Darlings, bow down, for I have attained that which any coffee snob yearns to have and loves to show off: a Starbucks Gold Card.

Get the iPhone app!

It’s not as difficult to get this as one might think. You must buy 30 drinks in one year to attain this status, and it is valid as long as 30 drinks are purchased each year. I started working on this earlier this year when a dear pilot friend of mine gave me a gift card— but I didn’t take the program seriously. Slowly but surely, and after many coffee dates with friends, my treat, I accrued enough points.

This reward program is beneficial in that for each 12 drinks a gold member buys, they get a free drink or a free food item. Effective October 16th, new rules are in place. I can’t say that dismissing free syrups is surprising, but I’m not thrilled about it— although three drinks faster to a free one is worth it, and substituting that for food.

September 8th, 2012 at the Renaissance Grand Starbucks on Wash Ave, I bought the season’s first Pumpkin Spice Latte. And that’s what set it over the edge. A few days prior, I was in the Central West End, and I bought a dear friend’s drink, thinking that it would be the one; however, when I collected my stars on the app, it didn’t count. But thank you, anyway, Bryan!

As per usual, I save the commemorative sleeve.

I also found my drink at Starbucks. I thoroughly enjoy the skinny caramel macchiato— a fraternity brother and I share this addiction, and our ritual is that we take a picture of the drink and send it to each other when consuming it. The skinny caramel macchiato sounds pretentious, isn’t as caloric as the full flavored drink, and also isn’t as sweet. Across the board, I don’t like very sweet drinks, so this is a nice balance for when I don’t want a regular cup of joe.

Ok, so it might not be as significant as the day I got my private pilot certificate or the birth of my little cousins— but it was fantastic! Thank you all for your support!