patrick.net

It's one of those companies that engrained itself into our culture, and then once they had us addicted, started the mark-ups

I normally get a Tall Pike and sometimes a pastry. Before I leave the store, I get my free refill as I am a gold card member.

Ironman says

BayArea says

and then once they had us addicted

Actually, I think their coffee is horrible (unless you're looking to strip off some old paint), and I'll bypass coffee all together if Starbucks is the only choice.

Is your alternative another $5 coffee place or something else?

Obligatory:

I've started stopping in for a coffee and getting work done in between tutoring gigs. Usually sit there for 45 min. The coffee is $2. Figured I might as well since I have about $500 in credit to them after all the gifts from my students over the years. All the fancy stuff is more expensive. That being said, people swear by it. If you have a specialty coffee shop around, it's probably better. If you don't, it's likely your best option. Dunkin Donuts is disgusting IMO.

That being said...don't bet against this place. Everyone goes there in the morning before work. Everyone without a job goes there when they should be working. Everyone with a job goes there when working. And everyone goes there after work. Some people like the food there....which is disgusting. But as I sit there and grade papers, the amount of foot traffic through the place is simply staggering.

One thing that I love is that they bag their used coffee grinds and put them out for pickup if you want it. I literally grab about 75 pounds of used coffee grinds each week as I have one 2 blocks from my house. I spread them over my lawn and it acts as the best fertilizer. I also heavily fertilize my garden and flower beds with them. Then...I have a massive compost pile in the back from them. I've easily saved hundreds of dollars in fertilizer over the past two years by doing this.

It's all about having your coffee 'tweeked' to your personal liking.
It's like ordering a steak and being able to specify how well you like it cooked to a tenth of a degree...
Everybody's taste buds are different. Why compromise when you don't have to...

Ranina ranina says

It's all about having your coffee 'tweeked' to your personal liking.

It's like ordering a steak and being able to specify how well you like it cooked to a tenth of a degree...

Everybody's taste buds are different. Why compromise when you don't have to...

Drink coffee fresh from the town of Kona Hawaii....you don't need to tweak it.

Yeah, I don't drink the fru fru (super high sugar) stuff there, but I do often get either just a straight coffee or cafe ameicano there on many mornings. The quality is very reliable - although if you drink coffee black - you might not care for the dark roasts that they emphasize.

It turns out americans will pay a little bit more (and it's not that much more) for a quality cup of coffee. But it's probably the less healthy more expensive drinks that make Starbucks super profitable.

The only surprise about coffee shops and the availability of good coffee is that the market place took so long to figure this out.

IT Turned out that europe has a thing or two to teach us about coffee, wine, and beer. What took us so long ? MAybe having two wage earners in many households is a factor on the timing. Less time to make things ourselves and more discretionary income.

marcus says

But it's probably the less healthy more expensive drinks that make Starbucks super profitable.

Yeap,the cost of coffee from StarBucks to society will keep rising because of all the fat overweight teenagers that are sucking down 100 grams of sugar or more in each drink. This place is a menace to health.

marcus says

The quality is very reliable - although if you drink coffee black - you might not care for the dark roasts that they emphasize.

Actually I like the flavor of Dunkin D, Mickey D, and Starbucks coffee, they all have the same robust kick and aroma to it. The problem that bothers me.
They are all huge corporations with the R&D to make their coffee taste unaturally robust that no store bought coffee in the world can match.
Then I just remember why Hamburger chain burgers don't taste like back yard burgers. It's the pink slime.
I'm sure that Corporate Coffee has it's brown slime in the corporate closet. If we really knew why and how their coffee taste like it does we would be turned off.

ok so maybe not 100g, close though: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Sugar-Starbucks-Drinks-40253291

The rise of coffee drinking (and the market for quality coffee in urban areas and college campuses) is also maybe a work thing. Soda is unhealthy as is smoking cigarettes. Both of these were used much more as stimulants at work 50 years ago.

tr6 says

ok so maybe not 100g, close though

I'm amazed at how many kids can afford these drinks. When I was a kid in high school (70s) my allowance was $5/ week. I guess that would be like at least $30/ week now. But if I was a kid now I don't think I would spend it on frappacinnos, unless maybe it was a date. Of course on the other hand they do get their music for free.

Ironman says

Dunkin Donuts for half of that (and a LOT better tasting).

Yup.

Everytime I had Starbucks, it was like they left the coffee on the burner/warmer for 8+ hours, had that bitter-burnt taste. Dunkies is vastly superior.