Starbucks Imperialism

[Zardnaar]

Starbucks is crap and I won't go back there. The food was overpriced and average and even McD's cafe makes better drinks for cheaper. Alot of the local cafes are better anyway.

 

[Rik Meleet]

For the UK CFC OT meet up, I checked out Starbucks. It turned out there were 0 Starbucks in The Netherlands.

That we have invented Senseo, might be a reason; I don't know.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

Starbucks are ubiquitous in Japan aswell. Though I don't drink coffee, and I don't much care for the mass produced feel of the place, one rather huge advantage of going to starbucks is that they're one of the few no-smoking establishments in Japan.

 

[Shaihulud]

I rather like Starbucks, but seldom drink there. The prices are just too high for me to justify drinking them, especially when a normal mug of coffee is sold around for 80c!

 

[The Yankee]

I don't care about the prominence of Starbucks really. Okay, it's annoying to find them every block and a half downtown, but that's just for looks. I've never gotten anything hot from Starbucks...iced coffees a couple times very early in the morning before an early morning class, and sometimes the iced bottled coffees sold in some delis around here. Their ice cream is very good and I bought those as well (and they were strangely a dollar cheaper in the quarts than the other ice creams).

But I suppose people enjoy it enough to support it all. And those long names are only byproducts of the things they offer...choice is a good thing, no?

 

[bhsup]

Their ice cream is very good and I bought those as well (and they were strangely a dollar cheaper in the quarts than the other ice creams).

Heh! My cousin from Rhode Island was visiting here and was disgusted at our coffee selection. She said she ordered ice coffee from a local restaurant and they just looked at her funny. After she explained it, she was given a mug of coffee which had ice put in it then coffee poured over it. Just to make her happy, I tried a cup of ice coffee when travelling to New York last year and I have to say it's about the worst stuff I've ever had.

Give me Wal-Mart bought Millstone brand 100% Colombian (yes, I support Juan Valdez!) coffee beans that I grind up every morning. Starbucks ain't got nuttin on that!

 

[The Yankee]

I'll agree that ground beans (whether bought and then ground or even your usual Colombian ground coffee from the supermarket) is quite good. Though for my sake, I don't want to wait around putting a pot of coffee in the freezer or even in just the fridge and adding ice later if I wanted ice coffee.

Whoever dumped ice into hot coffee had to have been crazy. You'd just end up with watery, cool or lukewarm coffee.

Not sure where you went in New York. If it was from one of the many vendors on the streets, then quality varies sometimes. If it was in some kind of deli, even a fancier one...well...I suppose you missed the target. Some are good, some are not. Just have to find what you're looking for, even in this large expansive city of mine.

 

[Truronian]

I like the choice Starbucks presents. I wouldn't go there for a regular coffee, but if I fancy an iced caramel machiatto there is not anywahere else that'll do it. Unfortunately we do not have a Starbucks in Cornwall, so I ony go when up country.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I like the choice Starbucks presents. I wouldn't go there for a regular coffee, but if I fancy an iced caramel machiatto there is not anywahere else that'll do it.

The café at the local shopping palace does that.

 

[Truronian]

The café at the local shopping palace does that.

Ok then... I've never found anywhere else that does that. Iced coffee is uncommon in the UK.

 

[Urederra]

Whoever dumped ice into hot coffee had to have been crazy. You'd just end up with watery, cool or lukewarm coffee.

I am tempted to shout "ad hominem attack", but then in this case I would have to agree with C~G when he says that It makes me look stupid. (and that would make Lambert angry, so I won't do It), I realise it is figurative speaking in this case. (please. Mr. Moderator, take it as a joke )

I must be the the oddest person in the world, I like ice coffee. (And I like 'la sagrada familia" but I didn't want so say so in the other thread)

If you take coffee out of a percolator and dump it over ice it tastes horrible, that is for granted (If there is something for granted in question of taste) The trick is to use very concentrated expresso coffee, add a couple of teaspoon full of sugar, dissolve the sugar, and then, dump it over crushed ice. Since you start with very concentrated coffee it doesn't get that watery.

As for the Starbuck thing. I, for once , agree with the majority. I only have been in a Starbuck shop 4 or 5 times (including once in Hawaii ), and I think only once asked for a coffee, it is overpriced, IMHO. I ordered chocolate for the rest of the times, and although pricy, I don't feel so bad paying 3 quids for a plastic glass full of chocolate, or at least not as bad as going with my friends and not ordering anything.

My impression is that in most places in the USA prepare coffee with boiling water and passing it through a percolator with the grounded beans over it, whereas Starbuck makes coffee the italian way, espresso. (That is my impression, please correct me if it is not the case). So, since espresso coffee tastes better, (IMHO) and there are not many places in the USA where they prepare it that way, people prefer to pay big bucks for a good espresso coffee rather than paying less for the percolator thing.

Seems that is not the case in other countries, I can speak about Spain, and almost all the bars have an espresso coffee machine, so the supply of good coffee is already covered, and the price is affordable (around 1 euro, IIRC, $1.20. The few Starbucks shops opened over there don't seem to be very popular because the coffee is overpriced and the taste is not very different from the one you ordered in a normal bar.

That could happen also in other countries in Europe, an maybe in Canada as well.

Does it sound plausible?

(I just cannot believe nobody used the smilie yet)

 

[The Last Conformist]

It should perhaps be noted that the horde of cash-strapped youths and students that frequent this place isn't really Starbucks's target market segment: they're aiming at trendsy professionals for whom $4 is a forgetable expense.

 

[Wolfe Tone]

There are a few Starbucks around Belfast, but they are a number of other cafes and they all appear to be doing fairly well. What really seems to be domintating is the amount of Subway restaurants, there's one on nearly every street.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Recently I visited a Barnes and Nobles with a friend, and was literally dragged to the Starbucks counter and forced against my will to consume a cup of coffee. I finally only agreed to avoid a scene. This guy thinks Starbucks is the greatest thing since sliced bread. "Isnt it great coffee? You like it right? Right?" I was like, for chrissakes get a friggin life

I grind my own beans and the coffee I make at home is a million times better.

 

[Olorin0222]

At least in the area of the country I'm in, the Starbucks I work at gets a fair chunk of its revenue from soccer moms.

BTW, are there any other Starbucks employees on these forums besides me?

 

[YNCS]

Latte means "$4 cup of coffee."

 

[Dann]

Starbucks has OK coffee, and usually a great place and atmosphere. But it's ridiculously expensive, and I'll have to be insane before I go there for my regular fix. Give me the corner kopitiam anyday! (Gawd I miss those. Can't find them in here in China. The closest I get is the Hongkong style cha-chan-ting. And their coffee is nowhere as thick as the kopitiam's. Or as cheap.)

I go to Starbucks only when meeting clients. For "image projection".

 

[sysyphus]

I like their Tazo Chai, it's pretty tasty.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

At this point in time Starbucks seems like an empire. At my local mall there was a small privately-owned coffee shop. A nice place, not too busy. And then the cafe went out of business. A few months later it came back as a --
Starbucks.
So many places are now being taken over by Starbucks. Aren't you tired of saying "Grande Decaf Vanilla Mocha Latte with Whipped Cream"? Even though I don't drink coffee because I'm 12, I think the names are pretty long.

Who gives a crap that Starbucks took over coffee shops? Starbucks coffee is usually better than the local shops anyway, and cheaper!

 

[classical_hero]

I haven't seen one around my parts but thankfully I will never go to Starbucks because I drink tea, even if they do make teas or hot Chocolates. why? Because I can get better quality for less and I prefer not paying for a brand.

EDIT. What is big in Australia are Juice Bars. The one that I generally go to is called Boost and they make a variety of smoothies and juices for you and they are delicious but they are quite expensive which is why I do not have them often. They generally cost about 5 dollars for a smoothie.