Grabbing Java on the road! Starbucks or other?
 

I love coffee. I must have it in the AM or I'm pretty sluggish. I sometimes grab a cup in the afternoon as well to keep me alive.

Starbucks is a pretty safe bet when traveling. They are pretty much everywhere, and lately, the quality (to me) has been stable. Years ago, I got horrid Lattes at a Starbucks in an Airport. Flavored milk. At another, nothing but grounds. Then they closed for a whole day an "RETRAINED" their Baristas and that seemed to make a difference. Could be just my imagination.

The problem is, I like to explore and support local and micro-brew coffee companies.

I was just on a trip to San Diego and discovered a GREAT place in the Mission Valley area (Near the Double-Tree Hotel) called Intermezzo. It was FABULOUS. I asked the concierge "Coffee shops near here?" and he replied "Starbucks, across in the plaza."
Luckily, I found "Intermezzo" before I found the Starbucks. Best Latte I ever had. Isn't it interesting that "Starbucks" seems to always be blurted out when you ask for a coffee shop. If you asked for a Restaurant, would they say "McDonalds". Of course not. But for coffee? Always seems to be Starbucks. For many coffee is simply a staple commodity like gasoline. One brand is like any other. Not to me.

When I was in London last, I discovered "Cafe Nero" and loved it. Yet saw most "Londoners" in Starbucks. I guess for them it was unique.

Yes, I love Peets coffee when in San Fran, and I enjoy other Micros like Cup O' Joe in Columbus, Ohio (Roasted by Staufs). Speaking of Columbus, "Crimson Cup" is my all time FAVE. I actually order this by UPS and brew it at home. Go figure. From Columbus, Ohio? Not the first place that springs to mind for "coffee".

What do you do when on the road? Just grab a cup at the hotel? Go to Starbucks? Explore the "other" local brews?

I try to stay away from starbucks in general. Their stuff is ok, but at least in my town the good coffee shops charge the same price and deliver twice the quality. I usually make my own coffee at home though and carry it around in a thermos. Espresso is great and all, but at US coffee shop prices it is just not practical.

Tim Hortons is a favorite here in Canada.. and I don't mind Starbucks..

I'm not a coffee drinker.. so I have their other products..

If I’m going to a city I’m unfamiliar with an expect to have time, I’ll search coffeegeek.com or toomuchcoffee.com and see if there’s anything worth checking out in the area.

Or, if I’m going to a city with a coffee scene I’m familiar with, like London, I’ll just head straight there first chance I get! Nothing like Fernandez and Wells or Flat White in London.

Also, my standard route from my house to IAH takes me by Houston’s best cafe, Catalina Coffee.

I personally can’t stand the liquid charcoal Starbucks sells as coffee. I’ll drink it if I have to just to get going in the morning, but only then. I carry a hand grinder, collapsible filter cone and immersion boiler with me on trips so I can make a good cup with fresh beans in my hotel.

One of my favs is Pegasus on Bainbridge island, great stuff. I am in western NY, so Tim Hortons and Dunkin Donuts are on every other corner.

Agreed.. Starbucks is more convenience then anything..

Given the choice, I'd go for some specialty Mocha Frappacino place..

Please continue this discussion in the Dining Buzz Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I don't drink coffee regularly, so I will go where its convenient. (Dunkin, McD's, Sbucks)

Caffe Nero is easily one of the best nationwide chains in the UK, but Starbucks is hardly unique - we've had loads of them since they took over the Seattle Coffee Company (run be an American expat) in 1998

They quality has vastly improved recently, too - they've started using a darker roast (which is more popular in this part of the world) and much better milk. Plus, you get your coffee in a proper mug!

There's also AMT (very good, but usually just takeaway), Costa (annoyingly inconsistent) and Pret (mostly for sandwiches, but they do excellent coffee too). Smaller chains like Tinderbox do a better job still, but they're harder to find. Even soulless business parks get espresso vans doing the rounds to keep the people working there perked up.

No shortage of independent places around now, though - the days where all you had was a mug of milky tea or Nescafé with a cream cake on a formica table are long gone (although you can still find those places...) Even my little market town has a great, independent coffee place right on the market square.

Same here. I dont drink coffee that much so I cant really tell "really" good coffee from bad. But I do like taste of Starbucks stuff. (no wonder they are so popular? :D)

I drink iced tea from Starbucks and will frequent Starbucks whenever I travel in North America. Iced tea outside of NA is kind of a crap shoot and usually go with one of the frozen drinks that Starbucks offers outside of NA.

Thanks for the info. I was amazed how "Busy" Starbucks was compared to Cafe Nero. For me, it was no comparison. Nero was so much better, but to each their own.
Perhaps where I was in London (South Kensington) the locals just prefer Starbucks.
Cheers.

I wish I lived closer to a Tim Hortons. :) I've been threatening a 5 hour road trip in each direction just to get to a Tim Hortons.
Thanks for the websites. :)
Adopt me? :) I should add that Tim Hortons brings back childhood memories along with yummy coffee and donuts, so some of it is sentimental. :)

Most of my Canadian friends like Tim Hortons.
Most of my American friends do not.
I'm indifferent.
I don't do donuts, so I can't comment on their donut (or Doughnut if you prefer) quality.
Their coffee is on par with McDonalds IMO.

Speaking of that, years ago, Micky D's was the best place to get the bottomless cup of coffee for those that drank cup after cup day after day.
You got a Micky D's cup and coffee in the AM. They used to put out coffee pots on the counter. You refilled at any Micky D's all day long. I never did this, but many of my traveling friends did, and clued me in on that.
No wonder they removed the coffee pots from the counters. ;)

You can do the same thing with Hampton Inn or any middle chain hotel that keeps coffee out all day. Just stop in with your Hampton mug and refill. Assuming there is a Hampton along the way. Most high-end chains do not place coffee out all day.

Tim Hortons in Canada is over the top line ups.. We're talking 15 to 20 minute waits just to get your order in.. and sometimes theres so many vehicles lined up thru the drivethru, vehicles are lined up on the street no kidding!

We are just doing up a Tim Hortons at one of our centers, and the city requires enough drive thru space for 25 vehicles.. yes.. 25 vehicles.. the architect has a double lane merging into a single lane, just to accomodate the volume requirements..:eek:

Starbucks is my always-there, lowest common denominator. There are a lot of little local places in various cities that are really good, but if I don't have a chance to explore, Starbucks will do.

In Buffalo, The Spot.
In Chicago, Intelligentsia or Metropolis.
In San Francisco or anywhere it's present, Peet's.
In Portland, OR, Coffee People.

I haven't found a similar place in NYC - ideas?

Tim Hortons coffee is just hot brown water - like Dunkin Donuts.

edit: Blue Bottle in San Francisco is a league by itself...it's a place for true coffee geeks, with the vacuum-brewed-over-a-halogen-light Japanese thing.

Wow!
Well I work with a Canadian Company and they do love Tim Hortons. I visit one now and then in the US. Good coffee. I sometimes get the soup/Sandwich combos. I always seem to stop at Tim Hortons on the QEW when traveling from Montreal to Toronto. It's all you can find to eat/drink at the rest stops. I think there was some sort of relationship with Wendy's in the States. You seem to have a lot of them in the Midwest where Wendy's is based. I may have to check them out tomorrow. I'm currently in the Midwest on business. YOU have given me some inspiration to try their coffee AGAIN!
:) and maybe a donut? hmmmm... better run an extra mile or two in the morning!

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to try your reco's in Chicago and Buffalo. I've done Peets and Coffee People.

Have to disagree with Dunkin. Many of us love their coffee. I usually seek them out, but to each their own. I've got friends who think Peets coffee is horrible. I love it.

I’ve heard good things about RBC.

In the midwest, there is Tim Horton and Wendy's existing in the same building together as well.. They refer to this as TimWends' internally, describing the subject commercial property.

Would have liked to see both properties butted up together, but we're working on just a single location..

Agreed. I also have not been in (when forced to do so) been in one which didn't smell of stale cooking oil or something similar. The smell alone is enough to turn me off.

Coffee is very subjective. I will stop at Starbucks in North America for Pike Place if nothing else is available, but in general I prefer trying independents or small chains. Some are pretty awful, but every now and then one finds a gem. Many small and middle size cities in the US have some great local options. There are excellent mini chains in the UK as well.

And every so often one finds an outpost of a microchain - the Canadian company Bean Around the World for instance has a location in St Hellier, Channel Islands, for instance which seems to serve even better coffee, soup, and baked goods than the 'home' location.

While I have no problems hitting a Starbucks if there's no other option, I'll typically try to check out something local if at all possible. This is partly due to the fact that my drink of choice (Double macchiato) is fairly difficult to screw up. It can be done (oh can it be done) but for the most part it's usually drinkable. While my list of favourites is short, there are a few that I usually head for:

Poland: Krakow: TriBeCa.
Ireland: Cork: Cafe Depeche.
Canada: Saskatoon: The Two-Twenty or Caffé Sola.

And I'm probably a bad Canadian for saying so (actually, I'm sure I'd be told I'm a bad Canadian for many things) but I can't stand Tim Horton's coffee. It's appalling. Or at least I was put off it forever by the Tims at my old university, which was in the middle of an enclosed tunnel, the smell of which almost made me ill on a daily basis. It was horrifying. Since then, I can't drink Tim's coffee.

No worries.
It's why I started this thread.
Coffee is VERY personal. One taste is not suitable for everyone.
There are many whom say "Peets, Peets, PEETS!" and yes, to me it's good coffee, but BETTER than everyone else? Not to me.

Personally, I love Dunkin, but many here will say it's "Tar-Water!"

That's why I love to explore new coffee shops and taste the nuances.
:p

TimWend's can be quite a maze during lunch time with the two drive through lanes accessing the same buildings two drive through access lanes.

In GTA area the city's demand varies depending on where your location is on the going to work side or going home side. We have a Drive through only on Woodbine Ave which has two sets of drive through windows and each set is fed by two lanes of about 25 cars. With 100 vehicles on the property there is sometime a lineup onto the street in the morning.

Have you notice that the timbits are now in packs of small medium and large instead of numbers?

Lining up at a Timmy DriveThru is the new national pastime.

Thanks for not beating up on us - there are a lot of very rabid supporters of rather mediocre coffee out there!

Long before Starbucks attempted to dominate the world, there was Tchibo (remember, coffee culture was strong outside the US long before it made its way there) Tchibo serves adequate coffee, but I like being able to go to a coffee shop and top up my wifi stick, or purchase some nice new jewelry, or a scarf, or any of the myriad of other products on offer each week. One can even book a holiday there. Coffee has become somewhat secondary in the coffee shops, and I do wonder what percentage of sales at Tchibo are coffee vs 'other'. http://www.tchibo.de/

See my post directly above yours. I don't know if it was your university, or just the regular stench of Tim Horton's.

Lining up indeed whether in a drive thru or in the store.. is a national pastime..

Great organization to work with.. The leasing agents basically say Tim Hortons is the top of commercial tenant food chain..

I like Tim Hortons, not because of their coffee because I don't drink coffee.. but their smoothie, hot chocolate, baked goods, soup and sandwich selection.. plus I like tenants who pay rent, and create a draw..:D

^^
Every landowner with a commercial pad is going after Tim's. They are a better tenant than McD.

For me, it depends if I have a car or not. Also if I'm in a time crunch because I have to get on stage right away to speak...

First, I type "Coffee" in my GPS or Foursquare app, and then see what is around. If I'm say on foot in the Philippines, I'll just walk around the see what's up.

I always like trying cool little coffee shops and help out local owners, especially because I'm a HUGE entrepreneur supporter, but man, let me tell you...
Some mom and pop's coffee shop's coffee is Terrible!!!!

Yelp is also another app I use for good reviews.

Hey, when in doubt - just order Tea!

We don't have a McD's yet..

But we've got Starbucks, Subway, AMA, 7-Eleven, Shell and a bunch of other nationals.. Total 69 tenants.. We are working at another deal that will bring us up to 85 tenants.. both national and independents..

I suspect it was a bit of each. Tims is far from a "nice smelling coffee" but their location on campus just magnified it. Then add in the usual lineup of twenty or so smelly undergrads (not that undergrads are all smelly, just some of them) and rez kids and it's a recipe for revisiting breakfast.

7-11. Multiple flavors brewed fresh all morning, flavored/regular creamers, sweetners, extra flavoring shots, and hot chocolate and other stuff out of a machine. About $1.50 for a 24 ounce.

In general I have never been a big fan of Starbucks although I would likely go there if I didn't know of any other place in the area and Starbucks was close by.

To some degree, Tokyo is an exception. I like a lot of the small old school coffee shops in Tokyo and even Pronto or Dotour do a decent espresso but it's often the thick haze of cigarette smoke from the entrenched salarymen that spurn me on to a "staa-baa" when there. Plus it's interesting to see how the Japanese put their spin on such an American franchise.

In the San Francisco area, I'll seek out Philz or Peet's over Starbucks. In SF proper there are lots of great small places like the aforementioned Blue Bottle.

In SEA I'd take Starbucks over Gloria Jean's as GJ coffee just seems too watered down for my tastes. In fact the search for a decent cup made me take some detours to visit some unique and interesting places like Coffee Lane in Penang or Typica Cafe in Kuala Lumpur.

In Melbourne I avoided Starbucks altogether and tried several of the small shops such as Brother Baba Budan, Switchboard Cafe, etc.

99% of the time, I just want a plain old black coffee - if I see something local, I'll try there first, but will be fine with Starbucks in a pinch.

What is often shocking to me, though, is how expensive all the fancy drinks are at Starbucks AND how many people are ordering them!

Hard pressed to find a 7-Eleven and a coffee shop in the same mall..

Most of their leases carry exclusivity clauses that prevent local coffee shops setting up.. This is to protect their coffee sales..

I'm not picky. Any strong cup of coffee will do. Starbucks, Peet's - they're all the same.

Sorry, Dunky's, 7-11, McD's, Tim H's: weak, bitter, over-extracted coffee is nasty.

Agree with the comments about Starbucks Japan. Not sure if it was just the novelty of it, but I found the quality really good, particularly the milk used (which made the milky drinks better than Doutor et al). They were also always (as you'd expect for Japan) absolutely spotless, as much a reflection on the customers as the staff.

I've also, out of curiosity, looked in on a Starbucks in Paris. Must be a real moneyspinner - I would guess about 80-90% of people in there were drinking the lardier forms of Frappucino, and the basic ones started at €5 a pop!

I have not had Starbucks in Japan, but did have brewed coffee a few times in China (not by my choice) and found it tasted odd. May be the water, or more likely just the taste of Starbucks coffee is not my taste.

I once out of desperation had to enter a Starbucks in Germany and found many confused people. The coffee culture doesn't adapt well to the grab and go aspect of Starbucks. (Coffee to go is still somewhat rare, perhaps due to the environmental aspect, perhaps due to the already existing culture around coffee shops and 'stand cafes') People were looking for seating, or standing tables, and seemed overwhelmed by the choices.

I did find a different taste in Japan as well - these are countries very used to the flavour of green tea (in just about everything in the case of Japan) and the coffee does have a flavour with it that I would describe as 'compatible' if not completely reminiscent.

Similarly, in the UK, you'll find a much darker roast used for espresso-based drinks than in the US. Not nearly as dark as the likes of Pret and Caffe Nero, mind.

I noticed that the Starbucks I passed in Frankfurt were pretty much configured as 'stand cafes'. Certainly, most of the branches I know in the UK are at least as much set up for drinking in as taking away. And you'd get all sorts of grumbling if you attempted to serve someone drinking in with a paper cup!

Personally, I don't think they're terrible. I don't think they're outstanding either, but there are many places where "not terrible" is the best option you can get!

This is pretty much my exact opinion. Starbucks is not fantastic, nor even very good. But it's certainly not bad. I'd say that it's on the good side of mediocre. But the advantage is that it's pretty much universally on the good side of mediocre, no matter where you are. So that's a pretty strong selling point when you've got limited time and no experience with local chains.

I agree - I'll take Starbucks over Tim Horton's for instance any day. If my choice however is Tim Horton's or no coffee, it would be 'no coffee'.

McCafe is starting to appear on some Autobahn reststops. I ended up at one on the way to Holland a few weeks ago and it was surprisingly good (the only other one I have been to is near the McDonald's campus in the US) And it was served in a china cup with a Bahlsen cookie on the site.

How much has the concept of charging more for 'to go' caught on in the US (if at all?) It is common in western Europe, and the Bean Around the World microchain in St Hellier and Canada also charges this way.