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Starbucks...Charbucks!
Not even a $12,000 coffee maker can save poor Starbucks.
I prefer Peet's.
Starbucks...Charbucks!
Not even a $12,000 coffee maker can save poor Starbucks.
I prefer Peet's.
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Pukes Place Roast? They could have come up with a better name.
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The fact that it's an \"everyday\" coffee is new, but the coffee itself isn't - they had this blend as one of those limited edition blends last year sometime.
I'm pretty much in the minority here in that I like Starbucks coffee, but I will say that there's not really much special about this particular blend. Still, for free samples, I'll cruise by on my way to lunch.
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I find the name ... amusing. Yes, it's where the first Starbucks is. And yes, it's one of Seattle's more recognizable landmarks.
But the entire area reeks of urine. It's NOT something I want to be reminded of when drinking coffee.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-380058-100x100.png\")
@Tejas: don't forget about the hint of cocoa and toasted nuts, that's Starbuck's effort to the hide the finger funk flavor servered fresh with every cup
They're also debuting their new, or rather \"old\" logo that is SUPER ugly. Big mistake, I think
The Pike Place Roast is different from the Pike Place Blend; last year's was the blend, which was darker and not very good. This one you can actually drink black and, weirdly, it loses nearly all of its flavor when you add cream.
The other cool thing that happens tomorrow (which is actually cool) is we're going to be selling Top Pot doughnuts. Probably overpriced, but they're REALLY good, and we'll be sampling those too.
Just so you know, the previous standard was to let the coffee \"sit around\" for just an hour, so it's not that big of a change.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-76462-100x100.png\")
\"Everyday Blend\" sounds like they are trying to push a step up from Taster's Choice.
According to BusinessWeek, the free 8 oz. samples are only available from 9:00 to 9:30.
Ah, thanks for clearing that up.
Hey, since you seem to work at Starbucks - where'd the Joya del Dia go? That was really tasty, but I never see it anymore.
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@Gamethyme:
Well that is because of the homeless people who like to call that area of Seattle home. But agreed that is something I do not like to think of when I think of coffee.
\"Give us a coffee we can count on every day, all day, all week,\"
what does that mean exactly?
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According the AP story in BusinessWeek, that's 9-930am on the west coast and 12-1230pm here on the east coast.
\"To celebrate the launch, it will give away free 8 oz. cups of Pike Place Roast -- named after its first store in Seattle's famed public market -- at more than 7,000 U.S. stores from 9 to 9:30 a.m. PDT (12 to 12:30 p.m. EDT).\"
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1530-100x100.png\")
.. that will be burnt to a crisp.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-352120-100x100.png\")
@chucklebuck: It was a limited time only run. It didn't do very well in my market/region, so they pulled it within a week. I think it did better out west. But the move to keep coffee for only 30 minutes is only something that's going to affect lower-volume stores that don't actually go through an urn of coffee in an hour during off-peak hours. I still think the problem is making sure that the machines used to brew the coffee won't be cleaned properly, resulting in icky coffee.
Is this the same as the Pike Place Blend that they sell in the Pike Place Starbucks? Last time I was in Seattle, I stopped by the original Pike Place store and bought a few bags.
Is this going to be the same? Anyone in Seattle care to comment?
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It's just Pike Place, not Pikes Place.
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I heard it was a \"Coffee with a Happy Ending\" being introduced. That was the reason for the 3 hour training seminar.
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so this coffee is gonna taste like ass and balls? No thanks, i'll stick with my Tim Horton's large regular.
(I Highly recommend, Canadian crack a.k.a Tim Hortons coffee)
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Toasted nuts?
I'll stick with Bad Ass Coffee Company.
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A giant WHO CARES all around.
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@Gamethyme: If that's the case, then it'll fit into the San Francisco cityscape very nicely. Especially those downtown SF stores.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-7101-100x100.png\")
Wow, we got the required \"why buy it at a store when you can make it better at home you noobs\" comment before even the first comment! Thanks, Meg - someone has to uphold the standard, and it might as well be the poster herself.
Here's hoping the shorter coffee life cycle will result in a better product at least.
As both a Starbucks barista and someone who thinks our coffee generally tastes burned, I was actually happy with the Pike Place roast. It's much milder and is a brew which I would drink with just a little sugar.
Our drip coffee is currently allowed to sit for up to an hour (sometimes it's more in slow stores or during dull times). We are now supposed to brew a fresh batch every 30 min, and I can tell you that makes a big difference. There are times when I rinse out our containers, and the charred smell comes from coffee sitting there about 45 min. Under these new changes, coffee grounds made that morning will be scooped out according to need. There is no reason for us to have a full container of coffee brewed when demand is small. For the customer this means more coffee turnover and less burned/cooked coffee that has just been sitting there. From our store's test run, we've increased coffee brewing to every 10-15 min by brewing smaller batches instead of full batches.
The coffee is also to be sold within two weeks of being roasted instead of sitting in a warehouse for months which I think will make a difference.
For the last freaking time, it's Pike Place, not \"Pike's Place\". FFS!
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-60062-100x100.png\")
Why, I was just saying \"Give me a coffee I can count on every day, all day, all week\", because, you know, I keep running into coffee that I can't count on and it makes me sad.
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funny. if starbucks is so damn popular, why is the coffee always 'burnt' or 'sits around too long'? you'd think it would be fresh as a baby's bottom from all their busyness....
give me good ole green mountain coffee from my local gas station. never had a bad cup in 5 years.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-343550-100x100.png\")
And the not-so-subtle flavor of burnt arabica beans!
fuzzymuffins, the coffee is burned during the roasting process, not because it sits on a burner too long. They could make a fresh pot every 5 seconds and it would still taste burned.
I make my own coffee. It's a dying art form.
I'll bet Tweeks is still better.
Is this \"Everyday\" coffee Folger's or Maxwell House?
@homerjay: Of course it is! It's brewed lovingly, with the beans ground in Tweek's mouth every hour, on the hour!
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Does anyone here have a espresso/cappuccino machine at home? I'm considering buying one for our new fabulous remodeled kitchen, but I don't want to spend a kajillion dollars on it.
Unbelievable that they don't brew freshly ground coffee.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-196283-100x100.png\")
LAME! I want a free frou frou drink. I can get drip for free at the office like most other folks.
I wonder, do all the commenters who tell us that Starbucks coffee tastes burnt think they have an original idea going there? Or are they just TRYING to be redundant?
@fuzzymuffins: it amazes me that it does. I mean the freaking Quick Checks and 7-11 are required to replace their coffee every 30 minutes by management, with Quick Check actually advertising that its replaced every 30 minutes.
Just goes to show that Starbucks is not only overpriced, but not even properly made and kept.
@morganlh85: Or maybe Starbucks makes horrible coffee thats overroasted and made with inferior beans that they then try to pass off as good.
Its BAD coffee. Even Dunkin Donuts makes coffee decades better than you.
@Tejas: Shame Gloria Jeans takes terrible. Hudson's is the best of the Australian-owned, US-style coffee houses.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-63807-100x100.png\")
They plan to have 40,000 locations worldwide, 25,000 more than they have now?
That's insane. Once upon a time, when I was an American in Paris. I saw the Starbucks dans le Forum des Halles and thought \"Why would somebody go to a Starbucks in France?\"
You can't claim convenience: there's an espresso machine behind every shop counter. It takes an extra effort to get your caramel macchiato fix.
@morganlh85: \"Burnt\" isn't the right word, but Starbucks beans really do suck. To their credit, it's a just a dark (\"French\" or \"Italian\") roast that according to some kills all the nuances that a light or medium roast preserves.
More important, in my opinion, is that the beans are optimized for shelf life. They're roasted in a few massive, centralized facilities at some indeterminate time in the past. You'll never see a real bloom in a French press using beans from Starbucks. That's a important byproduct of days-old, CO2-rich beans.
Tasting the Future of Starbucks Coffee From a New Machine [NY Times] explains the issue quite well.
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another voice saying \"it is PIKE Place.\" There is no \"'s\" in it. The place is called Pike Place Market. Pike Place is located on the intersection of Pike Street and Pike Place. Is there any way we can get you guys to edit your copy and make this (quite important) correction? I know it seems picky, but it completely grates on the nerves of every Seattle local when people can't bother to correctly pronounce one of our main landmarks. It'd be like me calling saying \"Empire State's Building\"
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article on coffee makers:[online.wsj.com]
My favorite is the new Illy Hyper Espresso machine that uses coffee pods.
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I'm not a fan of Starbucks, but I'll give them credit for making changes that actually deal with the quality of the product. most companies tend to slap a whitewash up and call it golden.
\"Andrew Linnemann, Starbucks master coffee blender\"
you are on The List.
Had they not just built a Dunkin Donuts across from my office, I'd go in and get a free cup of coffee. But I was in love with DD before I moved down south, and now that they've followed me, DD and I continue our scandalous affair. Don't tell my wife.
I will say that though I dislike the regular coffee in Starbucks, they make a great White Mocha. So they got that going for them, which is nice.
@Tejas: Wow, really? You're going to base your opinion on an entire company with over 11K stores that each serves over a thousand drinks a day on your one drink?
@chucklebuck: You're thinking of Pike's Place BLEND. The name's very familiar but this one is suppose to be milder.
New name, same burnt overpriced crap. Think I will stick to Mcdonald's that I already KNOW tastes good rather than paying too much to be disappointed....again, and again, and again. It there any question why Starbuck's stocks and profits are falling?
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Can I base my experience on having Starbucks in over 20 states and 3 countries (and having worked at 2 as a teenager)???
The brewed coffee sucks balls. The espresso and related drinks are pretty good.
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@evilhapposai: SB's profits are fail because you can no longer take out an ARM re-fi on your house to pay for a frappuccino.
@shmonkmonk
i related my one experience from starbucks in the USA - i have also had starbucks in Canada, China, UK and Australia, and every coffee was mediocre at best.
I prefer gloria jeans caramel lattes than star bucks caramel lattes, however the best purchise i made was a nespresso (www.nespresso.com) machine. great coffee at home.
Burned beans are burned beans. All Charbucks tastes the same.
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I'd rather drive 5 miles for a Dunkin Donuts then go to the corner Fourbucks for a coffee.
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@Tejas: Years ago at a mall in Mishawaka, Indiana, there was a coffee store called Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean. Maybe it's still there; I dunno.
this seems like a poor marketing attempt.
are there really people out there that won't drink \"breakfast blend\" at times other then in the morning?
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\"subtle, rich flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts.\"
That sounds suspiciuosly like Dunkin Donuts coffee.
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Now if they would just institute a coffee-by-the-ounce pricing, people will be able to walk in with mugs and get coffee just like home. Perfect for the college student on the go.
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I'm hit or miss with Starbucks' coffee. I appreciate the drinkability, caffeine content and opacity a helluva lot more than the free coffee here at work (Folgers' freeze-dried, vacuum packed \"single pot serving\", my ass.) However, between Starbucks and the stuff I make, I go for the home team. I don't always have enough time to make it before running out the door, hence the Bux. Also, it varies whether or not I get a really tasty cup, or if there's the slight \"burnt\" taste. It's still better than the crap in the breakroom.
I'm wondering if what they mean by \"everyday coffee\" is that it will be \"on tap\" every day, instead of being switched out on a schedule like their other varieties. That might be nice, if I like this new stuff. I'm still trying to get up earlier so that it won't matter.
Oh, also, what's the big deal with Dunkin' Donuts' coffee? Every time I have gotten some, it has tasted metallic. Do not want.
@ElPresidente408:
\"The coffee is also to be sold within two weeks of being roasted instead of sitting in a warehouse for months which I think will make a difference. \"
HUZZAH!!!!!!! That right there will make me drink it. Fresh Coffee = Pure Win
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@tdogg241: Thank you! Whenever I see or hear \"Pike's Place\" I want to rip my hair out.
Pike. Place. SINGULAR. It's the name of a street, so it's like the \"First Avenue Market\"-- the \"PIKE PLACE Market.\" You wouldn't say the \"First's Avenue Market\" so why would you say the \"Pike's Place Market.\"
That's right. You wouldn't.
/rant
I went this morning at 9:05 and was rudely told that the samples were only from noon to noon-thirty not nine to nine-thirty as advertised on the radio and other news outlets.
Rude baristas (coffee schlepers)= my business going somewhere else!
.
I've been down on Starbucks for months now because of their brewed coffee. I have to say that freshly-brewed and recently-roasted are going to make me a believer again in Starbucks brewed coffee.
Welcome Aboard Pike's Peak blend, my new friend ;)
A couple hours after the \"event\" I stopped by SB to see what's tricks with the coffee and all. At this location, the Pike's Place Blend is $1.25 for a tall, rather than the $1.60-something for their other drip coffees.
They charged me the $1.60-something anyway, because their registers aren't programmed with the new price. The coffee, IMO, is worse than their others. It seems just like SB coffee, but weaker. It smells weaker, it tastes watery. It doesn't taste like a full-bodied, lighter roast, it tastes like a dark roast brewed in more water. I prefer lighter roasts, and this wasn't it.
It is acid and bitter with little aroma and a watery texture. What aroma there was reminded me of the 70's percolator my parents drank coffee out of all day.
This location still doesn't have any free Wi-Fi, just the same-old overpriced T-Mobile subscriptions, and free roaming if you have certain AT&T accounts. I was the only customer in the place until a middle-aged couple drove up in a Mercedes SUV and walked in, wearing matching warm-up suits. I felt like I was in Boca, except all the Cubans are Mexican.
Starbucks built their business on finding a way to provide a consistent taste at a minimum cost: buy inexpensive Arabica beans and roast them until they smoke. This treatment masks variations in taste very well.
If you compare their product to your typical grocery store canned coffee made from Robusta beans then it is far superior. But if you compare Starbucks' product to a well roasted and quality Arabica blend you'll find that Starbucks coffee isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Yes, Starbucks coffee tastes burnt - it's that \"special\" roasting process. But canned Robusta coffee; nasty stuff, it tastes like burning rubber smells.
Go ahead and drink the coffee that suits your taste. Just be aware that if you've chosen Starbucks because it's the best then you're missing out on what good coffee is all about.
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![Starbucks dans le Forum des Halles](\"http://www.france-etatsunis.com/celljeunes/Interviews/images/StarbucksHalles.jpg\"){kind=link}
![a real bloom](\"http://coffeegeek.com/images/6159/presspot10.jpg\"){kind=link}
but i bet it still tastes like mud that you pay excessively for.
my only starbucks experience was in LA when the so called barista but his fingers on the lip of the cup as we was handing it to me.. i sent ti back and got another.
we have a great chain here in australia called gloria jeans coffees. never had any trouble with them. i don't know if they are anywhere else however.