Starbucks

[Mr. Pinchy]

Wondering if any forumites like the coffee there? It's big in the US

I tried it the other day and felt it was poor compared to my usual coffee haunts, and may explain why it has struggled to take off in Australia.

[Rufus]

SWMBO and I like it, but it can be quite variable from shop to shop especially on the Continent and in the UK. In the UK and on the Continent we have yet to find Starbucks brewed the way we like it. On the other hand we've found Costa Coffee very much to our liking in that part of the world.

[Squire]

The kids like it alot, I prefer to make my own.

[Mr. Pinchy]

How do you make your coffee squire?

[ichabod]

Starbucks is a chain that serves a need, much like McDonalds, so not really renowned for its quality. It can perhaps serve as a gateway to better coffee shops, but is to coffee what McDonalds is to fine steakhouses.

I believe Australia already had a pretty strong coffee shop scene, hence no need for Starbucks. The USA was a different market.

[Mr. Pinchy]

I get that, but mcdonalds is very popular here despite it not being a "fine steakhouse". Now if Starbucks coffee was a quarter of the cost of a good quality coffee, as McDonald's is compared to a good steakhouse, then I'd concede your point. Starbucks is on many occasions even more expensive than the good stuff.

Even chain coffee shops serve good quality coffee here (apart from Starbucks), hence why I was interested to know if you guys like it. Is it a different quality coffee in the states, therefore it's success over there? Did we get some bastardised form of the chain over here?

People will buy good coffee, regardless of it being from a multinational chain or a niche alleyway café.

[brothers]

From what I've experienced, it depends on which one of the countless variations one has to choose from at Starbucks. Some are bad to my personal taste, and some are good. Also, you've got the coffee-related products, latte, frappachino, cappuccino, et al. I think Starbucks was inspired by the coffee shops one associates with Washington, Oregon, Vancouver, Idaho, and etc.

[slackskin]

To my taste buds, Starbucks is too hot and too strong. Nowadys they have a "blonde roast" which is not so bold, and that helps. But we much prefer Peet's, and it so happens that Costco here carries Peet's in beans and k-cups.

My negative impression of Starbucks started the first time I went there, and just wanted plain black coffee -- no half-caff low-form cinnamon-dusted buffed-and-puffed stuff -- and the barista just looked at me with an arrogant expression as if to say "whaaaat -- how low class."

The point about Starbucks serving a market niche is well made.

Like Squire, I prefer to make my own. Yes, I'm cheap and make no apologies. I would rather send my granddaughters to college.

[brothers]

For the record, I've always made my own, and only buy a cup when at a restaurant for a meal, or at Starbucks when traveling or just happen to be visiting the store with someone who wants to stop there. And, just to avoid creating a question for discussion purposes, I definitely consider using a Keurig at home or at work to be "making my own".

[CMur12]

I have never liked Starbucks' brewed coffees, as the roast was too dark for me (though I generally prefer a fairly dark roast). I like their espresso well enough in lattes, though the quality of the draw varies somewhat. When I cross the mountains to western Washington, I head straight to my favorite Tully's, where I always get a perfect draw.

By the way, McDonald's also offers lattes, and I consider a Starbucks latte to be in a whole different class from a McDonald's latte.

- Murray

[Mr. Pinchy]

Some interesting comments.

I think it's the inverse in Australia. Certainly nothing can match a good barista made coffee in Australia, No domestic coffee machine (I'm talking ones worth a couple of thousand dollars) can match a commercial coffee machine.

I notice someone said Starbucks coffee is too strong. My experience was the opposite, it was weak and watery.

I think I'm seeing the difference in consumer tastes which probably explains why Starbucks has no traction here

[ichabod]

Some interesting comments.

I think it's the inverse in Australia. Certainly nothing can match a good barista made coffee in Australia, No domestic coffee machine (I'm talking ones worth a couple of thousand dollars) can match a commercial coffee machine.

I notice someone said Starbucks coffee is too strong. My experience was the opposite, it was weak and watery.

I think I'm seeing the difference in consumer tastes which probably explains why Starbucks has no traction here

Strong or weak I'm not sure, but Starbucks coffee always tastes burned to me. I like dark roasts, just not ones that taste like the roaster went off to the bathroom at the wrong part of the process and missed the timing.

I think that when Starbucks started in the 70's it was probably pretty high quality, but the decision to become the world's biggest coffee chain had an effect on the coffee quality itself. It managed to position itself to be perceived as a coffee house instead of a mass provider of caffeine, and the prices reflect that marketing/perception. For some reason the immigrants to the USA from countries where sipping an espresso for 45 minutes is an art form didn't seem to bring that with them, or it didn't survive if they tried.

One of the things I enjoy when in a new city is finding local coffee shops. My local, Pablo's, has spoiled me rotten in that respect

Best place I've tried in England is Spring Espresso in York, I was repeatedly disappointed in London. I've never been to Australia, but my sister used to live there and kept prattling on about getting a Flat White when she visited us in Denver, like it was a big amazing experience and not just a variation on a no foam latte. (Trying to introduce some controversy for you, based on your other topic ) She moved to France, and was astounded to find no espresso scene to speak of.

Oh, and calling the people behind the counter at Starbucks Baristas is a bit of a stretch, they have almost no influence over the espresso that comes out of the computer-controlled machines.

[Straight Arrow]

Have tried a few Starbucks blends and they were all dark roasts. Starbucks knows how to sell coffee and they have come to the awareness that dark roasted beans are what their customers want. I roast my own beans in a popcorn popper and enjoy the process as well as the variety of roasts. Not a coffee snob though...I still enjoy sitting down with my wife to a steaming mug of Maxwell House freshly perked.

[Squire]

How do you make your coffee squire?

French Press but I don't think the process is crucial so long as you start with good coffee.

[TheMonk]

There are a few Starbucks here in Portugal, but they're mostly filled with tourists. We do drink a lot of coffee here in Portugal, but it's espresso only.

[Squire]

Our local Starbucks uses a roast heavier than I would but I suppose that's to stand up to the flavorings.

[brothers]

I rarely make my coffee this way, but it's the old fashioned way, works every time, and is cheap. Fill a pot or pan with water, add some ground coffee, boil the water. The coffee solids sink to the bottom and I drink the liquid part. It worked for centuries, and all you need is a pot, a fire, and a cup. Obviously, the longer left to boil, the stronger it becomes, so don't forget it when it boils.

[J T]

Gary that's Cowboy Coffee and if done right it's primo.

[brothers]

We're all cowboys and cowgirls down here. My Grandpa and his grandpa were farmers and preachers, but they were cowboys too when they needed to be.

[J T]

What is Starbucks market penetration of the Scandanvian Countries ? - where coffee consumption is a very, very serious way of life.