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Starbucks Coffee, Is it really good coffee

Is the Coffee from Starbucks good coffee?

  • Total voters
    149
macartistkel said:
Daveman, thanks for recommending some of the good coffee places! I might be actually heading down south tomorrow for the first time since I moved to Oregon to finally visit Crater Lake before it is all snowy again. I haven't looked at MapQuest yet to see if I will be passing by that town---I did hear there is a lot of beautiful country but not many cities or people on the way! I am just super excited to SEE that huge volcano! :)
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I've made the drive a number of times, though I've only been to Crater Lake once. I need to go again. Stay the night if you can, there is this really wonderful hotel that you can stay at. It's almost like living at a dorm, only it's not craptacular. Very cozy, lots of nice friendly touches.

You definitely won't pass by Corvallis if you stick to I-5. Like I said, it's about ten minutes off of I-5. If you feel like stopping by, though, you should. It's a nice town. Exit 228. Second, third, and fourth streets are definitely the place to go if you want to grab a bite to eat. If you want to go to the Beanery, take a left on Second Street at the foot of the bridge that you would come in to town on. It's the first light after the bridge. Drive most of the way down second street, to where it becomes a two-way street again. Second & Washington. If you decide to stop by, feel free to send me a PM and maybe we can meet up. It's always interesting to meet new people.
 
Sesshi said:
I like Frappucino.
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I like that too, but i tasted it in Lavazza

Naimfan said:
I've not read this whole thread, so apologies if this has already been covered.

There is always going to be a subjective element to a discussion of this, or wine, or stereo gear, or cars, etc.

In general, Starbucks (slightly) over-roasts their beans to get a stronger flavor. Similar reason McDonalds used to keep their coffee at ~190 degrees. Take a look at how dark their roasted beans are compared to smaller coffee places like Peaberry Coffee or Ink Coffee in Colorado, or Peets, etc. The other problem Starbucks has is that its source material--the raw beans--are not the best. It has to buy such a high volume of beans that the beans they buy are not, on average, the best beans available.

Because it is over-roasted, it provides a stronger flavor, with a "stronger" coffee flavor that so many people equated with "better." In the grand scheme of things, it is competent and consistent, though far from providing a great coffee experience. IMO, etc. What is missing is the subtlety and complexity of a truly great coffee--a true Jamaica Blue Mountain, or Yauco Selecto (sadly no longer available due to the plantation being destroyed in a hurricane).

So to offer a question to the thread title: No. But neither is it terrible. I think the best I can say is that it is competent, consistent, and widely available. And I don't mean to damn with faint praise, either--like it or not, Starbucks is largely responsible for bringing coffee and coffee-based drinks to a MUCH wider range of people, and the social interactions at their stores shouldn't be overlooked either.
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That's a really good explanation, now i understand what everybody means with burnt coffee.

Daveman Deluxe said:
macartistkel: Drive south on I-5 for about an hour and twenty minutes, then west on Highway 34 for about ten and you'll be in Corvallis. I love Stumptown coffee, but I really don't go there because I don't like the atmosphere. I find the furniture uncomfortable and the décor is so spartan that I just don't feel comfortable there. I usually go to the coffee shop in Powell's, or, sadly, to the Starbucks in Pioneer Courthouse Square.

If you ever do happen to come to Corvallis, look for The Beanery or Interzone. Best damn coffee in Corvallis. The downtown Beanery is where all the old hippies hang out; the Interzone (near OSU's campus, two blocks from my place) is where all the young hippies hang out. :p
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If i ever go to America i will try to stop by..

CanadaRAM said:
As mentioned by others, I also don't like the over-roasted Starbucks style.

And they make a big business out of selling flavoured coffees that are just evil on the waistline -- some of these have 500 or more calories. Those aren't coffee, people, these are liquid candy bars.
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:p liquid candybars. so much calories!!

Bluemusic said:
Starbucks and Apple, Beautiful combination.....:apple: FTW
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I agree
 
I don't think I've ever had a cup of coffee in my (still young) life, but I love tea. Starbucks serves Tazo tea, which, if just ordering plain hot, it is nothing special. Chai Tea lattes are rather good, but it's hard to tell that it's tea. Their iced teas are also alright.

I think it's better than Seattle's Best or Caribou, but it's hard to find a truly good cup of tea that you haven't brewed yourself.
 
Starbucks is puke but the ones in the centre of London, those inside a Borders/ Books etc, are good for meeting up with the g/f. Can sit and read the magazines that I wouldn't normally buy ;)

As you're in Antwerp try

Caffènation
Hopland 46

It's supposed to be very good.

Those in London might like to try Flat White on Berwick St. There's anotherplace at the top of Snow + Rock in Covent Garden but the name escapes me.

Why are all decent London coffee shops run or staffed by Antipodeans? :confused:
 
In the eastern third of the US, Dunkin Donuts has seemingly far more shops than Starbucks. Considering they are mostly condensed to this area, it makes sense. Starbucks has like 14,000 worldwide, DDs has about 5500.

I far prefer Dunks over Starbucks. They actually have good regular coffee.
 
Nickygoat said:
Starbucks is puke but the ones in the centre of London, those inside a Borders/ Books etc, are good for meeting up with the g/f. Can sit and read the magazines that I wouldn't normally buy ;)

As you're in Antwerp try

Caffènation
Hopland 46

It's supposed to be very good.

Those in London might like to try Flat White on Berwick St. There's anotherplace at the top of Snow + Rock in Covent Garden but the name escapes me.

Why are all decent London coffee shops run or staffed by Antipodeans? :confused:
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I don't really know that café i will try it one day, but i really live in the neighbourhood, with the bike from my place it's 3min. to that café!

decksnap said:
In the eastern third of the US, Dunkin Donuts has seemingly far more shops than Starbucks. Considering they are mostly condensed to this area, it makes sense. Starbucks has like 14,000 worldwide, DDs has about 5500.

I far prefer Dunks over Starbucks. They actually have good regular coffee.
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Wow! alot of shops!
 
CalBoy said:
Now now, we both know Americans can't brew tea; that talent is only held by the Britons and their former colonial servants of the Far East;)
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HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!

I'm Chinese and I know how to properly brew tea in a procelain pot (after all, the Chinese know about tea more than anyone else on Earth, no contest). I better because I have Ti Kuan Yin tea in my collection that costs US$60/pound. :eek:
 
mkrishnan said:
Starbucks is like any other mid-price chain... like Chilli's or Bennigan's or Macaroni Grill or whatever.
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I know I jumped in late on this but I have to say you have just lost any and all credibility. Chili's is no where near the level of quality of Macaroni Grill. Plus Macaroni Grill is AMAZING. They could easily chare double the price they do, and still get people to pay it, it is that good. How dare you compare them to Chilis. :eek:;)

on Topic, I like starbucks coffe, but I wouldn't know what great coffee from a hill of beans really.
 
Daveman Deluxe said:
Naimfam: Starbucks over-roasts their beans to mask inconsistencies from batch to batch. They actually buy some of the highest-quality beans available, considering the volume that they buy in. It's sort of like the way that McDonalds gets the best ground meat available from the large meat-packing outfits--but it's still not as good as local grass-fed Angus. That said, Starbucks' Black Apron Exclusives are far better than their standard fare--they're usually less roasted, and come from single farms. This is the same reason that I like Stumptown's beans so much--they all come from individual farms and the roasters REALLY know what they're doing. In fact, the owners of Stumptown's actually travel to the farms that they're considering buying from before agreeing to buy their beans. It's very impressive. They know most of their farmers personally, and buy directly. It's a fair trade thing.
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You are a very wise man. Or woman. But since you're Daveman Deluxe, I'd assume you're a man.

When I working as a barista – it was at a nonprofit coffee shop/concert hall, which people actually liked to refer to as "the nonprofit version of Starbucks" (minus the ordinary coffee) – we had a close partnership with our roaster, who was also a nonprofit organization. They work personally with the Ethiopian farmers (frequently traveling to visit them) to help grow, and buy, the best single-origin coffee you can get your hands on... plus, as a nonprofit it was their entire mission to encourage sustainable living among the farmers and their communities, so this was well above and beyond "fair trade".

I have to say, not only was it the best darn coffee experience I've had (*warm fuzzy feelings inside* every time you drink their coffee), but their coffee was par-excellence, mainly because of the personal relationship with the roaster, and by extension the farmers. Relationships were key.

If you're really after good coffee, I do believe it has far more to do with the roaster than it does with the people behind the counter making it. If the roaster knows what they're doing, and cares about what they're doing, then you're almost inevitably going to always get a better cup.
 
decksnap said:
I far prefer Dunks over Starbucks. They actually have good regular coffee.
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Agreed. They used to have a branch on Villiers street in London and the filter coffee was very drinkable, much better than Starbucks could manage at a quarter of the price. It went downhill when they installed those wretched espresso machines; the coffee became awful and the price rocketed. Bye bye Dunkin' Donuts, no longer in London.
 
CalBoy said:
Now now, we both know Americans can't brew tea; that talent is only held by the Britons and their former colonial servants of the Far East;)
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Ummm, Japan was never ruled by England. Are you saying that we Japanese know nothing about tea? :D

decksnap said:
In the eastern third of the US, Dunkin Donuts has seemingly far more shops than Starbucks. Considering they are mostly condensed to this area, it makes sense. Starbucks has like 14,000 worldwide, DDs has about 5500.

I far prefer Dunks over Starbucks. They actually have good regular coffee.
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Locally, Starbucks within Borders book stores have converted to Seattle's Best Coffee, which was consumed by Starbucks. Are those in that count, also?

zioxide said:
lol generic chain italian food.

If you really think that Macaroni Grill has "amazing" food then I feel bad for you. Go and try some real Italian.
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I've had the real Italian food at places in the northeast where the people don't speak English and I still say that Romano's Macaroni Grill is better than average. Bertucci's isn't bad either. Compared to places like Olive Garden and Fazoli's, etc, they're amazing. ;)
 
bousozoku said:
Ummm, Japan was never ruled by England. Are you saying that we Japanese know nothing about tea? :D
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Forgive me. We'll amend the list so it reads as follows: Britons, Indians, Japanese, and for safe measure, Chinese. If any other tea brewing civilization has issues with this, feel free to amend the list:p
 
Starbucks is freaking amazing! I dont think I go a day with out stopping by ATLEAST 1 Starbucks. Yet somehow, I'm still only 100 lbs. and 5'2". Maybe the caffine stunted my growth! lol. :rolleyes: :apple:
 
zioxide said:
think of how much money you wasted. you could buy like a 30'' display for your mac pro
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You could probably buy a MacPro every month or so if you didn't eat, too, but then you'd be dead, so you couldn't use your Mac Pro. Oh, I know, it's a connundrum, but don't you worry about it; I'll tackle that one.


:rolleyes:
 
Ahem.

OK, I worked for these charlatans so here's my opinion:

1. Their espresso coffees are huge, weak as piss and filled full of sugary syrups. One shot in a cup the size of their "tall" (which is the standard dose) is pathetic - that cup is so big that two or even three shots would be more appropriate. The short cup is more appropriate for a cappuccino (a cap should be no more than about 5 to 6 ounces in the US parlance with a one ounce shot of espresso - Starbucks put one ounce of coffee in a 12 ounce cup which is ridiculous) and tastes much better.

2. I hate drip coffee so there's nothing I'm gonna say about that.

We're not big fans of the chain coffee stores down here, the huge Italian influence in our culture has lead to some fantastic independent cafés and some very discerning clientele - the chains just can't make a coffee that makes you go "wow" as soon as you taste it.
 
i like their frapps and their white choc. mocha other then that. Never really tried anything else
 
some of the coffee is reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally stong:mad::confused::eek:
delocator.gif
but love Vanilla bean frappinchino dont know why iPut the photo but it is really funny :eek:
 
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