Eh, no surprise. Transportation companies are adding a lot of fuel surcharges currently, and the cost has to be made up somehow. I see other companies doing it as well.

Starbucks burns their coffee!

(First! Bwa ha ha! Yes, Childish! But still first)

@KIRZEN2007:

Starbucks coffee doesn't taste burnt! (First for the other team!)

Starbucks raised prices just in time for minimum wage increase. Some timing!! $4-5 for a generic taste cup of java. I make my own coffee at home:cheap, fresh REAL coffee.

It tastes burnt for a reason. They overcook their original beans and use too little grinds to water which brings out a bitter taste.

@Toof_75_75:

Well ya, it does taste "burned", but that's apparently how it is supposed to taste.

you can say burnt, I say, "REAL coffee". For me light roast just doesn't cut it, I need something that will cut through the sedatives first thing in the morning.

Starbucks as the worst drip coffee. Their latte drinks are mediocre. But their blended drinks are pretty decent. Still pricey though.

I don't think this price increase is a big deal. If people are willing to pay $4 for coffee to begin with, then what's another 9 cents?

Awesome! Now I can pay 6 or 7 dollars for a Frappuccino!

@Nero Diavolo:

I was just kidding and supporting the debate...I never drink straight cups of coffee from anywhere but home and Frappuccino's are the only thing I buy from Starbucks if I'm there.

I announced today that I've increased my resistance to Starbucks!

Why are there so many headlines about this in mainstream media? I understand why the Consumerist posted it because Meghan is right - there's nothing as entertaining as a Starbucks debate - but why does the AP, etc. care?

Starbucks can raise prices. You have to either buck up and pay it or make your own damn coffee. It's not news, is it?

You called it, meghann

There's actually a good reason that Starbucks over-roasts their coffee, its a lot easier to get a consistant cup of coffee by taking your roasting process beyond city roast.

That is to say, its notoriously hard to get a consistant, even 'light' roast that doesn't come out tasting acidic and grassy... just as its notoriously hard to get consistant, even 'dark' roast that doesn't come out tasting like cinders. The very hardest roasts are still the middle, because coffee 'roasts' as the moisture in the beans is driven out by the heat, its like trying to get sugar to the right stage to make a certain type of candy... only harder, because while molten sugar is a liquid, which has the same temperature throughout its volume, coffee beans are a great insulator, they have to be carefully rotated and moved as they roast, and mere seconds can be the difference between two very distint roasts (and to -totally- different flavors). They choose to 'overshoot' a city roast, because its honestly easier to roast a wide variety of coffee to that perticular point on the scale because the roasting process slows down between city and french roasts (and a wide variety of coffee beans taste 'decent' when roasted to the level that we shall now refer to as 'Starbucks').

The lesson is? Starbucks roasts their coffee to "Starbucks Roast" because a wide variety of beans are passable at this level of roasting, its easy to do, and that means you can create tonnes of "premium" coffee for next to nothing. (Just like you can make a whole tonne of frappucino's for next to nothing, if you use powderred coffee instead of espresso)

And when you're after the all mighty $ signs, consistancy matters a lot more than flavor, I've had a 'good' six shot latte at my local coffee shop... smooth, acrid, sweet, but anything but bitter. At Starbucks, I won't even -drink- anything other than a short mocha (hint, its not even on the menu).

@shoegazer:

You do realize that light roasts have more caffeine in them?

Caffeine is actually destroyed by the intense heat during the roasting process, the longer and darker the roast, the less caffeine it contains. A light roasted coffee has a much better chance of waking you up in the morning than a dark roast does, unless you're counting on the hideous flavor and much clawing at your own face and cursing the coffee gods to be a 'wakeup call'.

That's less than inflation. No news here unless you're going to post every price that ever goes up 3-4% each year.

Yay for spending more on burnt tar.

Peet's por vida!

Although in typical "industry fashion" I'm sure Peet's will raise thier prices within the month...

These days, at 28 years old, all coffee tastes like burnt crap. I can't drink it anyway w/o getting terrible heart burn, so I'm good.

On a related note, anybody that thinks paying 2.95 for a 22 page comic book is too much money probably spend 20 bucks a week on coffee drinks.

@buk-was-right:

Doubt it, prices there are already pretty much in line with what (now) the 'buck charges.

and for people saying that "its not burnt, its dark" at big green, go taste a cup of peet's, that is dark coffee.

I've never cared for Starbucks. They over-roast the beans and cheapen the mix up with cheap Brazilian beans. I can get a better and much cheaper cup of coffee made of pure beans from Columbia at any corner store. Now if Dunkin Donuts was raising their prices... Oh yeah. I've just moved to a state where the local donut shops ran them out of business. So that would be a moot point too.

tea ftw

coffee is overrated

i like Krispy kreme koffee, and mcdonald's new coffee is A-OK too. I admit i notice no difference in darkness between starbucks' "medium" and "bold" roasts. But i'll take 'bucks' coffee any day over risking some crap coffee somewhere that's been sitting in an unwashed glass pot on a burner for 3 hours.

starbucks at least provides consistency, whether you are fond or not of their flavor profile is a matter of opinion.

Burnt, not-burnt, who cares? Either way, Starbucks is just too damned expensive. People, roast your own coffee. It is so much cheaper, so much tastier, and by grinding your own beans you're getting it fresh, to boot. You don't have to be a coffee connoisseur or buy an expensive coffee maker to make your own coffee. Plus, you get morning coffee aroma in your home--it's a no-brainer. Oh, and if portability is a concern, buy a stainless steel thermos (a big-ass Stanley if you want one to last you through the day) and you're good to go.

Once again, say good-bye to Starbucks and brew your own coffee!

@BII:

Yer darn tootin' it is.

But it's a dark rich thick cup... not dark charred and bitter.

I like it much better, but then again, they used to sign my paycheck so maybe I'm just a tad biased...

@silenuswise:
You will like this.
[youtube.com]
Learn the truth about what makes great coffee from my personal Food Jesus, Alton Brown.

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

@silenuswise: "Roast your own coffee"
Really? Wouldn't it be better to just brew it yourself? I've seen some DIY coffee roaster setups out there (I think they used a popcorn popper), but I wouldn't even know where to buy unroasted coffee.

@notallcompaniesarebad: Whoops, I'm an idiot--I meant brew, not roast. Plenty of coffee experts can probably roast their own, too, but I'm not at that level. I'm just a regular ol' Joe (pun intended) who brews his own.

gotta laugh when a liberal comany has to raise prices to make a profit. totally goes against everything liberals are about.

What makes Starbucks a liberal company? Because they're headquartered in Seattle?

Also, who says making a profit is against what Liberals are about. I don't think its profit in and of itself that liberals protest, its profit that comes at the cost of common good.

Best coffee: Dunkin Donuts, Krispey Kreme, McDonalds, and Seattle's Best.

This seems like a ripoff for those of us who take our coffee black.

Eventually there's got to be a breaking point. It's crazy that two coffee drinks can pretty much eat up a $10 bill.

Let's all quit going Starbucks. Who's with me?

KBOMB, the liberal slogans printed on their cups, their providing health insurance for all employees and bitching about the cost, etc.

all profit comes at the cost of common good, and making a profit is exploiting people.

@Squeezer99: I wouldn't say Starbucks is liberal. I would say that they masquerade as whatever will make them the "coolest" at the moment. Yay, Capitalism! It eliminates the need for any pesky morals or beliefs.

@Toof_75_75:
I wasn't like, putting ya down or anything...I drink Starbucks once in a blue moon. I ain't paying over $5 for a fuckin coffee.

@Toof_75_75: Me too. I never patronized FourBucks until I discovered highly caffeinated, overpriced milkshakes.

SQUEESER99,

Actually, this goes right along with liberalism since only "rich" people buy Starbucks. Starbucks can then raise their prices as a form of taxation and then give the money to their causes, which they do.

I do agree with HEYHERMANO that Starbucks does do whatevever they think is cool at the time.

I'll keep buying remarkably overpriced coffee from Starbucks if they offer to increase the quantity of cup quotes percieved as "anti-christianity" by our nations heroic religious zealots.

Dunkin' has better coffee anyway. It's cheaper, too. And when you go to Dunkin' Donuts to order a beverage, you don't get bombarded with made-up foreign languages when you try to indicate what size you want!

My girlfriend works for Starbucks and I generally prefer the taste of Dunkin Donuts Coffee. Still I support the company and the prices. They seem extremely high, but the reality is that you are paying more for a reason.

They pay 36% more per pound than average. They are also the largest purchaser of free-trade coffee in North America.

The cost of tea and coffee is very different at starbucks and dunnkin donuts -at least here in the Boston area. Also you can get a refill of either for 53 cents here.

The really expensive drinks are the frappuccinos. Which are pricey, but not much different than the price of a real (not fast food) milkshake.

It's pretty obvious why prices are being increased right now. People who drink coffee use milk and creme, dairy is going through a price hike... Or maybe it's just a copout to raise the price, who knows?

Either way Stabrucks is a responsible and reputable company that stands out in the crowd compared to others who don't take any focus on social issues. Starbucks hires people to find and recycle their cups from the trash. They sell products that go towards all sorts of causes. Whatever motivation they have they're still doing something better than most.

If anything Starbucks should be faulted for taking out smaller companies, unfortunately that's pretty standard business for most corporations.

A piece of trivia about starbucks abroad: they failed and had to close all branches in Israel. Israelis were apparently not willing to pay for take out coffee (they can just brew their own), and the sit-down areas and food selection weren't as large as in local coffee places. On the other hand the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (great chain, for those familiar with it on the west coast) is doing good business there.

At least one Israeli coffee chain ("Aroma") is now actually in the US. I had their coffee and great sandwiches in NYC's lower east side and it was great.

"Yes, I'd like two mocha-frapa-latte-chinos"
"Ok, that'll be $64.95, would you like to take out a loan for that coffee?"

I recently had the misfortune of trying Starbucks plain black coffee the other day. It was the NASTIEST cup of coffee I have ever had in my life--I have had better swill from McDonald's!

If you want to make good espresso drinks at home on the cheap, buy an Aerobie Aeropress. It's $35 and can make a cup of coffee fast. My typical daily cup of coffee is made from the cheapest pre-ground espresso at the supermarket. It's Cafe Bustello, $3.50 for about 12 oz, a steal compared to the $8/12oz Starbucks coffee. The Aeropress makes the coffee smooth enough that I don't mind the bitterness. Plus, when made as Cafe au Lait, my favorite drink, it stands up better to the milk than Starbucks does. Starbucks coffee is good, but not worth the expense. Plus, I find it to be watery and burnt at the same time unless it is mixed into a sugar and cream laden drink, where it is merely a backup flavor.

@HeyHermano: The duality you make--buy Starbucks or make your own--is sadly true.

I've noticed with recent Consumerist posts that you are perfectly happy to discuss these conglomorate corporations without self-awareness or apparent irony. You encourage a culture that celebrates monopolies in the name of consumer protection. I wonder how someone like Franklin D. Roosevelt would perceive aggressive multinational corporations like McDonalds, Starbucks, and Wal Mart?

Has anyone heard of a Keurig before? I suggest you look into it. ;) Make a quickie coffee on the go without paying an arm and a leg and without that oh so familiar burnt flavor. Did I mention you don't wash anything except for a tiny dripper once a month? It's coffee for the impatient and lazy! Suits me great. ^_^

I love Starbucks. It may be excessively over priced, but if you want the product (and lots of people do), then you will shell out the coin.

@lorddave: Capt Picard FTW! lol