I don't drink coffee or its aliases. I've been in a Starbucks once, with friends. The hot chocolate was OK. I don't care for their politics, so have never gone again.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
People LOVE Starbucks. My wife loves them.

I just can’t get into them no matter how much I try.

The wife was headed to our local Starbucks to meet her sister and she brought an iced coffee home with her for me.

I’m sorry but it tastes like burnt mud to me

Does anyone else here just not get the hype over this stuff?

Have consumed StarBucks in the past when I needed coffee and no other source was available at that moment, but otherwise I think their coffee is crap, and prices outrageous!

Another thing that drives me nuts with them is the insane lines at their drive-thrus that spill out onto major thoroughfares and blocks traffic. Like you, I just don't get it!!!

This thread is yet another testament as to why that outfit is unaffectionately called CHARBUCKS.

I do not patronize Starbucks. My Wife , who is from Argentina taught me how to drink Coffee, also Mate’. Burnt, overpriced, just not here…..

quote:

Originally posted by K0ZZZ:
Most here are commenting about their drip coffee, which is nasty burnt crap.

If you asked the typical customer of Starbucks, that's not what they drink at all. They mostly drink caffeinated milkshakes with sugar, sugar, cream, and more sugared whipped cream. That's the attraction.

Yep.
It happens at Dunkin also. I have a friend who calls her coffee "diabetes in a cup".
Its not even coffee anymore. I make my own black or stop at the BP gas station on the way to work.

I was working in downtown Seattle when their first store opened up. It was an immediate hit, like overnight. I tried them but it just seemed like an awful lot of money for steamed milk and coffee.

It didn't take long for the street vendors to open up and I would buy my coffee from one of them. Cheaper and better.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
People LOVE Starbucks. My wife loves them.

I just can’t get into them no matter how much I try.

The wife was headed to our local Starbucks to meet her sister and she brought an iced coffee home with her for me.

I’m sorry but it tastes like burnt mud to me

Does anyone else here just not get the hype over this stuff?

I don't understand the attraction either and I agree their coffee tastes like mud and its expensive. The only reason I ever go to Starbucks is because someone has given me a Starbucks gift card. There is a Starbucks close to me that when I've gone in to use my gift card there's always quite a few cute middle aged women hanging out so that kind of makes my short visit worthwhile.

Agree 100%…always tastes burnt to me.

I've been in a Starbucks once. On the NY Thruway. I had been up since 5:00AM and knew I'd be driving until nearly midnight. Had an iced coffee with a double expresso shot and it did work.

Other than that one time, what I make at home, Micky D's or Cumbie's is just fine. Not a fan of DD coffee anymore - something changed.

Last week I was compelled to buy Starbucks coffee in a hotel lobby because I had no other choices. Kind of went against my grain but I NEEDED my coffee. With Stevia and cream it wasn't too bad.

They are the epitome of advertising and marketing - you need to buy us to be hip/cool/woke - and it worked.

Why else would so many people purchase something this awful.

Caribou is very good - and I always seek out the local coffee places...............

The only flavor I like is the "blonde," because it's not burnt. Unfortunately, they only brew it until 9am because of the high caffeine content. I'm not getting up early for Starbucks.

Another vote for "it tastes like burnt coffee to me".

But if you get the mocha or latte or frappuccino, it works well.

I've had this conversation with friends who consider themselves coffee "connoisseurs" of the crap (full disclosure: I generally dislike coffee as a beverage no matter who the source is, unless there's something else more than sugars and dairy products blended in). They claim that the typical Starbucks coffee bean blends are overroasted; doesn't matter what form it's bought in. Drip, mixed drinks or in the bag for DIY. Their guessing goes that Starbucks buys beans from pretty much everywhere given how big they've become; by doing such dark roasts they can easily mask the quality differences in taste from all of these difference sources of beans. The obvious downside is that the end result is a bean that tastes burnt/bitter. It also accounts for whey Starbucks coffee tastes the same literally everywhere. I kind of believe this but from what I remember their coffee has ALWAYS tasted like this, long before they expanded beyond Seattle.

One side effect of that burnt flavor is that it gave rise to their blended coffee-based drinks. They're no fools; it's the damn drinks that make them their profits. A simple coffee is a simple coffee no matter how bitter or smooth it is; there's zero profit growth at all there. But if a customer wants something that takes the edge off of that bitterness? Get the customer hooked on masking flavors like sugars, flavored syrups and other additives. Then charge them silly money for the effort. Again it works, because that's what Starbucks sells the most is their expensive drinks. It's also why Wall Street loves investing in them so much. All about the Benjamins, baby, particularly in those all important quarterly earnings reports.

My wife will occasionally buy their drip coffee and drinks it BLACK (shudder). She acknowledges that it's not that great-tasting but she's gotten used to it. "As long as it has caffeine", she says that she doesn't really care who makes it though she does prefer the taste of McDonald's coffee since they worked over their blend a few years ago against pretty much anything other fast food chain-sourced coffee. How she or anyone else drinks any of this stuff is beyond me.

As for myself: while a long time ago I would on infrequent occasion have a cup of coffee, these days I would need a (un)healthy shot of Kahlua to drink just about any coffee sold in America.

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:
They are the epitome of advertising and marketing - you need to buy us to be hip/cool/woke - and it worked...

This x 1 million.

I’m not a fan, for most of the reasons previously stated…bitter, over-priced, over-hyped, etc.

I drink my coffee black, and prefer my home brew to any that I’ve purchased in coffee shops. But, a good while back, we invested in an awesome Technivorm machine, a nice ceramic burr grinder, and use primarily Caribou whole beans of our liking. So we make some pretty dang good coffee here at the house.

I’ll admit, now and then, it’s nice to get a good pour-over at one of our local shops and have someone else make it for me. It still pains me to spend $4 for a large, black pour-over though.

I refuse to purchase Starbucks, even if I’m desperate for a cup of coffee on vacation or something. I’ll search a Dunkin Donuts for a dark roast, or settle on a QT if necessary.

Starbucks brilliantly mastered the marketing and catering to young people who have more money (maybe mom and dad’s money?) than sense, if you ask me. It’s been, and still is, a status symbol for them.

George’s Wildberries, W Baseline Rd, Mesa, is closed. I’m stomaching a disgusting cuppa from 7-11. The crazy Hindi had four pots on, all burnt to a crisp. Irredeemable vile brew. No amount of doctoring can bring it back. You bet I’d choose B-bucks if given a chance.

Had a decent cup in Whole Foods on University just west of Mill the other day. A fresh drip. My thinking is it all depends on the ground and the freshness.

Charbucks does not make a good cup of black coffee or straight espresso. It sucks and any local coffee place will taste much, much better. I think Charbucks coffee is for people who like to put sweet stuff in it and then you don’t taste it.

Their coffee isn't bad but certainly overpriced.
I only get their regular cup of Joe once in a while if no alternative but the wife like the fancy ones especially the cold ones.
For obvious reasons politics cloud the actual company product.
It you simply view it as a product then it is what it is - just an OK cup of coffee at a somewhat high price.
Not bad but nothing exceptional, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
Have consumed StarBucks in the past when I needed coffee and no other source was available at that moment, but otherwise I think their coffee is crap, and prices outrageous!

That's where I'm at too.

In a pinch, it's better than stale Folgers or no coffee at all. But Starbucks wouldn't be my first, second, or fifteenth choice, given the option.

In fact, there are some gas stations with better coffee than Starbucks, for a fraction of the price.