Do you believe this? The coffee you drink can reveal your personality - or the state of your mood.
That ubiquitous coffee company, Starbucks, says the brew you sip can say a lot about the real you.
The java chain, which has more than 40 outlets across the island since 1996, has been serving not just well-brewed coffee, but coffee you can personalise in a variety of ways.
Starbucks claims that there are up to 87,000 different ways to personalise a Starbucks coffee. Sounds a lot, but given the variety of options available, from size, milk, syrup, strength of caffeine, and coffee type, the number of possible permutations from these options is quite substantial. The question is, out of these 87,000 ways to have your Starbucks coffee, which is your favourite, and what does it reveal about you?
At a recent media session with Starbucks operations manager Ms Chok Yee Ling, we were given an overview of the different ways you can personalise your coffee order. Starbucks calls it Customology 101. A colleague calls it the "Coffee Tarot", an allusion to the fortune-telling deck of cards. I think it's plain fun.
To test out the accuracy of Starbucks' Customology 101, I presented Ms Chok with a list of coffee orders from my colleagues for her to do a personality analysis. Some of the results were revealing, but there were others which were less so.
Take, for example, my order for a For here, Tall half-caf double shot low-fat mocha.
"For here" indicated that I had a bit of time to relax that day, "half-caf double shot" suggested that I wanted to have a coffee break and that I was always very busy, and mocha (or chocolate) is supposed to mean that I'm thoughtful. Hmm.
As for my editor's order of regular white coffee with no sugar (or, in Starbucks speak: To go, tall latte), Ms Chok remarked: "She has places to go, and wants something wholesome. Choosing plain coffee indicates that she is cultured, and appreciates the flavours of the whole coffee bean in its natural form."
A colleague's friend has what was described as a "very specific order" - a double tall, one pump hazelnut low-fat latte. "Looks like someone is very comfortable with this drink, and the hazelnut is probably the most revealing personality option - she is kind!"
One of the interns working with us picked the now-defunct Venti Rhumba Frappuccino with whipped cream. Ms Chok informed me that although Starbucks no longer serves Rhumba Frappuccino, it does have a pretty similar equivalent - Java Chip. "This person is probably thoughtful, and he also wants to indulge himself a bit. He wants this drink size because he needs it to last a while." Sounds like this intern to a T!
An interesting order was placed by one of my colleagues who runs our Business site - that of a hot steamed milk. There is no coffee or syrup in this, so what does it say about her? "She is someone who is hearty, and wants something wholesome."
Our Multimedia content producer's choice of a Grande skinny latte, double shot hinted at her busy lifestyle and health-conscious nature, while our other Business content producer's preference for a Grande iced cafe latte hinted at an ambitious streak. Our videographer's choice of a To go, Grande double shot mocha revealed his thoughtful nature as well as his mobile and active lifestyle.
How accurate is Starbucks' Customology 101? Is it all a lot of froth or is there some truth in it?
