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Starbucks, A Seattle-Based Chain And The Largest Coffee Company In The World


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I wasn't taking you to task, merely offering the opinion of a different set of taste buds.   :)

My problem with *$ is that it's always been overroasted, and moreover that they've done that across the board to all of their coffees. It's one thing when Peet's used to roast Sulawesi until it was dark as tar...just sniffing the beans was a one-shot caffeine hit. But murdering common French and Italian roasts is simply a coffee crime.

Also, it'll be a long time before I forgive them for buying and gutting the old Coffee Connection chain in Boston. Grrr.

Reducing the milk in a cappuccino isn't going to fix the roast or the shot. Drink a ristretto from Vivace in Seattle, and forever onward you'll pray that Starbucks tosses in more milk, sugar and/or ice. IMHO.

Edited by ol_ironstomach
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Ahhhh 10 more days and then I will have real espresso and real cappuccino in Firenze.  You can have your Charbucks all year long.... I will have my Caffe Ricchi on Santo Spirito (No relation to I Ricchi here in DC).

Why don't you just pour some salt in our wounds, Dean! :):oB)
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I agree about the burnt taste of Starbucks' coffee. But I didn't know it was burnt until I tasted something better.

The only alternative I can find out here in the Burke/Annandale/Merrifield area is Caribou Coffee, which is another chain, but better (to me) than Starbucks.

I've been "burned" by some independent coffee places in Fairfax County that had very poor quality products, so where do I turn for a good latte or espresso, or just a good cup of coffee?

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I agree about the burnt taste of Starbucks' coffee.  But I didn't know it was burnt until I tasted something better.

The only alternative I can find out here in the Burke/Annandale/Merrifield area is Caribou Coffee, which is another chain, but better (to me) than Starbucks.

I've been "burned" by some independent coffee places in Fairfax County that had very poor quality products, so where do I turn for a good latte or espresso, or just a good cup of coffee?

I'm with you on Caribou. If I want a cup-to-go, that would be my choice. Mayorga is not bad, either...and they have free wi-fi. But for really good home-brewed coffee, I order online from Counter Culture Coffee. Their Guatemalan Antigua Finca La Tacita is one of the best coffees I've ever tasted.

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Why don't you just pour some salt in our wounds, Dean! :)   :o   B)

Salt! Then I won't mention the Tripe sellers wagons (I know of 4 at least) with the stuffed tripe sandwich, dipped in juice with hot and green salsa and enough salt to supply the Dead Sea all for 4 euro. That would also be off topic too!

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I've been "burned" by some independent coffee places in Fairfax County that had very poor quality products, so where do I turn for a good latte or espresso, or just a good cup of coffee?

Have you tried Misha's in Old Town? I'm no coffee connisieur, but I've always liked their brew. The prices are low ($1.50 for a medium) and they don't do any syrup-based concoctions, just straight up espresso, coffee and lattes. They take their roasting and brewing very seriously, as you can see from their website.

Majestic Cafe serves their coffee, so that should also tell you something.

Edited by Capital Icebox
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Have you tried Misha's in Old Town?  I'm no coffee connisieur, but I've always liked their brew. The prices are low ($1.50 for a medium) and they don't do any syrup-based concoctions, just straight up espresso, coffee and lattes.  They take their roasting and brewing very seriously, as you can see from their website.

Majestic Cafe serves their coffee, so that should also tell you something.

I believe that Eve serves Misha's as well, and yes there is a huge difference.

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I've been to Misha's, and their coffee is wonderful. Unfortunately, they're not exactly in my neighborhood--they're in Old Town, Alexandria, and I'm out in Burke. It would be nice if the popularity of Starbucks could translate into support for more independent coffee places out in the suburbs.

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Not long ago I was taken to task for claiming their coffee tasted burnt.  I stick to my contention, and am happy to read that Joe's taste buds are aligned with mine even if heather thinks otherwise  :)

I agree..last time I was in Seattle I went out of my way to avoid Starbucks (try that sometime)....Seattle's Best and Caribou are much better.

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I believe that Eve serves Misha's as well, and yes there is a huge difference.

Restaurant Eve serves coffee from a roaster in Annapolis...the website is:

www.GetFreshCoffee.com and unfortunately I don't have any relationship other than drinking their coffee....I buy their French Roast for my coffee press...it's excellent!!

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Restaurant Eve serves coffee from a roaster in Annapolis...the website is:

www.GetFreshCoffee.com and unfortunately I don't have any relationship other than drinking their coffee....I buy their French Roast for my coffee press...it's excellent!!

Thank you for that tip--I just placed an order!

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I agree..last time I was in Seattle I went out of my way to avoid Starbucks (try that sometime)....Seattle's Best and Caribou are much better.

I believed that Starbucks bought out Seattle's Best some time ago. I will be glad to be corrected.
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Starbucks bought out Seattle's Best some time ago.  I will be glad to be corrected.

The SBC in the Kentlands (Gaithersburg) was pretty quickly assimilated after the 2003 purchase. I miss SBC's baristas - they seemed more skilled/artistic.

I'm interested if anyone can compare the restaurant-supplying roasters mentioned upthread with Peet's (Bay Area), Green Mountain Beanery (Vermont) or Community Coffee (New Orleans). At one time or another I've ordered from each, but keep looking around. Sietsema has a Bay Area roaster favorite & I can't remember its name - whatever - has anyone tried it?

In Seattle, Tully's is a good alternative. It's still a regional brand and its coffeeshops are plentiful if you want to avoid Starbucks (other than visiting store #001 in Pike Place Market - it's not too far from the original Sur la Table).

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The SBC in the Kentlands (Gaithersburg) was pretty quickly assimilated after the 2003 purchase. I miss SBC's baristas - they seemed more skilled/artistic.

I'm interested if anyone can compare the restaurant-supplying roasters mentioned upthread with Peet's (Bay Area), Green Mountain Beanery (Vermont) or Community Coffee (New Orleans). At one time or another I've ordered from each, but keep looking around. Sietsema has a Bay Area roaster favorite & I can't remember its name - whatever - has anyone tried it?

In Seattle, Tully's is a good alternative. It's still a regional brand and its coffeeshops are plentiful if you want to avoid Starbucks (other than visiting store #001 in Pike Place Market - it's not too far from the original Sur la Table).

I do know that Green Mountain Beanery is excellent. Peet's, IMO, has begun to go the way of Starbucks--grown a little too large and their quality, while good, is not as exceptional as it once was. There's an excellent website that rates coffees, Coffee Review. That's where I discovered the Counter Culture Coffee Roasters that I mentioned in an earlier post. Coffee Review gave their Guatemalan Antigua one of the highest ratings they've ever given to a coffee--see October reviews--so I ordered a couple bags of beans. It may be the best coffee I've ever tasted and, best of all, my wife agrees.

Coffee Review does pretty detailed reviews of many coffees. The webmasters ratings read like the coffee version of the Wine Advocate, but the coffees I've ordered due to his reviews have been consistantly excellent. In addition, the reviews link to each coffee roaster's website and breaks each review down by body, aroma, flavor, degree of roast, etc. Very infomative and worth a look.

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i am very firmly in the camp of:

"starbucks is an evil life force that is teaching the world to enjoy crappy coffee; and i would have no issue if everyone of those green monuments to mediocrity as a step-up burned to the ground"

that being said, due to a severe caffeine fit, immediate proximity, and extreme time pressures, i swallowed my hypocrisy and got a large iced americano from the one on spoutrun parkway this morning. the young lady behind the register, and the gentleman at the espresso machine could have taught the staff of any number of restaurants a thing or two about service. i was so impressed that after i left, i came back to compliment both of them, and get the email address of their district manager.

of course i also slipped both of them my business card with an invitation to give me a call if they ever want to work in a restaurant.

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that being said, due to a severe caffeine fit, immediate proximity, and extreme time pressures, i swallowed my hypocrisy and got a large iced americano from the one on spoutrun parkway this morning.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if a large iced Americano quenched your need for caffeine, I think the effect was more psychosomatic than real. Have a look at this table from a CSPI brief on caffeine (they're the folks that told us how bad movie theater popcorn and food-court Chinese was for us). You'll see that a 16 oz. drip coffee from Starbucks has 550 mg of caffeine whereas an 8 oz. Americano has 35mg. Add two more shots to make it a Venti Americano and you're barely topping 100 mg. That's less than 80% the caffeine that is contained in an at-home-prepared, non-gourmet 8 oz. cup of joe.

As a nonregular drinker of drip coffee and an occasional consumer of espresso drinks, I once drank a venti drip coffee from Starbucks (probably ~700 mg of caffeine, equivalent to taking SEVEN regular strength No-Doz or Vivarin) and felt like I'd discovered methamphetamine. I couldn't stop my knees from shaking and my hands from trembling, which made for an unpleasant afternoon in the park. That led me to the aformentione table.

That stuff is like crack. But it'll make you skinny [ever notice it as an ubiquitous accessory in photos of Laura Flynn Boyle, Nicole Ritchie, the Olsen twins, etc.?]

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shameless, guiltless too. the way i see it i was doing them a favor. offering a rope to people drowning in the sea of corporate-crappy-coffee :unsure:

I know people have issues with Starbuck, however it is a few steps up from what you use to be able to get in the states. DC really does need better local coffee shops. I was in Chicago last month, and I discovered Intelligentsia Coffee. This place was packed just like Starbucks, but it as local and had great service. One of the employees told me they only let the regular drip coffe sit for an hour or less, then it's trashed for a fresh pot. Is there a place like this in DC, that I have been missing? BTW you can order the coffee from Intelligentsia on line, it's good stuff

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/

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I know people have issues with Starbuck, however it is a few steps up from what you use to be able to get in the states. DC really does need better local coffee shops. I was in Chicago last month, and I discovered Intelligentsia Coffee. This place was packed just like Starbucks, but it as local and had great service. One of the employees told me they only let the regular drip coffe sit for an hour or less, then it's trashed for a fresh pot. Is there a place like this in DC, that I have been missing? BTW you can order the coffee from Intelligentsia on line, it's good stuff

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/

Good coffee is hard to find here. Murky Coffee and Misha's spring to mind, although Misha's is in Old Town. Granted my last cup o' regular coffee from Murky tasted exactly like $tarbucks.

BTW, I really hope that they trash it much sooner than that. Doesn't $tarbucks trash the pot after 20 minutes?

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BTW you can order the coffee from Intelligentsia on line, it's good stuff

Oh, Intelligentsia coffee, what a wonderful thing. I order the Black Cat Espresso blend and brew it at home, sometimes as regular coffee and sometimes as espresso. Amazing stuff. But there are days like today, when I need caffeine in the middle of the day to get rid of a killer headache. And in those moments, I forego the office coffee and walk to Starbucks for an iced Americano: it really hits the spot and there's enough caffeine to keep me going without making me fly. Plus, if I have time for a break, I can escape the office for a few minutes. Sometimes it's nice to be somewhere...else for a few minutes.

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I know people have issues with Starbuck, however it is a few steps up from what you use to be able to get in the states.

Starbucks appeared at a time when everyone thought Dunkin' Donuts coffee was primo. This is in a world of Folgers and Maxwell House. The ability to order something significantly better, something that was specially sourced, something that was roasted with more care, something that was packed to retain flavor brought this country beyond the shit swill it was drinking, much like the Anchor Steams and the Sam Adams's got us (to some extent) to reach a verdict in Bud v. Miller and basically throw the both of them into the slammer. The people said, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna drink this shit any more!" And they started rejecting the Folgers crystals and asked the server to secretly replace it with fresh brewed coffee.

The die was cast. The demand was high. The supply was limited. And there was money to be made. Then they started multiplying faster than e. coli on a McArches burger left in a walk-in that was kept a little too warm. We met at Starbucks. Not at the same Starbucks, but two different Starbucks across the street from each other. And many other corporate and individual shops followed wanting to sink their teeth into this need for good coffee and bring home the bacon. And many of these followers started doing the job better than Starbucks. And that's when it ended.

Starbucks, bless them, raised the bar for everyone in this country. I don't see how it's any different than what we all hope will happen to things like cheese, bread, meat, fish, cans of tuna and Twinkies for crissakes! I think they completely succeeded in changing Americans' taste in a food product for the better and to get people to start thinking that their food comes from places like El Salvador, Ethiopia, and Sulawesi and not just aisle 5 at Safeway and that maybe there are other things I eat and drink that can be better than what I've settled with. So, I have great appreciation for what this corporate behemoth has done.

Nevertheless, I firmly believe that Starbucks is now past its prime and should report to Carousel immediately. (And enough with that fucking "venti" shit! I hate that!)

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(And enough with that fucking "venti" shit! I hate that!)
The most I will order at Starbucks is a "small" coffee. I refuse to use their ridiculous terms. Personally, I brew my own coffee using a Faberware Percolator ( :unsure: ) and, since the Fall, I order my coffee directly from Louisiana. The Safeway doesn't carry French Market Coffee with Chicory CITY ROAST. Nothing else will do.
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I'm scared to even think of what my daily iced venti skim latte carries in terms of mg. :unsure: Please, no more charts!

On the independent tip, I spent the first few weeks of my commute (upper NW to Tysons) scoping out the ABS options. Yep, anything but Starbucks. Sadly, I have come up empty-handed; not even bad options to choose from, so Starbucks it is. The people who work at Starbucks on Macarthur and Arizona are quite nice and efficient.

How I miss Grey Dog...that's the spot.

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since the Fall, I order my coffee directly from Louisiana. The Safeway doesn't carry French Market Coffee with Chicory CITY ROAST. Nothing else will do.

And now the truth is told. Nothing's better than real Louisiana coffee, either French Market or Cafe du Monde. Tastes like home.

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I'm scared to even think of what my daily iced venti skim latte carries in terms of mg. :unsure: Please, no more charts!

You're good. Each shot of espresso has approximately 35 mg of caffeine. With 2 shots in your venti, you're caffeine intake isn't much more than what's in a 12 oz. can of soda. It's the drip coffee that's jacked up off the charts.

;)

edited to reflect 2 shots in a Venti at the 'Bucks instead of 3.

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Last time I ordered a venti latte at $tarbuck$ it had 2 shots of espresso. I asked them to make it a Quad (4 shots). Granted, that was a couple of months ago.

Cariobou Coffee's large latte contains 3 shots, and I usually upgrade to 4. :unsure:

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Nevertheless, I firmly believe that Starbucks is now past its prime and should report to Carousel immediately. (And enough with that fucking "venti" shit! I hate that!)

Working a Logan's Run reference into a post on Starbucks...Priceless.

I'm going to go dial up Farrah Fawcett on my date machine now.

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There's an excellent website that rates coffees, Coffee Review. That's where I discovered the Counter Culture Coffee Roasters that I mentioned in an earlier post. Coffee Review gave their Guatemalan Antigua one of the highest ratings they've ever given to a coffee--see October reviews--so I ordered a couple bags of beans. It may be the best coffee I've ever tasted and, best of all, my wife agrees.

Tryst and The Diner (and Open City?) now use Counter Culture.

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A Washington Post article today about attempts to unionize Starbucks, supposedly one of the "top employers to work for."

I was sort of puzzled about what the guy's chief complaints were about Starbucks. The only one that came through loud and clear was that scheduling wasn't consistent.

Excuse me? I worked a hundred different retail and restaurant jobs through high school and college, and the only constant is that you were always upset about your hours. Put in your request, hope for the best, and swap shifts with your buddy when it doesn't work out. Nature of the biz, kid.

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I was sort of puzzled about what the guy's chief complaints were about Starbucks. The only one that came through loud and clear was that scheduling wasn't consistent.
He sounds like a whiny little s**t. You work at Starbucks. It's only a step up from McDonald's. Be thankful you're pushing relatively decent coffee in a clean, comfortable setting. I'd love to see this little turd spend one day as a dishwasher at someplace like TGIFridays. This is the kind of dingdong that gives the rest of us socialists a bad name!!
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He sounds like a whiny little s**t. You work at Starbucks. It's only a step up from McDonald's. Be thankful you're pushing relatively decent coffee in a clean, comfortable setting. I'd love to see this little turd spend one day as a dishwasher at someplace like TGIFridays. This is the kind of dingdong that gives the rest of us socialists a bad name!!
No kidding. And full health benefits? Come now.
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I'm not going to voice any opinion on the unionization situation. I just wanted to take this opportunity to reiterate that Starbucks sucks ass.

As a matter of aesthetics or taste, everyone's certainly entitled to their opinion. I've always thought the vim and vigor of the "anti-Starbucks" sentiment out there a bit disproportionate in general.

I interviewed (on my coffee-industry podcast) a guy who's writing a book about Starbucks, and his theory is that people are (whether they know it or not) offended the fact that Starbucks offers things like "community" and "connections with people..." things that can't be packaged or mass-marketed. I didn't completely agree, but it's an interesting thought.

In general, Starbucks is clearly attacked beyond what they're guilty of. They are what they are. The fact is, quality-wise, they do a consistently better job with coffee than the vast majority of independent (and smaller-chain) coffeeshops out there.

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In general, Starbucks is clearly attacked beyond what they're guilty of. They are what they are. The fact is, quality-wise, they do a consistently better job with coffee than the vast majority of independent (and smaller-chain) coffeeshops out there.

Thanks, Nick. Appreciate the input.

Everytime I walk into Starbucks I begin wretching from the smell. It's because of "The Oven" - that disgusting, high-speed oven they have between the cash register and the front door, the oven that heats up their gross, nasty breakfast sandwiches.

Not "nasty" so much as they are maladoo.

Rocks.

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I interviewed (on my coffee-industry podcast) a guy who's writing a book about Starbucks, and his theory is that people are (whether they know it or not) offended the fact that Starbucks offers things like "community" and "connections with people..." things that can't be packaged or mass-marketed. I didn't completely agree, but it's an interesting thought.

This thesis is laughable. There is nothing in Starbucks that isn't packaged and mass marketed. "Connections with people." Does that mean WiFi?

Poor Starbucks, disliked for offering "community." "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

(Not that I loath the place. Not that I like it.)

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That funny, Don. I was just thinking the other day that Starbucks never smells like coffee. I usually just order regular coffee at Starbucks, which is really not all that bad. I was going to support this vendor the other day, who sells coffee near my office, that is until I saw him using Costco brand coffee. :blink:

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That funny, Don. I was just thinking the other day that Starbucks never smells like coffee. I usually just order regular coffee at Starbucks, which is really not all that bad. I was going to support this vendor the other day, who sells coffee near my office, that is until I saw him using Costco brand coffee. :blink:
Costco coffee is produced by Starbucks. They're everywhere!
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Costco coffee is produced by Starbucks. They're everywhere!

They ONLY produce the coffee that comes in a green package that's "fair trade". The package says "Produced by Starbucks" The coffee that this vendor was using, was the one that Costco sometimes roast on sight. Not that it's bad coffee, I was just expecting something diffrent.

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I am generally not a huge fan of Starbucks but they are earning huge bonus points with me for the drive-thru location in the Peking Cheers strip mall.

I dropped off Mr. BLB at the metro, picked up a half-caff with skim milk and sugar and never had to get the sleeping BLBaby out of his car seat. Defintely an improvement over McDonalds and Krispy Kreme coffee (both with drive thrus...)

Jennifer

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