Starbucks: getting harder to take them seriously

I am not a Starbucks hater. I prefer to buy from local independents and find the chain's product somewhat overpriced and over-roasted, but other than that, I have no emotional investment in seeing them as either evil or incompetent.
I have had many friends who worked for them over the years, and all found them to be a basically good employer.
Their recent re-training stunt was, on the one hand, a PR stunt, but also seemed to indicated a genuine decision to refocus and get back to basics.
Thus it was that I was surprised by my recent visit, the first in quite a long time. I had run out of beans and made an emergency stop for a 1/2 lb. to tide me over.
On the bag of beans was written, "freshly scooped by Bob." So what does that mean? What do I care about Bob, or whoever did the scooping. Why do I care when the scooping happened. I care when the roasting happened, and that, according to a sign on the wall, happened nearly 3 weeks ago. So, regardless of how fresh the scooping was, I'm already on the far end of freshness vs. a local purveyor whose stock was roasted 1-4 days ago.
Then there's the blend info. This was, I gather, a newish blend called "Pike's" something. (Not Pike's Peak, but I can't remember what the full name is.) There are signs pushing it, etc. But no where is there any description of what goes into it. Seems like basic info. So I ask the counterperson and she can only manage, "I think it's like a breakfast blend. Latin American beans, very smooth." OK, I guesss, but she wasn't even quite sure.
If they're making a big new effort to get serious this combination of meaningless fluff (scooped by Bob), and lack of important info (what's in the blend), really makes it hard to get on board.

Their website describes the Pike Place Blend (as in Pike Place Market) as follows:

"Created in 2003 to commemorate the very first Starbucks store in Seattle (opened in 1971 in Pike Place Market), Pike Place Blend is a distinctly dark-roasted blend of the finest single-origin Latin American beans. Well-rounded smooth complexity with a touch of roast intensity, Pike Place Blend was previously offered only at our Pike Place Market store.

More about this coffee: The volcanic soil, climate and fermentation process of Latin American coffees give them a crisp, bright, palate-cleansing acidity. Their traditional, well-balanced flavors are often reminiscent of cocoa or nuts. "

(What's very odd is that when you click on the link to list all their coffees, it doesn't come up. Nor does a search for Pike's return anything at all.)

"Scooped by" strikes me as part of the latest marketing blitz to tell me more than I want or need to know about something that matters little to not at all. Sort of like their "Food Pairings" info which tells us about this particular blend that "Complementary flavors are nuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, and chocolate." Golly! Thanks! I can't tell you how helpful that information is.

I guess the thought is that if we get bombarded with lots of useless information, we won't miss the pertinent stuff (like a roasting date) or we'll be suckered into believing that more information must mean a better product.

It's probably the Pike's Place blend, which indeed is a blend of Latin American beans.

3 weeks is very old for "loose" beans. They should not be selling those. On the other hand, they are likely fine if they were packed in a sealed bag with a CO2 release valve.

I presume the "Packed by Bob" bit is similar to the "Inspected by Thelma" labels that come in my shirts: just a reminder to the customer that real people helped bring this product to market (as if it could have been done any other way).

I'm with you: I'm not a Starbucks hater. Their coffee is consistent, over-roasted, and decent. I never go here in Chicago, where there are plenty of places serving better coffee. But I do go when I'm in smaller towns or places where I don't know which places serve good stuff.

In the Starbucks at North and Wells a few weeks ago, a blackboard contained the hand-chalked information that the coffee on offer that day had been roasted in York, Pennsylvania.

I asked (not in a smart-assy way, but out of genuine curiosity) why that was relevant information, since I couldn't imagine why, and the barista just sort of shrugged and said, "Some people care about it."

Gypsy Boy wrote:I guess the thought is that if we get bombarded with lots of useless information, we won't miss the pertinent stuff (like a roasting date) or we'll be suckered into believing that more information must mean a better product.

Reminds me of Christopher Walken’s analysis of Dennis Hopper’s lie in True Romance: “Sicilians are great liars. The best in the world. I'm a Sicilian. And my old man was the world heavyweight champion of Sicilian liars. And from growin' up with him I learned the pantomime. Now there are seventeen different things a guy can do when he lies to give him away. A guy has seventeen pantomimes. A woman's got twenty, but a guy's got seventeen. And if you know 'em like ya know your own face, they beat lie detectors to hell. What we got here is a little game of show and tell. You don't wanna show me nothin'. But you're tellin' me everything.”

Christopher Walken played a Sicilian?

Gypsy Boy wrote:Christopher Walken played a Sicilian?

Yes, and he may have done Italian characters in other movies, too.

David Hammond wrote:

Gypsy Boy wrote:Christopher Walken played a Sicilian?

Yes, and he may have done Italian characters in other movies, too.

Northern, I trust.

And don't forget he makes a mean chicken with pears:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43VjLCRqKNk

I think "freshly scooped by Bob" is some corporate reaction to the idea that people want to put faces behind a business and to exploit the whole trend toward reality shows, etc. -- "Look! Real people work here!"

It's sort of like, "Hi, I'm Bob and I'll be your waiter."

My other half, who does a lot work involving driving about the city, uses Starbucks as an office substitute and says they have clean restrooms.

Yes, having cleaned them after a long shift, that's not where the public wants a name to come up...

It's been rumored that Peet's actually has much better coffee than starbucks (for those near north ave and sheffield)

euthe wrote:It's been rumored that Peet's actually has much better coffee than starbucks (for those near north ave and sheffield)

Does this mean that you haven't tried Peet's?

Pete's is good, esp if you like over-roasted coffee (and a haughty attitude). I much prefer Intelligentsia and Metropolis.

Of the national chains, I like Caribou, but they seem to be concentrating on the suburbs and haven't made strong inroads into the city yet.

They don't burn their beans as much as Starbucks'.

I like Intelligentsia's coffee best, but you can't buy it on every street corner.

I too am happiest with Metropolis and Intelligentsia.
I often by some at Costco when it's really freshly roasted. You can tell that the sourcing and/or handling is not as good, because even fresh and hot from the roaster the result is not as flavorful as Metro. and Intel., but you can't beat the value for money ratio.
I also go to Coffee and Tea Exchange on occasion. I have given up trying to reconcile the fact that the beans seem to sit in those barrels, completely exposed to air for who knows how long. All I know is that when I buy my Vienna Roast or Dave's blend, I'm happy with the results. (And it's "freshly scooped" right before my very eyes, though the young ladies have never felt the need to introduce themselves while doing it. For all I know, one of them may be named Bob. Shades of "Black Adder.")

here's my take (review):


I'm all for capatalism, don't get me wrong, and from a strictly business standpoint or model, the Starbucks concept is properly genius. However, they have long ago sacrificed quality for the almighty dollar (on behalf of their shareholders) and for true coffee lovers, specifically lovers of espresso based drinks, this place continues to fall and ultimately fails miserably.

I know "the only constant in life is change" but for folks who appreciate a good espresso, cappuccino or latte, the process of *manually* grinding, brewing and pulling a good shot of espresso (and subsequently steaming, frothing and mixing in your milk) is as critical a component as any if you are to achieve that perfectly delicious, exceptional cup of cappucino (my preference).

Well, now that would be absolutely impossible with Starbucks now wouldn't it. Why? Well, they have chosen (many years ago, mind you) to go with the dreaded "super-autos", those monstrous pieces of (usually stainless steel) machinery you see at nearly every Starbucks on the planet, where, at the push of a single button, wallah! you've got your shot of espresso. This supposedly insures consistency (albeit just average consistency) and really the only way to operate when you think of how many new stores that pop up each month...they're dummy proof and they save a ton in opportunity cost, that which would otherwise be paid for training real Barista's...and w. the turnover they no doubt experience, that would be an impossible "real cost" they'd have to contend with.

Thankfully there are still great coffee shops to be found in Chicago, those who still put quality ahead of the concept of simply being a cash cow, I say give them your hard earned cash and forgo the Starbucks machine. My reco would be something along the lines of Intelligentsia, Italian Coffee Bar or Metropolis to name just a few.

ExhibitA wrote:My reco would be something along the lines of Intelligentsia, Italian Coffee Bar or Metropolis to name just a few.

Unfortunately, few independent coffee bars exist in the suburbs.

My other pet peeve about coffee bars is that they close too early. As far as I know, the only 24-hour coffee bar in the Chicago area is operated by Starbucks.

The trick is to find a non-affiliated cafe/restaurant that serves Intelligentsia coffee. Intelligentsia has a pretty serious training program for cafes/restaurants that buy their beans. So, usually, you get very good coffee at these places. Perhaps Metropolis has a similar training program (Beans and Bagels serves excellent Metropolis coffee).

Cafe Mojo on Roscoe served excellent Intelligentsia coffee, until the ownership changed. The new owner clearly did not use enough beans in her brew. (About a year later she closed shop.)

The trick is to find a non-affiliated cafe/restaurant that serves Intelligentsia coffee.

The Buzz Cafe in Oak Park falls in the category. Good Intelligentsia, although I have not had an expresso-based drink from them, so I cannot comment on that.

Buzz Cafe
905 S. Lombard Ave.
Oak Park, IL. 60304
Phone: 708-524-2899
Fax: 708-570-1484

For what it's worth (today's Trib.):
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... .storylink

Darren72 wrote:I presume the "Packed by Bob" bit is similar to the "Inspected by Thelma" labels that come in my shirts: just a reminder to the customer that real people helped bring this product to market (as if it could have been done any other way).

In the last thing I purchased from All-Clad was an "Inspected by Tom Brady" card. Apparently, when he's not too busy impregnating actresses, jet-setting with supermodels, or being a Hall of Fame quarterback, Tom Brady is checking to make sure that the construction of pots and pans is up to snuff.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who got a kick out of this.

LAZ wrote:Unfortunately, few independent coffee bars exist in the suburbs.

My other pet peeve about coffee bars is that they close too early. As far as I know, the only 24-hour coffee bar in the Chicago area is operated by Starbucks.

There are at least a half dozen that have opened over the past three years between Crystal Lake and the three that I have tried have been completely miserable (and two of them have since closed).

I talked to one of the owners and I knew he was in trouble on day one. Opened at 8am and closed at 5pm. Might work is some businesses but not coffee.

What I cannot believe about Starbucks is how early they close. We went to the Starbucks in Woodstock at 8:15pm one weekend night just to find it closed. Also, on occasion, I find the stores closed 20-30 minutes BEFORE the posted closing time.

Personally, I have been importing coffee from Community Coffee in Baton Rouge, LA. The coffee is pretty good, even if the shipping department cannot count.

If I have to spend some time drinking coffee, Panera generally has pretty good dark roast coffee.

jlawrence01 wrote:

LAZ wrote:Unfortunately, few independent coffee bars exist in the suburbs.

My other pet peeve about coffee bars is that they close too early. As far as I know, the only 24-hour coffee bar in the Chicago area is operated by Starbucks.

There are at least a half dozen that have opened over the past three years between Crystal Lake and the three that I have tried have been completely miserable (and two of them have since closed)....

If I have to spend some time drinking coffee, Panera generally has pretty good dark roast coffee.

Yeah, independents are not only less dense in the suburbs but the few there are aren't that good.

Panera is pretty good and, in a pinch, McDonald's new premium coffee is quite drinkable.

LAZ wrote:Unfortunately, few independent coffee bars exist in the suburbs.

Is Evanston not a suburb?

nr706 wrote:Is Evanston not a suburb?

Only in terms of its government. In terms of the logistics of getting to it, it's the far North Side of Chicago.

But, I'll hope you'll admit, that it's technically a suburb, with many independent coffee shops (many more independents than chains, if my count is correct).

nr706 wrote:But, I'll hope you'll admit, that it's technically a suburb

Suburbia is a state of mind.

For example, Sauganash, though technically part of the city of Chicago, is more suburban than Evanston.

I haven't enjoyed most of the Intelligentsia coffee I've gotten -- largely from Dollop, The Grind, (the now defunct, RIP) MoJoe's on Roscoe, and U of C 'Plum Cafes.' The coffee has been just as overcooked as Starbucks'. I'm sure Intelligentsia tastes great when brewed right, but I don't feel I've had a good brew of this ever.

Drinking Metropolis and Illy coffees in Chicago, on the other hand, has been more consistently quality in my experience.

Where can I get a cup of Intelligentsia coffee brewed well?

i<3pizza wrote:Where can I get a cup of Intelligentsia coffee brewed well?

At Intelligentsia.

53 West Jackson Boulevard
3123 N. Broadway Street
53 East Randolph Street

Best,
Michael

i<3pizza wrote:I haven't enjoyed most of the Intelligentsia coffee I've gotten -- largely from Dollop, The Grind, (the now defunct, RIP) MoJoe's on Roscoe, and U of C 'Plum Cafes.' The coffee has been just as overcooked as Starbucks'. I'm sure Intelligentsia tastes great when brewed right, but I don't feel I've had a good brew of this ever.

Drinking Metropolis and Illy coffees in Chicago, on the other hand, has been more consistently quality in my experience.

Where can I get a cup of Intelligentsia coffee brewed well?

As a starting point, I'd go to one of the Intelligentsia cafes. If you don't like what they brew there, you probably won't like it anywhere else.

I usually visit the Broadway location:
3123 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL

For other locations, see
http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/retail/findus