Did you return it to the barista and tell them about it? I would ask for a better shot or some other coffee. I have done that with success at Starbucks on the rare occasion they screw up.

Sorry to the ‘bucks if my granddaughter and I have ruined the entire chain in the cool and hip world of scum1.

It sounds as if you must’ve had a really bad day and maybe just needed to go home and get some shut eye instead of a late night caffeine fix…..or maybe the poor barista was having the same kind of evening, or was new, or the machine was having problems???? Nevertheless, it happens everywhere and sure i’ve had some bad experiences at Starbucks,too,but you must admit..you are basically going to get the same product whether your in Boise or NYC..its all about consistency, and that’s what Starbucks is….

No insult towards Grandmas but last time I checked they were not hip or cool lol. It’s just that Grandmas and little kids do not increase the hipness of anything. I’m sure I don’t increase the hipness either. It’s like the Ipod. It might have been cool at one time but once everyones parents and Grandparents got one then it was no longer cool. I never thought Starbucks was cool. It’s like saying McDonalds is cool or Walmart is cool. Cool is an independent store not a conglomerate. I don’t make the cool/hip rules the teens and 20 somethings do.

If you want real coffee then Timmy Horton’s is the way to go!

Hi Fiend,

Its really hard to explain to the people who don’t know what they are drinking what good coffee tastes like. On the Campus where i work there is a starbucks which everyone frequents, except a couple deviants like myself. I finally pulled one of my coworkers over to a much smaller coffee stand two block away, where the fine gentleman actually roasts his own beans every morning and makes a new pot every 15 mins, even if the other isn’t quite done.

after some heavy word of mouth advertising that stand now has a line 20 people deep in the morning. Once people take note of what they are drinking and taste the real deal starbucks is ruined.

We need a really good espresso place around here and i’ll be set.

I’ve said it before but keep up the good work, i love coming here for infotainment and news for my podcast. Good stuff as always

Alright. Take a deep breath.

First of all: it’s…just…coffee; a drink; a beverando; not the-end-of-the-world.

Now that that’s out of the way, this is definitely one of those “‘bucks haters” kind of blog, which bothers me.

Yes, I do work at Starbucks, I’ve been a partner for a year.

No, I am not a corporate slave or a brain-washed space monkey or against local coffee shops.

In fact, I used to be anti-Starbucks! I worked for a year at a local coffee shop with three small locations in my hometown. I talked as much crap about Starbucks as I could, to anyone who would listen. “Oh, they BURN their coffee…and they make so much money and where is it going, besides the CEO’s pocket?!…they have AUTOMATIC machines that do everything for them, from pulling consistant shots to STEAMING THE MILK, while I actually tamp the shot myself and manually steam the milk!…blah blah blah.”

The truth? Starbucks isn’t an evil corporation that is planning on taking over the world and rule over all. This gereral assumption is so melodramatic, and everytime I hear someone say something along those lines, I have flashbacks to high school…remember? When Meghan ‘n’ Britney ‘n’ Jenny would totally, like, start this rumor about Kelly’s boyfriend, and omigod did you see Mark the other day??

I’m going to (sort of) try to make this sweet and simple…or bitter and short.

Do you ever wonder why Starbucks is a multi-billion dollar corporation? (Try not to cringe at the word…just pretend I’m saying something pleasant.) Call me insane, but it might just have to do with the service; the people that go to Starbucks on their way to or from work everyday (myself included, every morning at 5:30 AM on my way to my second job) keep going because they want to. Weird, right? Why do we choose one grocery store over another, even drive out of our way to a market we like better, when another is just two minutes away? Why do we prefer one brand or type or color or style over others? We all have our likes and dislikes, and it just so happens that millions of people all over the world like to get their coffee at Starbucks.

I am definitely not alone in thinking Starbucks is pricey, especially after the price of milk went up late 2007 (anyone beside myself notice that other coffee shops raised their prices as well? Oh, oh, or that the economy is slowly going to crap and that EVERYTHING is getting more expensive?). However, I’d rather pay more and receive BETTER service and a cup of coffee made by specially-trained employees with quality products and a machine that pulls consistant shots and ensures that the milk isn’t burnt, but steamed to a perfect coffee-sipping temperature.

On most of my nights off, I go to this 24-hour cafe located above one of my favorite haunts, a hookah bar. This cafe is full of mismatched tables and chairs holding tired-looking college students on their laptops and third cups, punked-out “boys and girls” playing guitar on the patio and sharing smokes, and myself, sitting curled up on a couch that is probably older than Jesus (I tried to avoid bringing religion into it….) with one hand curled around a pen and the other a coffee cup. I love this place; it is always what I want it to be, whether a place with enough white-noise to write, or one of quiet murmurs that allow me to concentrate on a book. I would most likely not be able to do this in a Starbucks. Starbucks is too clean and snappy for that kind of thing; but it does make an ideal place to grab a coffee and a snack without having to fear killer-dust-bunnies in the dark corners.

I apologize, I’m rambling; it would probably be better to post this is on my Xanga or something.

The thing that I don’t understand, is how you can even enjoy the taste of straight, 180 degree espresso? I always work the closing shift, and one of the Shift Supervisors and I will keep two for-here cups nearby so that every few hours we can drink a triple espresso and pray that it goes straight to the bloodstream. I have to add something to mine, usually a splash of non-fat milk or a single pump of caramel; this particular Shift always makes a big show of how he drinks it plain and straight, mainly to prove the degree of his “toughness.” After a few seconds of silence as we gulp them down, I always turn to see that he is sporting a sour face, his lips puckered up from the bitter shots.

Yes, espresso has “caramel undertones” (that sounds straight out of our Front-Of-House Manuals), and the crema is beautiful etc etc, but espresso is not supposed to be even remotely sweet-tasting, unless you down gallons of toilet cleaner before hand…all day. I enjoy black coffee, however, but espresso is incredibly concentrated and natually STRONG.

Question to the Author: How often do you drink straight espresso shots?

To answer the question about “machine cleaner” in the water, the machines are cleaned with Cafiza tablets, and all Starbucks’ use filtered water (even the 3-sink and dishwasher water in the back room are filtered). There is no way to mess with the water without disassembling the machine completely, which requires a key, and you have to get past the mini-dragons inside and go through a dark, murky cave full of nasty things just waiting to pull you into the shadows! No, really, it’s that difficult.

As for the marketing thing, think about the last time you saw an ad for Starbucks. On a billboard, with an emaciated model holding a Venti Caramel Macchiato? Repeatedly on commercials during your favorite shows, which you actually only saw briefly because you have a DirecTV TIVO-VCR-PS2-DVD-NPR whatnot? How about in that magazine plastered with articles about Britney’s latest psychological problem and the announcement of Brangelina’s 13th child? Nope, didn’t think so. Starbucks doesn’t advertise like most companies do; they don’t have to. The company spends very little on advertising, and usually only around the holidays. Last year McDonald’s was ranked as the number one food chain in the U.S., and reportedly spends more than $1 billion dollars every year on advertising. In comparison, Walmart spends about $2 million, which is sufficiently less than they spend on their employee’s health care benefits. Then turn around and look at the tobacco industry, which spends over $13 billion to be anywhere and everywhere you look, selling a product that isn’t remotely good for you (by that I mean physically, not necessarily mentally). Starbucks spends their dollars on making better products and better customer experiences, not funnier television commercials. “But they’re on every street corner, how is that not advertising as well?” Do you go out and buy a new car just because you saw a really pretty one on your McDonald’s placemat (this is a hypothetical question, by the way.)? No one is forcing anyone to go to Starbucks.

Fun fact to cool down on: did you know that Starbucks pays MORE than Fair Trade for their coffee? In fact, they also provide benefits for the farmers they buy from! Oh, and there’s actually an expiration date on the 5 pound bullets of espresso and decaf espresso, which are used to make your “Solo Espresso,” but we usually use it all before the next shipment comes (which is WHY there are so many Starbucks locations!! So when one store runs out…they can call the one two miles down the road and borrow some! Just kidding.)! The bags have a special, air-tight seal (as do the ones for sale on the shelves) that keep the flavors and aromas locked in; so you can rest soundly, knowing that you won’t have anymore nightmares that involve brown-colored beans that have been fermenting for years and years on a dusty, cobwebbed shelf in Lucifer’s downstairs kitchen pantry in Hell.

I leave you now, with a challenge; put your Google-ing skills to use and look up what Starbucks does for it’s partners. You’ll find that even part-time employees are eligible for benefits, and after being with the company for a year partners even receive stock in the company! Think about that…I own a part of a successful company, which is always looking to improve their service, even if it means closing down for a whole three hours, when most Starbucks’ are open 364 days a year. Then check out what Starbucks is doing OUTSIDE of the shop; Starbucks is always looking for ways to have a positive effect on our community, nationally and globally, from helping provide clean water and programs to improve hygiene and sanitation in third-world countries, to providing continuous support to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

And let’s not forget; Starbucks started out with one store in one city as a place to buy whole beans; they have always believed in sharing with their customer’s their own love and appreciate for coffee and how (no matter where you go) you can connect with people over it, whether it’s a cup of coffee or a sugary white mocha with whipped cream. It’s not about WHAT you order, it’s about your experience. If you don’t like Starbucks, don’t spend your money there, or give your two cents when you only know your side of the story. Ignorance may be bliss, but it’s also obnoxious and is an excuse for other people to adopt someone else’s opinion, instead of creating their own.

This is going to be short and sweet,
I love Starbucks for being Starbucks.

They didn’t sell-out like Tim Horton’s did.

I love Starbucks and will continue to go.

‘Nuff said.

Fraps are barely even “coffee beverages,” they’re more like “shakes.” Highly trans-fat saturated shakes.

May as well go get yourself an ice cream sundae, which is half as deadly, and tastes better.

In the end, Starbux Sux pretty much. I tried them AGAIN today and was disappointed, AGAIN. Bitter, unenjoyable, expensive, slop.
The best coffee in the region is the Farmers Bros. brand brewed in the backwash doughnut/chinese food strip mall store run by the local MA’s(mexicans). Pretty bad when they have every opportunity to not worry about the coffee and it beats the crap out of the “we love coffee and really know how to make it” boneheads at the numerous SB estabs around the area.
ARG!

Starbucks is NOT the best coffee in fact their coffee is over roasted. The only reason they are popular is the same reason that people go so crazy over Ipods. They have good marketing and they know that people are sheep. Starbucks also had the advantage of being one of the first coffee house chains and depending on where you live,(I happen to live in seattle) there is litterally one on EVERY corner. If you want good coffee I suggest looking for the small, hole in the wall coffee house, in my experience those ones are more fun and have way better tasting coffee.

Huzzah. You know Fiend, it gets my goat a bit when people simply pile hate on business for no other reasons than a misinformed distaste for business in general. You know, our ability to procure and have, say, a truly delicious Huehuetenango (light roasted please!), properly prepared is in part due to our national affluence (made possible by the fact that our business is so successful–unhip as that may seem). Coffee, after all, is a luxury item and really good coffee even more so.

So I say, let Starbucks do its thing, and if it does it well, then it deserves to be successful. Especially since it seems to be that Starbucks success isn’t coming from dirty tactics, like driving down the price of wholesalers due to buying power or keeping employees on the breadline due to low compensation (both tactics of, say, Walmart). I must confess that after posting, I decided to buy a few shares of Starbucks (I’m hoping that my logic proves true in the future), so I can’t claim no affiliation any longer, but only a very small amount.