I like coffee that doesn't taste like coffee, so I'm into cafe lattes. The ones at Dunkin Donuts always have added flavor, so I can't drink those. I also think their coffee is both too watery and too strong at the same time.

About 10 years ago now, someone introduced me to Tim Horton's Iced Cappuccinos. I had an hour before a train in NYC a few weeks ago, and decided to get a small. It was three times the size I remember from the last time I had one in Canada, and tasted disgusting. I don't think it was the rainwater that got into the cup, so when I go off to Canada next week I have to check. Maybe I'll even get one when I arrive at YUL.

heh heh.. :D

Lets' see.. Grande' sets back $5 a pop.. thats $25 per day if you have 5.. that's $750 per month.. approaching $10 grand per year.. approaching $100 grand in 10 years..

But smoking is more expensive..:-:

Are cigarettes over $25 a pack in Canada now? :eek:;)

Funny..:D

Once all health care related costs, death, insurance, cost of product, etc.. all factored in.. not even close imo..

YOW!

I have a friend whom stays at Hampton Inns exclusively. He gets a to go cup in the morning. Throughout his day, he stops in to Hampton Inns with his cup and refills it for free. Hampton keeps coffee out all day and it's usually pretty fresh. The way he looks at it, he stayed with them the night before and is staying with them that night, so he DESERVES to get free coffee from them.
He usually goes through about 5 cups a day.

I'll have to call him and say, "Hey, do you realize you are saving $10,000 a year?" ;)

Ok, that's cheap...

My general rule of thumb is Starbucks while on the road (exception: Italy) and local while at home.

True.. cup of joe usually runs $1.50 or something.. so the savings realized is straight Starbucks..

Why not see Starbucks as a treat once in awhile, and supplement with Tim Hortons, Dunkin Donuts, Second Cup, McDonalds cafe, etc..

Whoever drinks 5 cups of Starbucks coffee a day obviously has money to burn and eats out quite a bit.. all in context.:)

I'd like to nominate the small micro-chain the Woods, in northern WA state. Good coffee, excellent service, free wi-fi, cozy seating, indoor and outdoor fireplaces. The food isn't all to my taste but they have nice breakfast sandwiches.

It's nice to see another coffee company doing well in WA since Starbucks inhaled Seattle's Best.

How exactly does one get any work done going out to purchase five cups of coffee per day ?

I was shocked at the morning ritual of some of my American colleagues recently. There was a Starbucks visible across the road, and they invited me along at the start of the workday. I agreed, looking forward to a brisk walk. We did walk - to the parking lot. Then they all climbed into the car, and drove across the road and parked, bought their coffee, climbed back into the car and drove back across the road. (And they did this multiple times per day, and needed at least one 'helper' to hold the coffee tray whilst in the car)

I'm perhaps spoiled by the places where I work in Europe which have at minimum a coffee maker but usually a nice high tech one, or a Nespresso machine, or a fancy espresso machine (or more than one), in the office or meeting room.

If I do end up with that Starbucks brew, I tend to keep the coffee all day and sip at it. It's not very good to begin with, so drinking it cool or cold makes little difference to me.

My guess with the 5 cups of coffee is that the person drives a lot for their job, and as such, can stop quickly to get another cup of coffee.

Grabbing Java on the road! Starbucks or other?
 

My favorite coffee shop is Peet's coffee.

I do so miss Peet's from when I lived in California.

I recently ran across a Starbucks in Ujung Pandang, Indonesia and was tempted, but hesitated because I don't drink the local water in such places. I had the same situation in Turkey a few years ago.

Can the purity of the water used by Starbucks in such places be trusted?

I know Starbucks around Metro Manlia has water filtration systems.

A grande of what is $5? How about getting some accurate figures there before you start playing Euclid. I get a venti drip and that's about $2. Americano is $3. It's cheaper than any local coffee shop and the pricing isn't different thank Dunkin'.

Starbucks is great on the road if only for the little green sticks that seal the lid of your coffee so it doesn't go all over the place as you drive. They are also comfortable, have free wifi, clean bathrooms, reasonable food options and they're consistent.

I often read people complaining about the 'high' cost of coffee etc in 'Europe'. (There was a poster who had a meal at McDonalds for two adults, child, and toddler and said that he paid $75++ :eek: which really confused me)

Espresso in Portugal is under a Euro, often 60-70 cents, in comparison to your posted prices.

It's location-dependent, too. In NYC a venti coffee is $3-something. A grande latte with an extra shot is about $5.

As for the question of water purification...you could always go in to the store and ask about their particular setup. It would hardly be in keeping with Starbucks's brand image to sell coffee that some people can't drink.

In any case, heating water past about 160F will kill anything in it. Coffee is 195F and higher.

Grabbing Java on the road! Starbucks or other?
 

I like Meinl in Chicago and Vienna and have it shipped to me at YVR. Locally I like Republica, Elysian and Caffe Arteggiano. Don't like sbux usually but their specialty coffee using the Clover system is quite an improvement; however in SEA I really enjoy Fonte.

They are also in Grand Rapids, MI. There is a large number of German travellers to that city, and I was pleasantly surprised to find one of their shops there, and the ability to purchase their coffee there. (Yes, I realise that they are Austrian, but the product appeals to that shared taste)

Artigiano has good espresso drinks, but while their 'hook' is being frequent winners of coffee art competitions, they also seem to pride themselves on odd concept of 'service'. And their food product is variable; much of their baked good product comes from Pane e Formaggio which is just awful. That said, it's somewhere I will stop for a decent espresso drink in Vancouver; I just find my food elsewhere.

And going back to the Starbucks food conversation from earlier, western Canada Starbucks now use US Starbucks food product, not the local baker they used for over a decade. :(

I fear that with the spread of Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme in western Europe and the UK that Tim Hortons will not be far behind. Hopefully good taste and common sense will win out in the end; there cannot be that many tourists to support all three of those chains.

I love Peet's coffee in the Hillcrest area of San Diego. The best coffees from around the world & butteriest madeleine cookies you will ever have. Urth cafe in LA is amazing. Along with Coral tree in Brentwood. They both serve up their coffees & teas like works of art. And have great menus serving almost gourmet quality food & pastries. Coffee Bean & Tea leaf is also pretty good when it comes to the larger chains. With so many great little cafes, I'd have to say Starbucks comes in last.

I avoid the big green mermaid like the plague if I can, but there are some places that it just can't be avoided. Texas is a good example.

A lot of west coast roasters are gaining traction nationally; Blue Bottle, Equator, Fonte, Stumptown, D'Arte just to name a few. The trick is finding them, as most of the shops that feature these roasters are independents who don't have a big neon sign advertising their bean of choice.

It's also nice to see a lot of higher end hotels move away from Starbucks and into a higher class of coffee. W Hotels, St. Regis, Four Seasons have all jumped off the Schultz bandwagon.

Herkimer Coffee in Seattle is really nice.
http://www.herkimercoffee.com/

Interesting article about the clash of Starbucks with local culture
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/bu...nted=all&_r=1&

All of the things listed are why I don't frequent Starbucks (drinking 'on the go' in a paper cup, fake chumminess by taking my name, lack of espresso drinks with a decent taste)

Generally the people I see on Paris streets carrying a Starbucks paper cup seem to be American tourists. I walk past one almost every day in favour of other, better-to-me choices.

Taking your name is to ensure you get your drink. Lots of drinks look the same.

I was paraphrasing the article: (I don't patronise Starbucks, except on very rare occasions, and never have in France or the UK)

My favourite coffee place manages to get coffee to the customers without taking our names.

Also, if you're in London, there's a good chance that people will queue at the serving counter (we love a good queue) and expect to have their drinks served in turn. So there's no confusion...

I stand corrected. I DID go to a Starbucks recently in London. It was completely empty. My colleague (who had requested that we stop there as there was nothing else open in the area that day), was asked for his name. He was confused as to why, and had to give it three times before they understood (common German name with a simple English variation)

The enter time we stood and waited for his drink, nobody came into the shop. When his drink was ready, the barista stood in front of us and loudly shouted out the (wrongly pronounced) name. We said 'er, that's us...' and looked around the empty shop.

When we left, we both burst into giggles at the bizarre and absurd exercise. Neither of felt that service was enhanced by this 'customer service' game.

And like the other posters, I have never had an issue getting the correct coffee in a London coffee place. And we certainly didn't get a free coffee for participating in the theatre.

Standard SBUX operation procedure. It is in the Op/manual world wide.

Hi gfunkdave -

I understand and appreciate what Starbucks is attempting to do here. The first name policy is trying to bring the coffee experience to a closer, friendly personal level, which is good. The thinking is that if Bob, Heinz, or Solange is called by their first name, they will become part of the Starbuck " extended family, " and want to return again. Perhaps even buy a bag of coffee, or even company stock.

Similar thinking with dining at a fine restaurant and having the Maitre’D state " Oh, Mr. GfunkDave, so nice to see you again. Your usual table then ? " Yes.

Unfortunately, cultural differences in Europe make the Starbucks request for a first name a somewhat awkward experience for many of us, even embarrassing. It isn't done in Milano, Berlin, Paris, or Zürich, except of course at Starbucks. We use the receipt to connect to the right coffee "drink" ordered, not the first, or last name.

I share exbayern's thoughts regarding the apparent need at Starbucks for volume. Much too loud from the staff. My main observation is that the Starbucks Barista will shout the first name of the owner of the 4 gallon milk and coffee drink he/she just finished for pick-up, while looking over the patrons ( no friendly direct eye contact ), even though they are standing less than an arm's distance away from them.

" Eddie ? Are you EDDIE ? ( Answer: No ) EDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAGH !!!! "

This last refrain, now in excess of 85 dbA, is amusing to some, but unnecessary to most.

I never want to give my real name. For some reason I don't feel it is important to the transaction also I don't feel a need to spell it for the person taking my order. I just think of a name that is easy to spell and give it to them.

Also if it is just going to be a regular coffee (non espresso drink) I don't see much of a difference between Panera, Starbucks, and 7-11. It is just something to drink on my way to work in the morning.

Starbucks is one of the relatively few chains that make good strong drip coffee instead of just brown water.

Peet's is still my favorite, though.

I worked right next door to a Starbucks with a Clover in Boston and it is by far the best coffee I've had from a chain. Some of the roasts were quite expensive (Jamaica Blue Mountain was almost $5/cup if I recall correctly), but others were not much more than their standard crap. If only I could find a Clover here in Denver...

Some wonderful non-chain coffee in Boston if anyone is looking:
Blue State Coffee: https://www.bluestatecoffee.com/
1369 Coffeehouse: http://www.1369coffeehouse.com/
Bloc11 Cafe: http://bloc11.com/

You'll be pleased to know that you can find Fonte nationally, including several places in Chicago.

always the small, non-chain coffee cafe since there's so many in Europe. definitely a A++++ of living here.

in the states, its a bit harder but Philz coffee in San Francisco is on the spot.

I've been finding Caffè Nero to be a solid, consistent option outside the UK. I also like the way that they work with RSC, Tate Modern and Tate Britain, and many other local and national arts organisations.

And now to shame the company featured in this thread. :rolleyes: I've found myself at least a dozen times in a location in North America where the only option for coffee was Starbucks, and each time they've failed to make one of the most simple drinks for any coffee house - a Caffè Macchiato. Usually when I order a double, I am asked 'what size?' :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Er, there is no 'size' like tall, grande etc. And then usually it comes in a very large cup, topped with caramel sauce, or whipped cream, or filled with milk. I usually order it as it is listed on the Starbucks website - espresso macchiato. Then I explain that I want two shots of espresso, marked with foam. (Milk is more common elsewhere but if I ask for that, it tends to come in a very large cup)

When I hand it back and ask again for a caffè macchiato or espresso macchiato, I am met with surprise, and then I have to explain what it is. Usually the second attempt comes with two shots of espresso (good!) and a large cup filled with milk (bad!) If I ask for a third attempt, and translate it very carefully into the correct ingredients and ratio, it tends to come topped with about 3-5cm of foam. :(

Very sad indeed that the large, worldwide coffee chain can no longer make such a simple drink. I recall in the early days of Starbucks expansion when they had the pictures on the wall, showing the correct ratio of espresso to milk to foam in the various drinks. Now it all seems to be about whipped cream, syrups, cold blended drinks, and not about the basics.

Of my frequent haunts:

-In London, most Anglo-Italian sandwich shops/greasy spoons will do for the coffee fix

- In Frankfurt, I'll have my morning coffee chatting with the French born newsagent next to the old Eurotower. Nice chap, stocks all quality papers and serves a good wake-up brew

- In Seoul, the chain coffeeshop upstairs from our old offices at Mt.Namsan. Very elegant and simple interiors and green views to complement their own coffee imports. I've heard of even Latino coffee professionals coming to Korea for training lately...

- In Shanghai, the Starbucks at Daning shopping mall. Mostly for the free wifi



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I liked the coffee chain "Ruta" in Mexico when we were there recently. I don't know if it is everywhere like Starbucks but it was certainly in every bus station we were in.