Confessions of a Former Barista: How to feed your coffee habit without going broke

A few years ago I got hooked pretty bad. I was working long hours, living in a stressful environment, and I’d lie awake and jittery in bed at night thinking, “This needs to stop, tomorrow will be the day I finally kick the habit.” But in the morning, the vicious cycle always began again. I tried to switch to less expensive, less pure stuff, but it just didn’t cut it. Eventually, I had to start selling it myself just so I could afford my daily fix.

Hello, my name is Julia, and I’m latte addict and former barista.

I fear that as a fellow grad student you too may be going broke due to the caffeine monkey on your back that just will not accept the more reasonably priced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts or McDonald’s. I’m here for you, and if my experience pushing the products of a certain international coffee chain (you know the one) can save you a few extra laundry quarters a day, well, then my struggles have not been in vain.

Admittedly, some of the tricks are a little sneaky, but I’ll leave the moral and ethical issues for your conscience and inner caffeine junky to argue over.

Each of my tricks will save you fifty cents every time you order and $78 a year if you’re in the habit of buying them three times a week.

Iced Latte

Ask for a double espresso over ice in a grande cup, then add the milk from the condiment bar. It will be the exact same drink, just cheeper.

Iced Coffee

If you add a lot of milk to your coffee, instead of asking for room, order a tall iced coffee in a grande cup and then add the milk at the bar. Better yet, make your own iced coffee at home; just brew it with twice the grounds you would normally use, refrigerate, and add ice.

Caramel Macchiato

Order a three pump vanilla latte, then after you’ve been rung up ask if they could possibly add caramel drizzle. Technically, there’s a charge for it, but the baristas basically consider it a garnish and definitely won’t go to the trouble to make it a separate transaction. The only difference is that the espresso in a macchiato is added after the foam; if you normally stir your macchiato anyway, it will be the exact same drink.

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