Jesse, who has worked at Starbucks for almost a year, has written a mythbusting “Buyer’s Guide” that will help you in your quest to save money when ordering your favorite Starbucks beverage. Our favorite tips? Frappucinos are a rip off, there’s no free ride at the drive-thru, and ordering a latte with chai syrup is cheaper than a chai with espresso.
Consumerist drinks its coffee black, but Jesse obviously loves the complicated world of Starbucks, and if you do too, this is the post for you.
Jesse’s Starbucks Buyer’s Guide
I’ve been working for Starbucks for almost a year, and my love for coffee and free coffee beverages are what keep me there. As much as some people may complain, Starbucks does offer a high quality coffee, even if it comes at a premium price. Here’s my take on some tips for ordering at Starbucks in order to keep prices low and tastebuds happy. I’ll also try to bust down some myths and educate about basic coffee principles.
Myth #1Starbucks coffee tastes burnt.
While it’s true that Starbucks does tend to roast their beans a bit darker than most other coffee places, what you’re tasting isn’t actually “burnt.” The Specialty Coffee Association of America says that standard brewing should have two full tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water. Most other coffee shops and restaurants will barely even use half that much coffee. The coffee then ends up tasting much stronger than what most casual coffee drinkers are used to. Choosing the mild coffee of the day isn’t really going to help if you think Starbucks coffee is stronger. The mild coffees tend to have what’s known as a stronger acidity. Acidity refers to the sharp taste on the tongue and how long the flavor of the coffee lasts – not the actual PH balance. If you don’t like the taste of burnt coffee, you’ll probably shy away from Latin American and African coffees which have a higher acidity.What you probably should order is an Americano. An Americano is espresso and hot water to dilute it to the flavor strength of brewed coffee. It’s milder in body and won’t seem as “burnt.”
As far as price goes, standard coffee is the cheapest that you’re going to get at Starbucks. It does seem to be a bit more expensive that other coffee shops, but remember – they’re using more actual coffee. An Americano runs more expensive because making the drink takes more man hours. We’ll break down the cost of espresso later.
Myth #2
Instead of paying higher amounts for iced coffee, I can just buy regular coffee, ask for a cup of ice, and pour the coffee over that.
Iced coffee is brewed double strength before it’s poured over ice in order to give it the regular strength of coffee. If you just buy a regular cup of coffee and pour it over ice, you’re getting extremely week coffee that’s half as strong as it should be.
Myth #3
Going for the Venti espresso drink is a better value.
A Venti drink is twenty ounces. It has two shots of espresso in it. The Specialty Coffee Association of America says that there should be one ounce of espresso for every eight ounces of beverage. This means that there are eighteen ounces of milk for two ounces of espresso – that’s a lot of milk! The only drink sizes that meet the SCAA regulations are the eight once Short that has one shot and the sixteen ounce Grande that has two shots. The tall is twelve ounces and also only has one shot. Because Starbucks follows SCAA guidelines strictly, they won’t put two shots into a tall or three shots into a Venti because that technically would be too much espresso.
What people don’t realize is that Starbucks even offers the Short. Back in the day, there were only two sizes – short and tall. As our American appetites grew, so did the size of our drinks. But the short is actually a lot closer to the size of what a traditional latte would be. It’s also a couple dollars cheaper than going for the Venti.
Now my personal preference is one ounce of espresso to every four ounces of beverage – but I like my drinks strong and I get them for free.
The Truth About Espresso and the Great Frappucino Swindle:
A few years ago, Starbucks made the jump to automatic espresso machines. Standard procedure for pulling a shot of espresso requires grinding into the portafilter, tamping it down, locking it into the espresso machine, and pressing the button to start the water. The Starbucks machine does all of this with the touch of one button – it also stores the coffee grounds as compressed pucks in a drawer that needs to be emptied only twice a day. This saves a lot of time for baristas, especially when there’s a long line. The shots themselves are very good for an automatic machine. But these machines cost about ten thousand dollars apiece compared to about three thousand for a quality manual commercial grade espresso machine. That’s a lot of money to recoup at about two dollars for a double shot. Not to mention that Starbucks also pays its employees a higher wage than most coffee shops because they don’t make as much tips working at Starbucks. The cost of operating a Starbucks is astronomical. But the quality is there.
Even with the cost of these machines, Starbucks doesn’t charge much more than your local coffeeshop. In fact, sometimes it’s cheaper. And the way they recoup these costs? Frappucinos. A Frappucino is a blended coffee beverage that most people find quite tasty. But what the hell is actually inside it? Standard Frappucino recipe relies on using a Frappucino Base and ice, along with a pump of the flavor syrup of your choice. And the Frappucino Base? First you add instant coffee to water. Then you pour in a box of Frappucino Mix, which lists its first ingredients as “Milk Ingerdients.” The amount of high fructose corn syrup and strange processed food materials in these things is scary. And the best part? They will run you about four bucks a piece. It doesn’t cost barely anything to make one, but you better believe that they’re going to overcharge you for it. And because the Frappucino base is already extremely sweetened, the recipe only calls for one pump of syrup even though you’ll be charged the full thirty cents. A Tall drink usually gets three, a Grande four, and a Venti gets five pumps.
If you like cold drinks, try an iced latte or a mocha. It won’t taste as sweet, but here’s the best part – if you pay for syrup, you can ask for as much as you want as long as it’s only one type! Standard Starbucks practice is to charge for each type of syrup used not how much of each. You can avoid this by asking for half and half – if you like the taste of Vanilla and Hazelnut, ask for half Vanilla and half Hazelnut – this will help from being overcharged.
Other tips for money saving:
Soy milk costs more. Organic milk costs more. They’re tastier, but also cost more.
If you like the taste of espresso with a chai latte, ask them to ring it up as a latte with chai syrup added instead of a chai latte with espresso added. Espresso costs about fifty cents to add a shot while syrup is only thirty cents. If you get a Grande latte, you already get two shots and only add thirty cents for the chai syrup. If you get a Grande chai latte and add two shots, you’re adding about a dollar to the drink.
Try to do the math – sometimes it’s cheaper to ask to be rung up as a larger size instead of a small size with an added shot. It never hurts to ask – Starbucks employees are people too and probably don’t want to overcharge you.
Don’t use the drive-thru. If you use the drive thru, every single modifier gets added on the computer, otherwise your drink won’t be made right. Usually asking for soy milk as a creamer is free, and you can ask them to put whipped cream on anything for free as well, but if you go through the drive-thru you bet your sweet bippy you’ll get charged for it.
And finally – try it without a flavoring! Milk is inherently sweet because of lactose and only gets sweeter once steamed. You don’t always need a vanilla latte and after ten drinks it’s like you’re getting a free Tall latte! Once you get used to the flavor of espresso and milk, then you’re one step closer to order regular brewed coffee which is as cheap as you go.
However, if you’re a tea drinker you’re in luck. Hot and iced tea are just about the same price as coffee.
-Jesse
(Photo: Beautiful Machine)
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I have to agree with a few people above, this sounds like something a PR person would say, and I’m a PR person myself.
I also have issue with myth #1. Starbucks coffee to me does not taste burnt, it just plain tastes like dirt. I like my coffee strong, I drink espresso and americanos mostly, and I’ve only ever had dirty tasting coffee from Starbucks.
I greatly prefer real Mediterranean style coffee shops that use the manual espresso machines. The taste and smell is fantastic and the end result is always way better. I’ve never before had a Starbucks americano taste creamy and rich like I get from a local coffee shop called Cafe Artigiano in Vancouver.
The only thing I’ve ever been a fan of at Starbucks is the standard Iced Mocha, and even the last time I had that the barista seemed to skimp on the espresso and go overboard on the chocolate. Shame.
Oh well, I’ll stick to my Artigiano coffee’s. The service and product is way better and costs less.
Star who? I still don’t understand that whole Starbucks frenzy. What about supporting small cool coffee shops in your town? Or how about ordering some fine Hawaiian Coffee straight to your house?
“hould have two full tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water. Most other coffee shops and restaurants will barely even use half that much coffee.”
Jesse obviously doesn’t know what she is talking about. If she did, she would know that many restaurants are equipped with ‘automatic dispensers’ for coffee. These are machines that you side your filter under, pull a lever, and it dispenses the company’s (in our case Farmer Brothers) recommended amount of coffee bean. Many large establishments have this. I know about it as my parents owned a larged restaurant. It is certainly as much as two table spoons per six ounces.
Face it, the coffee beans are burnt. I can go to any other expresso stand (there are over 50 in my town), where they use roughly the same equipment, and not get that coffee that tastes like it was brewed through a musty old sock.
@chrisb:
Here’s the best Starbucks tip I’ve ever heard: Buy one of those Starbucks gift cards, keep a decent balance on it, and use it to pay every time. When you pay with a gift card, you’re not expected to tip. Does that make me an asshole? Probably.
Then I’m an asshole, too, because I never tip at Starbucks. First of all, it’s been pointed out here that the “baristas” aren’t really “baristas” anymore — all they have to do is press a couple of buttons. Second, I’m not going to tip anyone if I have to wait for them to finish their personal conversation with their fellow “barista,” then have them give me attitude because I ordered a medium and not a “grande.” And finally, if I paid 4 bucks for my overpriced-but-yummy Frappucino, I’m not going to pay even more to the “barista” who just managed to operate a glorified Slurpee dispenser.
I don’t care for Starbucks drip coffee. I agree that it tastes over-roasted. But I have no problem with anyone digging it. Who cares. Whatever your tastebuds respond to is fine by me. I do like their espresso, however. But when to a cup of regular old coffee, I’d rather make a cup at home or find a local shop.
I don’t see the reason to insult people over their personal tastes. It’s akin to insulting someone because of their skin colour.
It’s ok for us all to have our own tastes. It’s ok for us to be different.
Call me a hippie if you must … but if you do, I’ll stick a fork in your eye.
@mycroft2000:
I wondered if it was derogatory term – makes perfect sense.
We don’t buy expensive beanage, typically. We like 8 O’Clock’s whole bean coffee and drink that on a daily basis. We get a half pound of Caribou’s Obsidian each week, for a treat.
@acambras:
There’s more to being a barista at a semi-automatic machine than pushing buttons. Baristas still have to know how to properly steam milk, how to pour so the espresso and any additional syrups mix in the cup, etc. Pulling shots on a traditional machine is just busywork for the same result – and a semi-automatic provides a consistent product, I think. Baristas and front counter people are tipped for their service, friendliness, etc. It’s not expected as it is with traditional servers, but it’s appreciated if you receive excellent service.
@alicetheowl: Thanks for posting that link. When I made my snide remarks, I didn’t realize it was a biological phenom. you were talking about. I thought there was a group of snobby tastetesters who had dubbed themselves “supertasters.” It’s a funny name in any event. That article, however, raises an interesting point about broccoli (some people love it, others hate it). I guess the same is true for Starbucks.
I’ll go on the record that I am Dunkin Donuts drinker. I’m not saying its great coffee in the grand scheme of things, but I like it (and will go out of my way for it). But I live in Boston and maybe its like how people swear that Coke tastes best in Atlanta.
The freshly ground coffee I brew at home, however, is my favorite! (and the least expensive)
@Me.: I read them…
I hate to admit it, but after that brewhaha about McDonald’s coffee being better than Starbucks, I went and tried a rotten ronnie’s coffee. Guess what, it is nearly as good, and about 60% the price. And usually, you can get a really good muffin with your coffee for about $0.20 extra. And no tipping.
I do like starbucks just for the ability to try different blends though, and of course the (marginally) better atmosphere.
Thanks for the tips on saving money and of course there are even more. Your information was very accurate except for the part of high quality coffee and you didn’t even mention the freshness issue. I drink my coffee every day in a French Press, I use a standard of 2 tbsp for every six ounces of water, just like you mentioned and it never tastes burnt. Why? Because my coffee is roasted to bring out the true characteristics of the coffee, the actual flavor of the coffee. As for freshness, Starbucks coffee is usually roasted about three to six months before it ever hits your store, that’s not fresh and don’t give me the comments on the packaging. Would you purchae a pastry from a baker that had month old pastries, no way! Starbucks does not serve fresh coffee, along with that, the beans they purchase are not the highest quality, when you are that large you have to purchase in larger shipments, you can’t purchase from a small estate who is doing an awesome job, they wouldn’t have enough coffee. If you want to find out the truth about Starbucks purchasing practices all you have to do is talk to coffee farmers, they will inform you what they purchase and let me tell you, only the ones who get Starbucks money will tell you it’s high quality. Along with that, Starbucks philosoply of helping coffee farmers is to purchase their farms at low costs, this helps them in the long run, not the coffee farmer. Starbucks has been the forerunner for a long time and we are thankful for the introduction of Specialty coffee by this company, ( a comapny that at the beginning was headed by those who now are heading up Peet’s) Thanks again for your comments but do some research on your coffee my friend and if you still want to call Starbucks fresh, you may need to come up with a new definition for that word.
Starbucks = burnt. All west coast roast coffee is. Admittedly, like higher acid/lighter roast coffees (umm, Guatemalan), but this is also the consensis from my friends who prefer dark strong coffees. That burnt taste is also form failure to clean the equipment.
BTW, I use a french press, and haven’t made a good cup of copy since I moved to the west coast.
It’s kind of sad that Starbucks is one of Consumerist’s most controversial topics.
IF you any of you are thinking that Starbucks gives a shit about you, your family, or any other living thing-you are kidding yourselves.
I visit SB once sometimes twice every day, and two things keep me coming back.
One, the organic milk… Until another caffeine source, other than my kitchen, figures out that mystery I am going to SB.
Two, the BARISTAS… Typically, in fact I can’t think of a single instance in my experiences this isn’t true, these men and woman are saints. They wake up at the crack of dawn, and stand there putting up with all the whinny, ill-tempered, and otherwise ridiculous behavior people throw their way. I sure as hell couldn’t do it.
Part of their responsibility obviously is the protection and utilization of SB procedure. Even at the cost of customer satisfaction. This is a losing proposition for the worker-if they give in to the customer’s “demands,” then they risk termination. If they refuse they risk pissing off the wrong person, the one who calls management. That situation could in some cases also lead to termination.
“juicy” anything is adspeak for cheaper, more sugar and usually fake…
(disclaimer, i haven’t read the ingredients, just going by experience with other products)
Be pleasant with people. They are working hard, and deserve to be treated as such-even if they can’t accommodate your every whim… Don’t be the asshole, even if you are right…
Rant over.
@radleyas:
Oh for the love of…whatever. Then YOU don’t. I think we’re adults and understand that it’s okay to be different. We’re discussing Starbucks, though, not racism. And don’t try and tell me that flaming people for liking Starbucks is the same as burning a cross on someone’s lawn. It’s not. Stop being so dramatic. Extreme examples are not a good way to prove a lame point.
I don’t know that anyone is flaming people for liking starbucks, what appears to be happening is that people are being flamed for not liking starbucks. We’re just trying to defend ourselves in the face of “if you don’t like it you must be mentally defective and/or ignorant.”
You can call it whatever you want but it tastes like shit. I grew up in overseas and drank real espresso in cafes all over. Starbucks tastes rancid and burnt.
I used to hate Starbucks. Now, in the section of town I work there are at least 4 local coffee shops in walking distance, and also a Caribu across the street. I *want* to support the mom and pop shops, or even *anything* other than starbucks, but as it turns out, Starbucks has the best coffee and service. Well, at least near my work is does….
@Soultrance:
Soultrance, I have no doubt that you are a PR person yourself, since you are obviously speaking out of your ass.
So your professional opinion as a PR person is that the huge multinational Starbucks corporation has sent the following information to this blog?
“The amount of high fructose corn syrup and strange processed food materials in these things is scary. And the best part? They will run you about four bucks a piece. It doesn’t cost barely anything to make one, but you better believe that they’re going to overcharge you for it.”
Wow they must have some really clever PR people such as yourself over there. Starbucks must be tired of selling powdered mix and water for $4.00 a cup. If only they could find a sneaky way of getting customers to quit buying it…hmmm.
@smallestmills:
Relax. Have a cup of decaf.
@kerry: Exactly!
Starbucks provokes a heated response because we caffeine freaks tend to be a little high-strung.
I thought the article was pretty interesting, if only as a reminder that one really, really shouldn’t ever put a high-calorie chemical cocktail such as a Frappuccino into one’s mouth, much less one’s stomach. Yech.
As a frequent traveler, I find that the coffee at SOME Starbucks tastes burnt, but that it tastes better than the other stuff one can get driving across Illinois on I-55. Coffee at some Peet’s tastes burnt too (but Peet’s coffee transports you to a different existential plane, so maybe that’s forgivable?)
Sometimes I think that they burn the coffee so that you’ll buy more espresso drinks, which usually taste just fine.
In any case, count yourself lucky to get great coffee at home or at a local shop, if you can get it. Just think how hard our foreparents had it, with just Folger’s, Sanka, and Hill’s Brothers.
“Also, taste is highly dependent upon the person and to tell someone that they don’t taste something is somewhat silly”
Actually, it isn’t. If most people are accustomed to Folgers or whatever, any kind of better coffee is probably overwhelming. It takes a while to get used to “good” coffee, and many people DON’T recognize subtleties that exist in coffee, like wine, etc. Coffee can taste nutty, fruity, floral, citrusy, etc, but you have to drink a lot of different coffees before you recognize this.
I’ve worked for Starbucks as well as independent chains, and I greatly prefer the way I’m treated as an employee at Starbucks. Before I worked here, I too thought the coffee tasted “burnt.” And, ordering a mild will not necessarily fix this. For people who don’t want “strong” coffee, the bold is sometimes a better bet because the milds are usually more acidic. Bolds are smoother and a better bet for someone who doesn’t like coffee that much. The majority of Starbucks coffees are darker roasts, for which I don’t know, but to say it’s to save money is silly because it takes significantly more beans to make a darker roast. That’s why other chains usually sell lighter coffee that doesn’t seem “burnt.” At any given store, there might be a particular type of coffee that is brewed more often. But, Starbucks does have some nice light roasts, and a number of diverse, interesting coffees that do not taste “burnt.” Starbucks will brew you a french press of any type of coffee you want upon request, so if you don’t like “burnt” roasts this is a good alternative.
It’s already been said at least a dozen times in this thread, but…no, darker roasts aren’t supposed to have that Starbucks burnt-taste like “Jesse” claims. Can we get a real “Confessions” on Starbucks that isn’t patronizing garbage? The comments in this thread are far more informative.
And I guess I’m an asshole, too, because I don’t tip at Starbucks or any other corporate fast food chain either.
I call BS on the “beans not burnt”. I like strong coffee. Strong coffee is not the same as burnt coffee. Starbucks has over-roasted beans which are burnt. Try dark roast from Peet’s or any other boutique coffee roaster and you can taste the difference between strong dark roast and burnt dark roast.
That being said I agree with Mouthy, shop locally, find a cafe that is locally owned (reinvest your money in your own community) Many roast their own beans as well as serving shade grown/Fair Trade coffee.
@sifr:
I don’t know where you’ve been living for the last 30 years, but Ann Arbor,MI, Pittsburgh, PA, New Orleans, and San Francisco have all had plenty of independent cafes serving in-house roasted beans to experienced (and inexperienced) coffee drinkers.
I think when you basically say “Starbucks taught you SOBs about coffee” you are mistaken. Sure, you can’t get good coffee in West Texas, but that is not the case every where nor has it been the case in a pre-starbucks world.
I worked at a local but state-wide coffee shop for two years. Before we had any coffee shops in town, they had every flavor and bean known to man. I’ve tasted and brewed my own coffee, even twice over, on all flavors of dark roast. I’ve been to plenty of coffee places in lots of major cities…yet the first time I got a coffee in a Starbucks years ago, it tasted like ‘burnt ass’…which is how everyone I know refers to it as. That was in DC. I can walk into my local Starbucks here (they have built three now) and 5 years later, yep, burnt ass. There is no way that anyone can tell me, let alone justify that I’m ‘used to’ watered down or inferior beans. So what you are telling me is, every coffee place I have been to, and every dark bean I’ve ever brewed at work or at home is somehow inferior to Starbucks ‘regular’ coffee? Sorry, wrong.
My girlfriend would like to also chime in that, frequently, people order two tall Frappucinos that are the exact same, when it’s cheaper to order a venti and ask for an extra cup.
You cant get this kind of info ANYWHERE ELSE!
Point of order to the person who said without Starbucks there would be no SBC.
Seattle’s Best Coffee was founded in 1968. Starbucks was founded in 1971. Founded in the same town, almost right next to each other from what I gather, but still, the originall “Wet Whisker” was there first.
Since I don’t drink coffee I can tell you nothing about how it tastes at Starbucks. I can tell you that I have massive amounts of experience with Hot Chocolate and Starbucks hot chocolate is TERRIBLE. It’s bitter and nasty, and the only way to make it remotely drinkable is to add a sugary syrup, and if I wanted a sugary drink I’d go buy a can of soda.
Seatle’s Best Coffee Cafe’s Cocoa Trio for the win. Those are some dang good drinks.
I worked in a bookstore cafe that was not Starbucks. If you want confessions, start getting into things like how if you are diabetic or have a problem with sugar, never order a syrup even if they offer a suger free option unless the barrista HOLDS UP THE BOTTLE and proves to you that it’s sugar-free. Routinely, when we ran out of syrups, baristas would just put the regular in.
Who has neighborhood coffeeshops anymore? I haven’t seen one in years. Except for bookstore cafes, it’s all Starbucks from where I sit.
And a comment on tipping: Starbucks employees make at LEAST minimum wage. Usually much more, as Jesse pointed out. I know before I changed jobs, their starting pay down the street was at least a dollar more an hour than I was making at my retail slave job.
Tips are only truly expected for waitstaff who aren’t paid minimum wage because the restaurant business is…skewed.
In Europe, everyone makes minimum wage and tips are actually very tiny, and just a simple reward for a job well done.
Unless your barrista really does blow sunshine up your ear and make your day better with their existance, then they are getting paid enough to simply take your order and steam your milk.
I was a barista. After about a day, steaming milk you can do in your sleep. And the machines probably have an automatic shutoff for the temperature so it’s really not a difficult procedure. I did that job for four or five months, usually by myself without backup. I liked getting tips, sure, but I would never in a million years expect them and a barista has to do something spectacular to get anything from me.
I suppose that makes me a terrible person.
I’ve not generally found starbucks to ever be cheaper than the mom and pops or local chains. in a lot of cases they are signifantly more expensive.
most consumers probably couldn’t care less what kind of fancy 10k expresso machine they use and have to recoup costs or whatever.
I’ve generally found any cappuccino at starbucks above the short size to basically be a latte.
i’m still a starbucks americano junkie. the drive thru near my house is just too convenient.
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Starbucks coffee does indeed taste burnt. I’ve written to tell them as much. As a result, I have a stack of free drink coupons for lousy burnt tasting coffee that I can’t stand to drink.
I lived in Paris for a year – I know what cafe espresso should taste like. Any corner cafe in Paris produces a vastly superior espresso for about one quarter the price what Starbucks charges.
Starbucks apparently couldn’t make a decent espresso if their life depended on it. Admitting they have a problem there would be a good first step towards recovery. Instead, I guess they’d rather pour their resources into PR spin rather than improving their coffee.
@Dustbunny: German Coffeecompanies use the Arabica bean as do most other european countries, these are grown mostly in Africa and Java. Almost all Coffee sold in the US is from the Robusto bean. Arabica is by far the superior bean but Robusto is much cheaper. Supposedly Starbucks uses Arabica as well, but I don’t know why their espressos taste so bad compared to an italian espresso.
All of Starbucks roasts are considered “dark.” I work at a coffee shop that sells a huge amount of our “mild” drip coffee. Our mild and full-bodied coffees are brewed with exactly the same weight of beans per filter (the burnt issue has nothing to do with quantity). The thing that makes the “mild” coffee desirable is that the roaster finds a roast for each specific bean that brings out its natural aromas… quite unlike the generic over-roasting techniques of Starbucks. This is P.R. B.S.
I was a barista at one time when I attended college and they were a very good employer. I have always loved coffee no matter where it is from. I do like my Starbucks coffee and I also enjoy speaking with baristas at whichever store I visit. The one thing I love just as much as the coffee is the people who work there and their intense love of coffee which you don’t find in other mainstream coffee shops. I do have a few favorite small coffee shops that I go to the make coffee a real art form and I love that, but for my everyday coffee Starbucks fits me perfectly and those who feel that bad mouthing starbucks coffee makes them better in some way have way to much time on their hands. I am not going to touch the item about the burnt taste of starbucks coffee as that is all dependant on your palete and how you define what you are drinking. I do love the taste and I enjoy it very much, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That being said keep your mind and your mouth open to trying starbucks coffee again you may like it someday.
@meiran:
That’s really unfortunate. There is 1 starbucks and about half a dozen neighborhood cafes within a few blocks of where I live. If you venture further out you can find neighborhood cafes that roast their own beans. There may be 1 Starbucks in every neighborhood, but in most neighborhoods there will be at least one, if not several, local cafes to compete with it. (I am in Chicago. I’ve noticed similar setups in Seattle, Boston and the Northampton/Amherst areas)
I believe all of this bickering about “coffee snobs” and “supertasters” and hipster scum and the like is best summed up by the B-story of South Park’s “Underpants Gnomes” episode.
As for me, I lived in Washington state for a year. I loved the little drive-up mom & pop coffee shop. That said, now that I’m back East, I drink Starbucks. Mostly, I think it smells skunky — and not like the animal, either. But it’s still better than the alternatives around here.
I worked for Starbucks for two years as a shift manager. When I worked at Border’s Books, everyone thought it was a cool job and no one gave me crap about it, even though that company was HORRIBLE to it’s employees. No vacations, their “benefit” of a discount was a joke especially when you realize how much they overcharge. Everyone who worked at Borders had to have a second job to support themselves.
When I starting working at Starbucks, I was amazed that they had fair wages and an opportunity for anyone to move up if they desired, but everyone gave me a hard time for working there. I can’t speak to issues of foreign diplomacy, but Starbucks was very fair to their U.S. workers.
That being said, I would not be at all surprised if this was an actual partner. When I worked there, it seemed like all the partners had a “Stepford Wife” way about them. I think they added subliminal messages to the music.
Starbucks coffee is ‘flash-roasted’. they move so much coffee that they really dont have much choice. as a side effect, it tastes burnt. thats because it IS burnt.
sounds like PR smoke to me.
Milk prices have recently surpased the price of soymilk in the store. It would be interesting to see an upcharge for milk and have soy be the staple.
The credit has to go to Starbucks…every little gourmet and speciality coffee shop in existence should be facing Seattle’s Pike Place Market,home of the first Starbucks daily and offering prayers of thanks.
Starbucks single-handedly have trained consumers around the world that is not just ok, but desireable to pay more, and at times way more than two bucks for a cup of coffee!
@gwbean: I’m baffled. Is this supposed to be sarcasm: “how to pour so the espresso and any additional syrups mix in the cup, etc.”? Having poured thousands of layered cappuccinos into clear glass mugs, I can assure you it’s a lot harder to pour so they don’t mix.
@bdgbill: Jesse wasn’t saying they WON’T put three shots in a latte, just that they standard recipe does not call for three shots, only 2.
I work at the bucks currently…and i could have told you half of those things, either hes a coffee master (which means they train you more and you talk alot more too) or hes a manager or sumthin to that effect.
I enjoy working at starbucks dispite how many partners/customers get on here and bitch about the place. Its fun and different every day. You meet interesting people and its an easy job that you get free drinks at all day long. Its not a menacing company, they offer health benifits, stock options, and pensions to part time (baristas). And if your so picky about ur coffee…save urself 2 bucks and brew it yourself. Dont get mad at us cause you waste your money.
I gotta say I worked for the bux for three years and it was fun and I had a good time and met some really great people. but there are times if you say “may I have a grande latte with chai in it?” they are going to ring it up as a dirty dirty chai because they think that the customer doesn’t know any better. that’s just my opinion. There are those baristas that would be happy to ring it as a latte with chai syrup in it. But that isn’t always the case. A lot of the argument that I have heard is “that’s against our policy”. and I’ve been there and I know what is against policy and what isn’t. But a lot of employees use it as an excuse cause they don’t want to do it a certin way. just putting my two cents in. good luck at the bux!
OK, let me start by saying that I’m not one of those super snoby coffee people. To the best of my knowledge I’m not a supertaster either. However, I can taste the nuances in things and I find the coffee I get from a local place here in philly to be FAR SUPERIOR to anything I get from starbucks. The difference is night and day.
I get beans from my local coffee establishment. They do the roasting in house and have beans from all over the world. I’ve been experimenting with trying the different beans they have availible, and making my own blends of them. My fav is a blend i make at home of beans from puerto rico and columbia. I’m no coffee expert but I can taste a huge difference between the different beans I get. All of them taste better than starbucks to me personaly.
I say if you like starbucks then by all means drink it, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s the highest quality stuff around. I still drink coffee from starbucks from time to time if it’s what’s around at the time, but i’m not impressed by it at all.
I think it’s great that more people are being exposed to coffee through stabucks, but it’s a shame that so many of these people are duped into thinking it’s much better stuff than it really is.
if you are in philly check out old city coffee. If you can’t taste the difference, there may be something wrong with yout tastebuds. oldcitycoffee.com
Here’s the Thing about myth #1. Sorry Jesse, but whatever they are telling you is a lie. Brewing has nothing to do with Roasting, and in your Roasting process you always roast the bean more than they should be, thus the burnt taste.
Quality coffee makers will craft roast or roast to the particular bean’s potential…nothing more and nothing less, this get’s the most quality flavor from the bean.
Starbucks on the other hand roasts their coffee much more than they should, regardless of the type of bean. Which seems to be cutting corners to me.
And agreed that “Jesse” either works for P.R. or is getting a healthy bonus to say this?
I know this is an extremely old article, and it’s probably unlikely that anyone will see this comment; I found it while trying to figure out how many pumps of syrup they probably put into my Tall, non-fat latte. But…
Does anyone think it’s strange that this article is accompanied by a crotch shot w/ coffee coverup/accessory?
i worked for starbucks back in the day when they actually cared about their coffee. what it has become today is disappointing and frustrating. stop over-roasting your beans in an attempt to save money (yes, they DO over roast) and go back to using the la marzocco. any monkey can push buttons…it takes a real barista to tamp and pull proper shots and steam great milk. also, as a current barista, these money-saving tips carry on into other stores, both independent and franchise…and they piss us baristas off. so quit offering these helpful “tips,” because if you can’t afford to buy the drink you want (and tip on top), you should be making your coffee at home.