There was a time in my professional working life when I came up out of the subway right next to the Starbucks in Union Square. What that means for a coffee drinker running late for work because of train and subway delays is a near daily routine of overpriced beverages. During the summer one of my favorite things to get, and only on Fridays as a treat, is the mocha frappuccino with whipped cream. Always have to have the whipped cream. I mean, if you’re going to Starbucks why are you going to try and pretend a frap is healthy?

For all of their faults as a corporate entity one thing has held steady for me at Starbucks, the whipped cream. They mix in a little vanilla syrup with heavy cream and then put the concoction into one of those metallic canisters powered by a CO2 canister. Press the nozzle and voila! Instant whipped cream. I’ve since moved closer to where I grew up and the city only has a handful of Starbucks. Maybe 5 or 6, but I’ve yet to search out and count them. In fact for awhile I had given up the coffee addiction.

Today seemed like as good a day as any to return, and I found myself surprised at the horrid nature of the whipped cream. Perhaps something changed during that infamous shut down meeting where the stores coached the pseudo baristas. All I know is that the whipped cream on my frappucino was cloying and devoid of flavor. It was like eating Styrofoam with the texture of peanut butter.

I’m not sure what to think, and considering I can get an exquisite cup o’ joe at a local place for around $1.50 I’m not certain I’ll return to find out if it was my luck to get the end (or beginning) of a canister. Or perhaps this is the new whipped cream at Starbucks. I’m also willing to admit that I was in a rushed commuter haze back in my NYC days.

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