HAVE A CUP OF JOE AND READ ON

Is Your Favorite Coffee Chain On Our List? Come And See!

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All coffee chains are equal. But some coffee chains are more equal than others. Among the infinite chains out there, some of them find a way into our preferences. Maybe you have a favorite one because you like a certain brew or treat, because you have found a cozy spot, because it is conveniently closer, or some other equally valid reason.

From behemoths like Starbucks to smaller players like Verve Coffee Roasters (that is, smaller when compared to Starbucks), every town has at least one or two examples of the specialty coffee craze that seems to have taken over America in the past 25 years. So, read on and see if your favorite Java joint made our list.

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It’s easy to dislike the giant corporations but, because of the sheer number of its locations, great cafes to hang out in, and a unique lineup of customizable and seasonal beverages, Starbucks has an infinite number of followers.

From hot lattes and mochas to frappuccinos and cold brews, there's something on the menu for everyone, everywhere.

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Many people don't see Dunkin' as a gourmet coffeehouse, which is understandable since the name used to have the word "Donuts" in it. But others swear by their blends. And, truth be told, Dunkin' knows a thing or two about doughnuts and coffee since the chain has been providing both since 1948.

While doughnuts were long the focus of the chain, Dunkin' made moves in 2018 to take on Starbucks. In addition to the tasty doughnuts, more espresso-based drinks were added to the menu. While Dunkin' has yet to fully match Starbucks's dominance on the coffee side of the business, it does have a big advantage in one key category: doughnuts.

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What once seemed like a small Canadian adventure into U.S. territory has turned into a full-blown coffee invasion (in the best sense possible, that is). The iconic Canadian coffee chain is steadily taking a piece of the American coffee market.

While most of Tim Hortons' current American locations are in states that share a border with Canada, like New York, Michigan, and Ohio, the chain has eyes on Florida and Texas. As it continues its planned expansion, you just might find a shop near you soon.

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Hailing from California, Verve Coffee Roasters was started by a pair of surfers but it has gone worldwide since. It is known for its farm and community initiatives, such as planting 60,000 coffee seedlings in Colombia.

Its top sellers include the Sermon blend, a beverage with blueberry, cocoa, and candied pecan notes.

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A consolidated brand, already into their fourth decade and with over 750 coffeehouses around the globe, Caribou Coffee has a huge menu of coffee classics, from their Campfire Mocha to a classic cold press.

Caribou Coffee founder John Puckett was a management consultant for the Boston-based firm Bain & Company, helping develop ideas and strategies for other companies, when he decided he wanted to become an entrepreneur after a trip to Denali National Park in Alaska and start a coffee company.

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An established name in the coffee industry, Peet's Coffee has been a staple since the 1960s. This is a coffee-forward pick for all the aficionados. If you're into dark, oily coffee and hand-roasted coffee beans, Peet's Coffee may be a great choice.

The semi-national brand specializes in single-origin beans and blends, and it prides itself on having the freshest beans. Perusing its menu you'll find all the cafe classics, like lattes, cold brews, iced americanos, flat whites, and cappuccinos, plus some more unique offerings, like Frappés, Black Tie, Iced Matcha Lattes, or the Horchata Cold Brew Oat Latte.

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It sounds like a British name but in fact, Biggby Coffee is pronounced "big B". It was founded in 1995 in the city of East Lansing, Michigan, by Bob Fish and Mary Roszel.

Offering a calmer experience than the one found in bigger names like Starbucks or Dunkin’, Biggby is growing through franchises all over the country.

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Another Oregon coffee shop like Starbucks but nowhere near as big, Dutch Bros. remains in the western part of the country. And, in the same way that with its bigger cousin, you go to these places to order a latte with three or more ingredients in its name, not for a quality cup of black coffee.

The chain, known for its convenient drive-thru coffee shops, originally opened as a push cart with an espresso machine in 1992 in Grants Pass, Oregon. It now has 831 locations.

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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is one of the veterans on our list. It opened its first store in 1968 in Los Angeles, California when founder Herbert Hyman discovered quality coffee in Sweden. The Coffee Bean focused on selling whole beans and allowed customers to sample different varieties of coffee beans before purchasing.

This coffee shop’s most iconic drinks are the Ice Blended. These are frozen drinks that can be either coffee or tea-based, first invented in 1987 after an employee brought a blender to the store. In it, they mixed ice, coffee extract, and chocolate powder.

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A regional chain that originated in New Orleans, PJ’s Coffee has locations throughout the South, as well as in other states. The company claims its iced coffee is brewed every day, using a unique drip process that is designed to produce less acidic drinks.

The menu offers specialty beverages ranging from hot to frozen. And, while the pastries and breakfast offerings at PJ's are good, some locations serve beignets, a New Orleans special.

BORN IN FICTION

10 Words You Didn’t Know Have Literary Origins

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Even now, when reading seems to be on the decline compared to the past, literature still plays an important role in how we construct our everyday language. From Shakespearean soliloquies to modern sci-fi jargon, literature has gifted us with a plethora of words that now pepper our conversations.

Let's explore 10 captivating examples of words that originated in fiction and literature, illuminating the enduring power of narrative to change the world.

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Coined by 18th-century English writer and art historian Horace Walpole in a letter to a friend, this word refers to a fortunate discovery made by accident. After making an unexpected discovery about a lost artwork, he referenced an ancient Persian tale called The Three Princes of Serendip, where its three protagonists would be - Walpole told his correspondent - "always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of."

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Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' iconic novel Don Quixote, this term describes someone who is extravagantly idealistic and impractical. It stems from the chivalrous but delusional character Don Quixote, who often embarked on fanciful quests in pursuit of romanticized ideals but losing sight of reality on the way, to the point of confusing ordinary windmills with the mythical giants of old tales.

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Joseph Heller popularized this phrase in his satirical novel of the same name, depicting a paradoxical situation in which escape is impossible because of contradictory rules. Set in World War II, from the perspective of a U.S. Air Force Captain, the novel explores the absurdity of war and bureaucratic logic through the protagonist's futile attempts to evade combat duty and the unreasonable demands of his superiors.

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George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984 left an enduring legacy in the form of a rich vocabulary related to censorship and control. Some terms like "Big Brother," "Doublethink," or "Thought Police" are still popular in everyday speech. In the novel, these words form part of "Newspeak," a controlled language used by the totalitarian regime of Oceania in order to restrict freedom of thought and manipulate public perception.

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Coined by William Gibson in his groundbreaking science fiction novel Neuromancer, cyberspace refers to the virtual reality of computer networks. Gibson's pioneering work anticipated the internet age and our modern dependence on technology, helping shape our contemporary understanding of digital landscapes and connectivity.

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Thanks to Charles Dickens's timeless classic A Christmas Carol, the name Scrooge has become synonymous with selfishness and greed. Unfortunately for Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of the short novel, despite undergoing a transformative journey of redemption in the story, we mostly remember him by his worst side.

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Although the word has a disputed etymology, the popularity of the word "nerd" likely owes to its usage in Dr. Seuss' If I Ran the Zoo where it referred to an imaginary creature. However, the term underwent a transformation in meaning over the years. It eventually evolved into a derogatory term for bookish people with a noticeable lack of social skills. Nowadays, though, it has lost its negative connotations and it is used to describe someone passionate or knowledgeable about niche interests in the realm of science and technology.

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Coined by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), the term robot is derived from the Czech word "robota," meaning forced labor. Surprisingly - taking into account that it was written in the 1920s - Čapek's visionary play explores themes of artificial intelligence, automation, and the ethical implications of creating sentient beings.

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Initially an abbreviation of "between" dating back to the year 1300, the term "tween" took on a new meaning in the late 20th century. Influenced by the word "teen," it emerged as a noun referring to a child nearing puberty, typically between the ages of 9 and 12. However, an alternative usage was popularized by J.R.R. Tolkien, who employed the term in The Lord of the Rings, to describe the "irresponsible twenties between [Hobbit] childhood and coming of age at thirty-three."

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Coined by Sir Thomas More in the 16th century, in his influential work Utopia, this term describes an idealized, imaginary society characterized by harmony, equality, and prosperity. More's vision of a perfect civilization has sparked countless literary and philosophical explorations into the possibilities and pitfalls of utopian ideals. The opposite concept would be a "dystopia."