Starbucks in EZE.... is it the same?
 

I wonder what visitors to EZE think of the local franchise of this international coffee giant. Is it up to par with what you get back at home...?

The coffee tastes the same to me. The two big differences are:

(1) It takes forever and a day to actually get your cup of coffee! In the time it takes to serve one customer in Buenos Aires, they'll have served 10 customers in NYC or London. Bring a good book to read while you're waiting for the barista to work his "magic" :D

(2) The prices do not reflect the cost of living or average salaries in Argentina so the same cup of coffee is considerably more expensive relatively speaking

The chai latte was spot on. Agree re prices.
I am amazed at how expensive food courts are
in BA compared to the prices for top class
restaurants & how popular they are with young people.

I didn't even know Starbucks had outlets in BA till I spotted one at Alto Palermo. To be honest since I had a cappuccino in the Empire State building Starbucks which consisted of 9/10 froth I have not been a great fan so tend to avoid them.

I find drinking a coffee in one of the many cafes a far more pleasant experience....one is amongst the locals and not a load of tourists clutching their Lonely Planet guidebooks.

Hiddy.... let me tell you that its the locals that are fueling the Starbucks expansion, I have one store 2 blocks away from my home in Martinez and this is no tourist area...

Interesting observation.

Saw similar scenes in Beijing many years ago when it was full of locals. Went back again a couple of years later and saw that the novelty of being seen at Starbucks had worn off with the locals and they had moved on to Dunkin Donuts instead.

I inhabit the Costa Coffee chain when in the UK and like them for the convenience of being able to get a take away.

My recollection is that it tastes the same.

I like have Starbucks here and make a habit of dropping in whenever I'm in another country. I also like to collect the mugs from each city/country.

In 2008, I went to the one at Alto Palermo (which might have been the first in BA?) and it was an insane wait - 30min+ just to get inside the store. My observation at the time was that it was 90% teenage girls - leading me to to believe it was more of a trendy thing. On the last trip to BA, i didn't see nearly the same queue at the Starbucks.

Are the milk/cream, etc. "behind the counter" items as they are in Chile? (This avoids South America becoming another Ghetto Latte capital, where you order an espresso and add as much "free milk" as you like.)

That I don't recall - because I ordered a latte so it was pre-made. However, I am lactose intolerant and was pleased to see that they could make it "con soy". I figured i would be the only lactose-intolerant person in South America so it was awesome they had this available.

You aren't, but normally down there, one would simply vomit the goods prior to digestion. :D

Good luck finding Lactaid or any other lactase products down there. I've tried. Maybe they have a special name.

I like good coffee and bought my first home espresso machine 25 years ago, long before it became popular across the US. I worked at a couple of upscale restaurants where we served espresso and cappuccino and learned to make a decent cup, I got a lot better at it when I found information on the Internet about 15 years ago.

I dislike Starbucks, but I'll get my coffee there when there aren't better alternatives. I equally dislike the coffee at Starbucks in Bs. As., but I still go there when I have hours to kill between flights because there's usually comfortable chairs available, power plugs, and wifi. I like the coffee at many cafes around Argentina more than Starbucks, but my wife and I still make better cappuccino at home using mediocre beans from Carrefour than most of them do. Occassionally we'll splurge on really good beans, then ours beats everything I've had down here or in the US :D

I'd agree on both accounts.

At the location near Plaza(parque?) Armenia in Palermo yesterday it was probably 80/20 locals to tourists. Very busy the entire 3 hours I spent there working. Lots of frapuccinos being ordered. Me, I just liked being able to get a decent drip coffee, and a big one at that.

yea newcastle is right. Locals love the stuff and I think its because it tastes nothing like what I get back in the states, haha. I think its completely different. Ice coffee is not even comparable, that is uniquely US starbucks niche. Frappucinos are also of another house.
It may be the same company but the coffee is very different.

The coffee is the same as in the USA.... please remember that Starbucks buys the stuff on a global scale so the specs for beans are the same for all markets.

What will taste different is things like Milk.... dairy products are sourced from local vendors, when possible.

I would be interested in learning who thinks the milk in EZE is less tasty than what you get in NYC... a very interesting topic on its own.... :eek:

I do not drink milk, so I cant say about which is better.

About The Starbucks question I feel that in the same way fast food chains have local menus, like how BK would have things that you would not see in US, Starbucks could be the same.
I found that Iced Americano was one of those items, it would come out different then what it would be in the US. For my taste at least, maybe others disagree.

I also feel like baristas can make or break the coffee. Depending on the barista you have does impact the taste of the coffee. Just my opinion.

Ordinary full fat and skimmed milk seem to taste the same as the UK products......either that or I've got used to it by now.
I remember I had a coffee one day in a cafe I regularly frequent and it tasted strange. Found out due to a milk delivery shortage they were using long life milk.

Just had a thought....could it be the water that changes the taste?

Yes, both the milk and the water have impact on the final taste.

My experience is that butter takes remarkably better in other countries than in the US.

When i'm in Argentina, I can't put enough butter on everything - love it. Can't speak to the milk but imagine there may be something similar?

I suppose if you were to get "fresh from the dairy" milk, it might be delicious. The bagged and boxed stuff available for retail sale ranges from meh (nothing wrong with it) to vomitous.

Can you please define what you mean by fresh from the dairy?

Boxed milk can be fresh or UHT..... the bagged stuff is always fresh. Sorry, English is my second language so you need to clarify. Also, what brands do you usually buy?

To conclude, are you saying you find no difference in the taste of Regular fresh milk from a place like Whole Foods in SFO and the fresh tetrapack milk by La Serenisima you can buy in Jumbo...?

:confused:

I agree 100%. Butter is the US is a huge challenge for me... the only stuff I can swallow in the States are the imported butters from Europe. The local stuff is just horrible... perhaps I need someone to tell me what brands are the right ones...?

Not to mention that the beans will also be roasted "locally".

Fresh from the dairy, I mean the cow has just expressed and Hiddy is waiting for the expression. :D

La Serenisima is the best I've had - it is (I think) the only one that doesn't ruin the taste of my coffee. The UHT stuff is vile - just the smell is nauseating.

And I don't shop at Jumbo nor at Whole Foods :D (well, not regularly). :p
Berkeley Bowl, bay-bee, where there is an exceptional selection of local dairies represented. Most of the United States doesn't have such options.

Although way back in 2003,
I was more impressed with the various "McCafe's" around town.

I will stay for up to two weeks this Dec-jan,
so will take a peek at Starbux, but expect local places are better. @:-)

I didnt know that..... are you sure of this? I can buy packed and sealed coffee beans at Starbuchs here.... are you saying that all coffee sold in Argentina has to be roasted here or do they only roast the stuff they use on premise and maybe have some imported stuff for sale.....????

The Golden Arches do well with their coffee kiosks..... their brew is passable, at best, and the pastries are horrid.

As to Starbucks, I dont think its an issue of local places vs. Starbucks... some local chains like Cafe Martinez can be quite good, but the best local cafes are the non chain places that you have to find by experimenting and doing a lot of trial and error.

That's why I put "locally" in quotes. I presume the beans aren't imported/blended/roasted in the US and re-exported. I expect that the beans are roasted in Argentina (or maybe Mexico, since Alsea is the franchisee).

I have to buy some beans tomorrow... I will read the labels in detail and also ask the staff... will report back.

We brought back a few kilos of Kirkland branded but Starbucks roasted coffee which we bought at Costco in Vancouver.....delicious stuff compared to the brands here.
I'm afraid I will run out of beans in a few weeks time so are we sure that the coffee beans from Starbucks BA are the same quality as found in N America? A kilo of the Costco Starbucks beans cost US$13 any idea of the price in BA?

There goes the neighbo(u)rhood!
 

I just saw a Starbucks going in @ Plaza Dorrego. :o

I cannot imagine what my facial reaction must have looked like when I saw it a couple hours ago.

The stuff is the same.... Starbucks does global sourcing.

How about you go in and buy some beans then let me know how much they cost? :p

I buy them all the time... but just dont remember what I pay for them, just hand the guy my credit card and he charges it together with my latte or mocca or whatever Im having. Will make a note to remember the economics next time I purchase these.... will be back to report.

Appreciate that. ^

any RSJ for me....?

:rolleyes:

No....stll got that bottle of Perrier Jouet though. Must be near vintage by now. :D

ah.... yes, PJ..... we must finally meet... :p

Probably the same facial expression many people have on drinking their "coffee". :D

Hiddy..... I did my homework this morning... the beans cost between AR$38 to AR$42, depending on origin. The quoted price is for a small 250gr bag, dont think they offer larger bags.

Many thanks for reporting back Alex. ^

That's about 50% more expensive than buying them in Starbucks in the US.