It's no secret writers drink a lot of coffee, mostly because it's way more respectable than slugging back bourbon before noon.

I like to write in coffee shops. It's impossible to create a story at home when I know there's laundry to be done or dishes to wash. Sheesh. That sounds pathetic. Oh wait . . . it is. There are a lot of independent java shops near my house, but that doesn't rule out my occasional visit to the granddaddy of them all: Starbucks. So grab yourself a cup o' joe, sit back, and become enlightened.

10 Fun Facts About Starbucks

Starbucks was founded by an English teacher (Jerry Baldwin), a writer (Gordon Bowker) and a history teacher (Zev Siegl).

The most expensive drink ever ordered: $83.75. It was a 160 oz. latte with 99 shots of espresso, 17 pumps of vanilla syrup, mocha, and matcha powder.

Starbucks is named after Captain Ahab's first mate in Moby Dick.

There are 21,000 Starbucks stores worldwide.

Roy Street Coffee & Tea, located in Seattle, is an undercover Starbucks. New products are tested here.

If you bought stock when the company went public in 1992, you paid $17 a share. Today it's $89.

There is 415 milligrams of caffeine in a venti coffee. That equals about 5 cans of Red Bull.

CIA headquarters has their own private Starbucks store. Baristas are not allowed to divulge where they work.

A venti caramel frappucino has 10 grams of saturated fat and 81 grams of sugar. That's more than a large Coke and a Big Mac from McDonalds.

As for me, my favorite drink is a grande caramel macchiato. What's yours?