I have been spoiled enough to have a close friend who is a barista at an actual Starbucks. I stress the term “actual” here.

The imposter Starbucks that sits in the main floor and calls itself a Starbucks is a fraud.

The few times I decided to settle for the coffee shop here, it was a hard settle.

I got an iced coffee that was not only watered down but just kinda had a weird taste in general. I even stirred it around and thought to myself, “oh, it’s probably just me” but sadly I was mistaken.

The next time I went, I ordered black tea instead and as I drank it I thought to myself, “Wow I literally could’ve made better at home”.

Granted, both instances were during my first semester at OCCC which was long over a year ago now, so by now maybe they have made improvements.

Plus, as I stated it’s not fair to the OCCC Starbucks because I’ve always had quality drinks from a barista who’s a very close friend and literally lives for coffee and tea.

My experiences at the OCCC coffee shop, to put it lightly, have been the definition of mediocre.

I make it a priority if I need coffee or really have a craving for black tea with lemon, I’m driving a solid five miles, maybe less to get it not watered down  and to be certain that I’m getting an authentic Starbucks drink.