MY first trip to Seattle was over six years ago. It was just a few weeks before I was due to get married but then something unexpected happened. I fell in love. I wasn't expecting to. There didn't seem enough time for anything to happen but when it was time to leave I didn't want to go. Yup, I love Seattle and I don't care who knows it. I only had three days to get to see as much as I could of this vibrant city by the Sound and what I really could have done with was a few well-informed pointers about what to see first.

Seattle equals coffee and coffee equals Seattle. The two are synonymous so there's no better place to get to grips with the intricacies of this complex beverage. For the uninitiated or unprepared ordering coffee here is a bewildering experience. The standard British 'milk and two sugars, please' won't get you very far. So, just for you, here's a quick run down of your options. Are you paying attention?

Coffee comes in 'Shots' (single, double, triple or quad), 'size' (short 8oz, regular 12oz or tall 16oz) and 'strength' (Ristretto, Lungo, Decaf or Half caf). Then you can have your various flavours (ie mint, hazelnut or orange) and toppings (nutmeg, cinnamon etc). Finally pick your type from a mind-boggling range including Espresso, Capuccino, Latte, Mocha, Whole, Americano and the dubious sounding Moo-Cow. Got it? In that case I'll have a quad tall, Ristretto Mocha with mint and cinnamon and a digestive biscuit, please. I think.