Only a few months after replacing their “bolder” (some would say “burnt”) varieties of brewed coffee with the more “mild” (some would say “dunkin donuts-esque”) Pike Place Roast, Starbucks has announced that due to popular demand, they’ll be brewing some of the old stuff too.
The Wall Street Journal tells us:
“Because of your many requests for a bolder coffee choice throughout the day at Starbucks, we are bringing it back in the afternoon to many of those stores that sell lots of freshly brewed coffee all day long,” Starbucks said in a message posted on its customer feedback Web site Tuesday. The company said it will brew a bolder variety for customers when they ask for it. “This will sometimes mean a small wait, but it will also give you the absolute freshest cup of coffee possible,” the company said on the site.
Starbucks Restores Bold Blend, Yielding to Its Customers [WSJ]
(Photo: satosphere )
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It’s nice if they’re really paying attention to customer demand, but my theory is that Pike’s was just what came out after they serviced their broken, flame-belching, screwed machines. Now that the machines have made a few thousand pots, the temp controls are screwed again and they’re spewing out the charred junk. Time for a press release.
If only they could tell the difference between sock-water, strong, and twice-blackened antifreeze.
Even so, I’m not above a cup every month or so when I’m short on time.
It seemed odd to me that they were going to essentially do away with the old and replace it with the new…and now the same thing, in reverse. Obviously with as many patrons as Starbucks gets, there’s going to be a variety of preference. I wonder if at least some of the larger stores couldn’t have both available all day? I see other places that have four or five different brews, like Noah’s Bagels with their New-York-neighborhood-named coffees.
Hmm, I want the Starbucks in San Francisco (all 4565897 of them) to name their coffees after our neighborhoods! The lighter Pike Place Roast could be the Marina and the “burnt” roast could be my lovely ‘hood, the Tenderloin.
@spryte: They could only call it Tenderloin if the barrista sprinkled Crystal Meth over the froth.
Hey if Starbucks people want their burnt coffee, let them drink burnt. I can’t stomach drinking their dark water that tastes like caca but if the market has spoken, let them be heard.
I am also from nashville – can I get a woot for Fido and Bongo.
@Trai_Dep: Hey now, people already think Starbucks is too expensive!
Translation: Pikes Peak Roast is a flop.
Pike Place. Whatever its name is.
UGH! Thank goodness they came to their senses. I, too wrote and complained to many barista about this truck-stop coffee they were putting on the street. I too have suffered through the pain of resistant baristas to my request for a brewed Verona, making sure I was vocal about the whole Puke’s Place fiasco. Many baristas tried to put lipstick on the pig, but eventually some caved admitting to the change hasn’t been for the better…
@sean77: I didn’t think D&D was a bad way to truncate. If they used DD, some adult site blocking software may get triggered. :p
@Doug Nelson: I still have tears in my eyes from laughing at your post!
To those who love to bash Starbucks:
You have your favorite beverage, I have mine. Don’t like Starbucks? Don’t go – your opinions about what I pay for my favorite beverage mean nothing. There are plenty of Indies and other coffee outfits that reaped benefit from Starbucks’ faux-pas, but the sad fact is that their offerings are not always easily found. Many areas Starbucks serve don’t necessarily have an independent or even the ‘Me Too’ Coffee chains to choose from, and Starbucks provides me with what I want in a strange place when I travel – which is a lot.
I’m a latte person, but I’ll give it a shot.
*sigh* guess i’ll have to drink the burnt stuff. oh wait, i never did…
@michaelleung: Pun not intended.
One strange thing is that starbucks employees, all of whom seem to carry grossly misinformed coffee knowledge, seem to believe unflinchingly that the burnt roasts are the best. They’re told in “tastings” that the coffee is not bitter despite the research that shows several bitter chemicals that come out during roasting. It’s all just so weird.
I’ve heard a theory that they overroast the beans to achieve consistency throughout their market (the entire world).
So basically this is New Coke all over again.
They really need to step up their game. Mcdonalds has really upped the ante with their new cups that no longer suck, in fact they are equal or superior to starbucks in drinkability while driving. No burnt coffee taste, and no long waits. Tends to be cheaper, and you don’t even have to get out of your car. I used to buy starbucks all the time but i just haven’t gone back recently. Frankly i’m not sure i could stomach their burnt taste anymore, i’m used to milder stuff now.
As usual, a company claims it is “addressing customer concerns” while attacking an issue that isn’t the cause of their problems (not does it admit caused the problem itself).
Drawbacks is still overpriced, and they are still cutting back on how much coffee you get in cups. All in the name of shareholders’ dividends.