success is the fact that all of that money comes from essentially one source: those little blue (or sometimes white, and recently even yellow) ads that appear every time you do a search. The ones that say “sponsored links”. That’s right: Google is a one-trick pony. All of those jillions come from people around the globe doing Google searches, seeing one of those sponsored links and then clicking on it. That’s all there is to Google’s business right now (yes, they have several hundred pet projects/irons in the fire, but when I say “business,” I mean “something that makes actual money.”)

And still, despite all that… it’s very common for us to be in discussions with potential clients who just aren’t quite convinced that Google is somewhere they can dig up new customers. “I’m just not sure if anyone clicks those paid links,” say the doubters. “I don’t click them. I never click them. I just don’t see why anyone would click those, knowing they’re paid ads.”

Now, just to recap two important points: 1) Google makes over $1 billion in profitevery quarter from people clicking those paid links, and 2) Legions of people still are not sure whether people click those paid links.

This, ladies and gents, is why I began this post by declaring this world to be crazy. Now, I am not in the habit of making sport of potential customers, especially in a public forum; instead, consider this post a simple gesture of kindness to disspell whatever doubt may be remaining out there about whether people are clicking those paid Google ads. I’ve put together this easy, five-point guide to cover the subject. Remember these five points about those paid Google ads:

1. People are clicking those paid Google ads.
2. People are clicking those paid Google ads.
3. People are clicking those paid Google ads.
4. The Yankees are finally going to have a losing season, which delights me. (Thought I’d slip that one in there).
5. People are clicking those paid ads.

Now, does that mean that doing pay-per-click advertising is definitely going to be a profitable endeavor for you? Whoa there, my friend…you’re getting ahead of yourself. That’s another topic for another day. Until then, keep checking back for my next post, and here’s hoping the Yankees keep stinking it up on the field.

http://www.straightforwardmedia.com/blog/images/josh_small.jpg

By Josh Barsch

Two Great Movies

Robin Hood

The number one movie in the world.  One of those great movies that will inspire.  Who does not know the story, I guess that is why its number one.  Russell Crowe does a great job.  Here is a clip.





The Karate Kid

    with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (Wil Smiths' son) looks pretty good also. I can't wait actually my kids can't wait to see it. Jackie Chan in the clip looks like he is outstanding.

Google Chrome

Chrome Brings Stability, Syncing and HTML5 Across All Platforms

Written by Chris Cameron

« Prior Post

Since Google Chrome's release in September of 2008, Mac and Linux users have been playing catch-up with Windows users for features and stable releases. As of today, all three versions of Chrome are now officially stable as the Mac and Linux versions have shed their beta labels to become faster versions with new features. According to the official Google Chrome blog, the new universally stable release also includes a handful of new HTML5 and syncing features.

Previously, only bookmarks could be synced across various machines, but with this latest release, users will now be able to port their preferences - including zoom defaults, themes and homepage settings - to the various computers they browse from. By associating browser settings with a Google account, users can quickly sync the settings on their various installations of Chrome.

Additionally, this newest version of Chrome now supports some fancy new HTML5 features, including geolocation APIs and drag-and-drop functionality. Beta release testers of Chrome may have already spotted the ability to use Google Maps' location functions, as well as drag-and-drop of attachments from within Gmail.

According to Google, today's release of Chrome is the fastest ever, improving "by 213 percent and 305 percent in Javascript performance by the V8 and SunSpider benchmarks" since its initial beta release. Google is also working with Adobe to fully integrate Flash into the browser with new plug-in APIs, but this will not be available until the next full release of Flash Player, which is slated to happen in the near future.

Image by Christoph Niemann.

Google Adsense

Make Money With Google AdSense

Home >> Making Money >> Make Money With Google AdSense

How Lisa does it!!!!!!!!

See one of my AdSense checks from April, 2006.

[Note: Today, I earn much more than the amount on that check. The reason I do not have a more recent check to display is Google pays me by direct deposit now.]

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Anyone who owns or is thinking about creating a website would be crazy to ignore this.

I am happy to say that making money with your site, no matter the topic, has become easier than it's ever been before - and it's 100% legitimate.

If AdSense had been available in 2000, I would have NEVER shut down my soap opera fan site that received 200 hits per day. I would have been able to earn money from that traffic and probably turned a small profit.

Untold Facts About AdSense you need to know in order to succeed with the program! Yes, the money can be great, but if you don't learn how to build a site that attracts targeted traffic then you won't make much from AdSense. Don't pay a cent for these "Get Rich Quick" books on AdSense. Many of them are all hype. Learn all you need to know for free. Right click and "Save As" to download this book.

Check this video out!!!   Lisa is awesome at this!!!!    See how she is doing it!!!

What is AdSense?

Google.com earns most of its revenue by allowing other website owners to advertise on their search result pages. All this is managed through a program they callAdWords.

Now you can earn a share of the revenue that Google earns from AdWords by displaying these same text ads on your site.  In other words, you're helping Google advertise and they pay you a percentage of what they earn.

This program is called AdSense.

Every website owner should at least consider the program.  Even if your site is just for information purposes, you can still participate and make decent money with AdSense -- or at least enough to fund your website.

So if you are one of those people that doesn't like the idea of paying for a site, this is an excellent way to earn your money back and then some.

My Personal AdSense Story

I have been receiving monthly checks from Google since 2003, and I've read numerous success stories of websites earning 5 digit incomes per month with AdSense. 

Now, I will admit, a 5-digit commission in a single month is probably not the norm for most participants. 

I promote AdSense on three of my websites and my checks have been as high as $4,800.

The more information you have, the greater chance you have of attracting free search engine traffic. That's why it's so very important you choose a topic you have an interest in so you can keep building and building.

My checks weren't always that large.  I think my first month's earnings in 2003 totaled less than $20. However, I kept getting more and more search engine traffic by adding more content and the checks slowly began to increase.  I had no idea it would grow to anything like this

http://www.2createawebsite.com/money/index.html

Alicia Lopez

My daughter singing Stormy Weather by Lena Horne at her recital on Saturday 5/22/2010.

http://qik.com/video/6841829

Google