alphawave7
New member
Sounds like you're well on your way to me! Need to go on the hunt for some great beans! PM me if ya want some hints!
Starbucks- Yay or Nay?
- Thread starter hollywood
- Start date
Sounds like you're well on your way to me! Need to go on the hunt for some great beans! PM me if ya want some hints!
mwhartman
New member
I'm a big fan of Starbucks. When I was working there was one just across from my office and I was a regular. When I walked in by the time I got the the front of the line my coffee was waiting .
I've never worried about the price. I love coffee so I do not mind paying. I drink straight coffee which is not as expensive as the specialty stuff.
Mike
.I've never worried about the price. I love coffee so I do not mind paying. I drink straight coffee which is not as expensive as the specialty stuff.
Mike
alsterling
Member
As with McDonald's, I respect the American marketing success story associated with Starbucks. As for the beverages they serve? Well, I rarely if ever hit a McDonalds, but if I do it's for the "salt kick" in the Big Mac when I'm beyond hungry. With Starbucks........ it's about clean rest rooms and the caffine..... if I can get past the over-roasted and over-extracted flavor of the coffee?! But then, that's why G*d provided us with bottled water as an "after coffee chaser", right?
I think they have good products and alsterling is right the marketing is definitely there... just the pricing is really my issue.
tinninches
New member
No fivebucks for me either.
EricDe
New member
I've had their coffee several times, sometimes that is all there is available. Like alsterling said - I respect the American marketing success story associated with Starbucks. However, I don't care for their over-roasted style and I take issue with people's description of their 'high quality' beans. The thing that bothers me most is that they will set up shop in the same parking lot as small, family-operated coffee shops. They did that near my home town right next to the best (and fresh-roasted on site!) coffee in town. The shop is still doing well but that just ain't right.
kris7047th
New member
Way over rated IMO! Bitter and just too expensive. I'll pick a Timmies any day over Starbucks.
alphawave7
New member
Further on the MacDonalds analogy...I know why a *$ mocha in Detroit will taste exactly like a mocha in LA.
yyc_coffee
New member
all together nay, for the same price I can get much better coffee, service, environment and maybe learn something from the person behind the counter.
CCafe
Active member
I think you guys have kinda missed the boat here. Starbucks isn't a sandwich and deli shop. They aren't a restaurant nor a bakery. They are solely a coffee shop and yes their prices are higher. Look at it from the aspect that coffee bean prices are sky rocketing. There isn't a roaster in this country who isn't complaining about how high the prices have gotten. When you look at how corporate Starbucks has laid out how each store runs all the way down to the crossing of the t's and dotting of the i's then you have to understand that they have to make X amount on each drink in order to keep the doors open.
With that in mind everything they sell in their stores besides coffee is chump change compared to their coffee sales. They held off as long as they could before they started jacking the price of their drinks up again. I know several coffee shops here in Iowa that went and jacked up the prices of their lunch menu. Tweaked the pastries and went through just about everything else rather then increase the price of their coffee drinks. Only because they knew people would complain about the price increase on their coffee. Starbucks on the other hand doesn't have this luxury. There are a few other corporate coffee shops like Starbucks that are in the same boat.
This is where your mom and pop shops thrive because they are diversified and can change the pricing on other items to make their drinks look good. Nothing I hate more then ordering a $1.30 black coffee is to buy a $2.75 cookie to go with it. To me that's highway robbery and that's what you find in all those mom and pop shops!
With that in mind everything they sell in their stores besides coffee is chump change compared to their coffee sales. They held off as long as they could before they started jacking the price of their drinks up again. I know several coffee shops here in Iowa that went and jacked up the prices of their lunch menu. Tweaked the pastries and went through just about everything else rather then increase the price of their coffee drinks. Only because they knew people would complain about the price increase on their coffee. Starbucks on the other hand doesn't have this luxury. There are a few other corporate coffee shops like Starbucks that are in the same boat.
This is where your mom and pop shops thrive because they are diversified and can change the pricing on other items to make their drinks look good. Nothing I hate more then ordering a $1.30 black coffee is to buy a $2.75 cookie to go with it. To me that's highway robbery and that's what you find in all those mom and pop shops!
tinninches
New member
I've just never had a cup a coffee from there that didn't taste bitter or burnt. I drink coffee from there, but it because somebody else paid for it. If I'm going to buy a cup of coffee outside of my home (aside from a restaurant), dunkin will get my $2.
tinninches
New member
So why not moderate those that start to flame ( I despise flame wars over the internet) vs those that are having an intellectual conversation about differences? As opposed to wanting to remove a thread altogether?
Quicksilver7714
New member
We are open to everybody's opinion here. As long as it stays civil. We are here to discuss our thoughts and opinions on Coffee, not put down companies. This thread is just that, our opinions about Starbucks coffee, and if by chance someone from Starbucks reads this maybe it could help them. We are not forcing you to like Starbucks or any companies coffee.
C
coffeeloverlisa
Guest
Sounds reasonable to me. All has been returned to normal. Carry on.
Cheers,
Lisa
Cheers,
Lisa
Last edited:
shadow745
Well-known member
Maybe I missed something, but I don't see where this has gotten out of hand. AND I haven't missed the boat on anything CC. Personally in the poll I'd like to see a NFW option, meaning No F'ing Way. Remove this if you feel it necessary.
Based on what I've read and observed myself, places like Charbux roast darker for a number of reasons and I encourage anybody to dispute what I have to say. One reason is darker roasts allow for consistency. Consistently dark = consistently bad/bitter... (Some of our customers say that anytime they go to a Charbux they know what the drink will taste like and they prepare themselves for that). Also, inferior beans can be roasted darker because the lesser quality can be masked by carbonized notes. Lastly, darker roasts gives espresso that will pull through 20+ oz. milk based drinks without being lost.
My biggest issue with Charbux is the idiotic lingo they have developed and instilled in all their yuppies that try using the same lingo when they frequent other coffeeshops. If they used it just at Charbux then that's fine as I'm guessing it speeds up the ordering process there. BUT don't come to my van and ask for a Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato and expect one. I simply say "I don't speak Charbux, can you order in specialty coffee terminology?!?" If I lose a customer over my request so be it... once they taste what we make it's highly unlikely they will go back to a Charbux unless they are simply desperate. Not being arrogant at all, just confident!
Based on what I've read and observed myself, places like Charbux roast darker for a number of reasons and I encourage anybody to dispute what I have to say. One reason is darker roasts allow for consistency. Consistently dark = consistently bad/bitter... (Some of our customers say that anytime they go to a Charbux they know what the drink will taste like and they prepare themselves for that). Also, inferior beans can be roasted darker because the lesser quality can be masked by carbonized notes. Lastly, darker roasts gives espresso that will pull through 20+ oz. milk based drinks without being lost.
My biggest issue with Charbux is the idiotic lingo they have developed and instilled in all their yuppies that try using the same lingo when they frequent other coffeeshops. If they used it just at Charbux then that's fine as I'm guessing it speeds up the ordering process there. BUT don't come to my van and ask for a Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato and expect one. I simply say "I don't speak Charbux, can you order in specialty coffee terminology?!?" If I lose a customer over my request so be it... once they taste what we make it's highly unlikely they will go back to a Charbux unless they are simply desperate. Not being arrogant at all, just confident!
