POLL: WHAT'S WRONG WITH STARBUCKS?

[KoffeeKanada]

I'll tell you i have had better coffee from tim's than the burnt mud they serve at Charbuks!
Why is it so difficult to purchase a Bodum french press in Toronto?
Stores don't seem to carry them anymore.also,replacement parts,what replacement parts?
Went to purchase a capresso mt500, they cost 149-169 U.S
So im all ready to purchase,hey DOUBLE the price,what's going on?
Yeah i know, too much good coffee in me! :lol: :lol:

 

[Hobbes]

Hey, I'm not knocking Tim's coffee, just their "speciality" coffees like their cappucino etc. Their plain old coffee is great (it must have something in it other than caffeine, because once you're addicted to Tim's you're addicted to TIM'S coffee and not just any coffee).

 

[KoffeeKanada]

I ain't exactly defending Tims coffee,had maybe 3 times,best thing i remmember is that it wasn't burnt.But i'm still waiting for someone to explain Starbucks to me!Should i try one of their Cappuchinos?
I just figured if the coffee is horrible the rest must be bad.
Now Second cup has great coffee,i can tell the different brands of coffee
blindfolded.Out of thousands of cups,only had a handfull of bad cups.
And have never been dissapointed buying beans.

 

[coffeegladiator]

their coffee is overpriced. How can a cup of regular coffee cost over two bucks!!!

 

[Rowley]

Starbucks OVER saturated a market, on purpose.

And their Tea is just horrid! not to mention what they choose for coffee.

 

[javahill]

Starbucks buy good green coffee. We roast close to 20 million pounds a year and compete with them for a lot of the same sources. Actually, they are trying to engulf and devour coffee sources we're spend years developing. They know green coffee and they throw a lot of money to get it. Talk about a 240 million pound gorilla.

The fault, if you want to call it that, with Starbucks is that they made a decision to roast the coffee just short of incinerating it. Part of that is to mask differences between crop years (as was already noted by Topher) and also source countries and regions. It is not only flaws that get masked, but the character of the coffee itself. Branding requires consistency and that requires giving up individualism.

The marketing value of dark roasting is to create a distinctive taste. Distinctive does not always mean the most agreeable. If you read the history of Hershey's you'll find that to differentiate from European chocolatiers, Mr. Hershey used milk gone sour. Starbucks coffee - same thing. Distinctive is good. Unless you don't like the taste of spoiled milk or carbon. But then you'd be eating the chocolate for the chocolate and drinking the coffee for the coffee, which bring me to my next point.

Ounce for ounce, Starbucks sells more milk than coffee. Most people are not there for what the coffee tastes like. They are there for steamed milk, whipped cream and toffee sprinkles. Really?

No, not really. People (and there are a lot of them) go to Starbucks because it is Starbucks. They get drinks with a big wazoo of whipped cream on top to find a way to enjoy the experience. Sugar and milk fat. Yummy.

What do people like about Starbucks? Feeling like they "made it." They think Dunkin' Donuts is for people with dirt under their fingernails and who live in suburbs - people who have the look of bridges and tunnels. Starbucks sells a fantasy of accomlishment. Affordable luxury.

Is that going "wrong?" It is a fantasy. Disneyworld in a coffee cup.

A word on their oversaturation and the joke about opening a Starbucks in the bathroom of a Starbucks. If you read their annual report, they accept up to 30 percent cannibalization store to store.

On a final note. For those who remember it, there was a variety show in the 1970s called the Donnie and Marie show. It was a top rated show and they sold millions and millions of records. And then, all of a sudden, they were a joke. Ratings plummeted. The show went off the air. No one will admit they did, but somebody watched the show. Somebody bought the records and posters and other junk.

What is triggers the transformation of a top rated show into a joke? When people come to realize the emperor is not wearing any clothes. I'm sure that question may haunt the dreams of Starbuck's execs.

 

[espressomaniac]

secret ingriedient

Hey, I'm not knocking Tim's coffee, just their "speciality" coffees like their cappucino etc. Their plain old coffee is great (it must have something in it other than caffeine, because once you're addicted to Tim's you're addicted to TIM'S coffee and not just any coffee).

It's likely they are throwing in a little unsweetened cocoa into it, it's an old method that many places use to give the drip a bit more of an edge.

 

[EspressoSue]

Starbucks doctors their beans. I believe that none of their varieties are 100% purely roasted coffee beans. Check out different varieties you'll find that they are either fuzzy, are coated with some other substance or are unnaturally oily. This is true for thier regular blends and not just their flavored coffees. Geeze, maybe it's like cigarette companies adding stuff to tobacco to make it more addictive.

Anyway, Starbucks coffee gives me a stomach ache! I've heard other people complain that it gives them the runs....

I like Dunkin Donuts coffee. They don't jazz up their regular blend. It's mellow, easy to digest and has a nice kick. I have had better coffee but Dunkin Donuts coffee offers a consistent cup, is affordable, accessable and they toast their bagles!

What was that? Did I hear the coffee extremists breathe out a collective 'gasp' of disgust? :twisted:

Oh well. To each our own. :lol: :-D :lol: :-D :lol: :-D

 

[topher]

what do you mean by " fuzzy, are coated with some other substance or are unnaturally oily" What kind of substance are we talking about? If you roast coffee that dark you will get a huge amount of oils...not sticking up for them...I like some coffee roasted dark...not all of them though...as to your DD comment...no gasp here...I hear a lot of people praise their coffee....can't say cuz I have never tried it.

 

[EspressoSue]

Who knows what the fuzzy stuff is. It's probably comprised of secret ingredients. What I mean by unnaturally oily is that I believe they add additional oils to thier beans for flavor. Again, what is it? Who knows. It's my guess they'll never tell! I think the consitency of Starbucks is the result of more than just roasting thier beans until they are super dark.

That's my two cents worth...

 

[topher]

sorry....Starbucks doesn't add flavoring..regular or not. The way they stay consistent is they roast their coffee so dark that from crop to crop it will not change the flavor....if you roasted it lighter you would taste a slight difference.

 

[javahill]

Yep. If they roasted it lighter, you could taste the coffee. That is what they are afraid of. God forbid anyone taste the coffee.

Carbon! Carbon! Yeah!

I'm waiting for mesquite blend.

 

[EspressoSue]

At the following website (from the Mayo Clinic) they list 8oz of coffee as having no calories and no carbs.

http://www.ohiohealth.com/healthref...-1DD5-45C0-A14C6CFA79D9DE0D.htm?category=5854

At the Starbuck site they list their tall coffee as having 5 calories and 1 carb. Where do they come from?

http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_comparison_popup.asp

Starbucks is vague about the milk part but if you change the milk type no numbers on the coffee chart are effected.

Below is another nutritional value website. You can check out both espresso and coffee. The largest quantities listed have no carbs.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

 

[EspressoSue]

Try this Starbucks link instead of the one above.

http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_comparison_popup.asp?subcategory=3

 

[topher]

Espressosue...that is a cup of coffee with milk and what not...here is what is in flavorings for coffee...propylene glycol, water, ethyl alcohol. If you still think Starbux is flavoring their coffee call and ask them or pick up a pre-packed coffee and read the ingredients. :wink: