I can only speak for myself, but my favorite coffee drink is…well…coffee. A plain ‘ol cup ‘o joe does me just fine most of the time. Sometimes though (and don’t tell my macho, bearded, tattooed buddies), I feel like a more flavorful and exotic coffee drink. The world of coffee can be overwhelming to the lay person who stumbles into their neighborhood purveyor of wonderfully caffeinated beverages, even without getting into the mixed drinks. Pumpkin in my coffee? Huh? Egg nog? No way. Believe me brothers and sisters, WAY.

Step into your friendly neighborhood Starbucks sometime, stand off to the side of the counter where you aren’t in any addict’s way (watch out; they’re testy in the mornings), and just look and watch behind the counter. You’ll see your standard rocket-engine-sized vats of brewed coffees and pastries, sure. But what are all those pumps and stuff lined up along the mosaic-tiled back wall of the prep area. Those, my friends, are the key magical ingredients to some of my, er, some people’s favorite coffee drinks. Vanilla. Caramel. Pumpkin Spice (seasonally, of course, and one of my favorites). Syrups have long been used to tone up your morning wake up juice.

Lattes and mochas tend to be the big crowd pleasers amongst coffee drinks. Chocolate coffee? How could that not be good? Lattes are a great building block platform on which to build your favorite monstrosity of blitzed out, caffeinated bliss. Add pumps of this, of that, an extra shot of espresso, dollop of foam, and feel your veins pump with all the glory of your perfect personalized coffee drink. But wait! You can also have your new beast of a beverage served over ice! Mercy!

If you’re feeling adventurous, just order something blindly off the mixed drink menu the next time you’re in a coffee shop and see what you wind up with. It might just surprise you and your taste buds. There is a whole world of options out there available and even us timid, suspicious “good ‘ol joe” drinkers can dangle our toes in the pond of coffee goodness without fear.