You could say that I had an epiphany - a highly caffeinated awakening if you will - while drinking an espresso based beverage this weekend. I realized that I'm a devoted coffee purist, and Free Soul Caffe, a vegan cafe and coffee shop in Tustin, has become my Mecca. The impetus for my allegiance occurred when it came to my attention that although they utilize intense flavors, they don't use syrups. With ubiquitous corporate coffee chains always raising the bar with the next sugary libation, it's refreshing to be given the opportunity to partake in a latte that's pure and untainted.

When the barista handed me my vegan soy vanilla latte made with organic coffee and real Madagascar vanilla bean all was right with the world, and I swear a beam of light came trickling down - but perhaps it was the track lighting coming out of the ceiling. At $5 a drink this celestial beverage doesn't come cheap, but in this instance it's true that you get what you pay for. And daily caffeine fixes aside, isn't it better to have quality over quantity - to truly revel in your espresso based beverage? It's a novel concept, I know.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not completely knocking coffee shops for having syrups, because coffee is a business and people like to spend more money on drinks that have sweet flavors like vanilla and almond. Syrups are cheap. It's business acumen. But really, if we could, would we not have complete and utter integrity when selling products to others? And I guess the success of Free Soul Caffe will be a testimonial of whether things like virtuousness and transparency really are an option in the business world. I'm rooting for them.