Sly Bald Guys Forum
Head Shaving, Grooming & Care => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: dagenhamjim on September 28, 2008, 02:20:39 PM
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Hi Guys wonder if you can help me? The Wife and I had to go to the local mall today (I hate Shopping malls) and after a bit we both wanted a break. We came across a Starbucks and found a table etc. Being the UK Its defo self service, so i had to que along with the other customers and when I eventaully got served I orderd 1 x medium Latte, 1 X medium filter coffee and 2 chocolate muffins. The price for the coffees and the muffins was £7.50 which is about $13.50 owwch that to me was disgusting. so wanted to ask you Guys what you would have paid in a Starbucks in the US and would you get Waiter service or like me you had to serve your self?
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That sounds just about like what US prices are. I'm not a big Starbucks fan because I do think that it is overpriced. McDonalds carries alot of the same stuff now for alot less. Plus I'm not a huge coffee drinker.
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I'm a coffee hound, and thankful for there being no Starbucks in my general area, for the reason dagenhamjim spoke of. Starbucks makes a decent cup of coffee (although there is far better out there!) but they charge far too much for it, as well as the assorted pastries they sell (Which, IMHO, aren't very good anyhow.) My standard drink when I used to hit Starbucks regularly (before we moved) was a Venti (large) mocha frappucino with 4-5 shots of espresso added. It would run me about $6.00 a pop for those ::)
And I don't think I've ever been a Starbucks with waiter service, and I've been in quite a few...
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I am a coffee hound also....I have a cup in my hand almost all day. I use to go to Starbucks, but after they charged my $7.50 for a cup (yes it had 6 shots in it), I stopped doing business with them. I go to just regular coffee shops now, and have a good cup for $1.50 and can get 3 or 4 refills........but 13$ sounds about average I think.
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I have coffee issues ... I roast my own coffee (when in a house - not in the marriot), and do so once or twice each week. Also, I have a commercial grinder, as coffee becomes stale 40 seconds after grinding and getting a grind with consistent granual size (no powder) results in minimal bitterness.
I do like Starbucks, but agree that their prices are a ripoff. I'm sure we'd have paid about the same for the stuff you purchased. While I like to roast my beans on the darker side, Charbucks almost burns theirs.
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I hate Starbucks.
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Starbuck's is too dang high on their prices. I take my own coffee to work in a travel mug. Sometimes I'll stop at one of the local gas stations and get a large cappucino to get my ticker started. And that's only $1.75!
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my take on starbucks is negative. aside from the high prices, the quality is just not what it was a few yrs. ago. Noticed this when i was living in Penn.; thought the weak coffee was just a dumb local's fault who didn't know how to make it. But i've found this to be the case in lots of other locations.
I know other people notice it too; and try to do something about it. In the airport last week (where, yeah; i was at a starbucks) this guy orderd a capucino and requested "no foam" -- this was funny; 'cause my cap. was about HALF foam.
So; Starbucks is a rip off for more reasons than high prices.
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I think Starbucks is horrible....never liked their coffee at all....
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I drink a lot of coffee. Guess that comes from being a soldier and cop(and being stationed up at ft. lewis, WA for so many years). In m opinion, Starbucks delivers a coffee thats gets solid "C" grade and that is grossly overpriced for the amount in the cup.
The company is having some friction' They are closing stores and they brought back the CEO that helped take the company public. I make my coffee drinks at home now because of the price. Four dollars for a coffee drink, PLUS sales tax, and then on top of that, Starbucks has a tip jar on the counter. Its hard for me to tip when I go the counter, pick up my drink and food, seat myself, get my refills, and then clear my table. I think that if the returning CEO doesnt get the company turned around, Starbucks may not be around in its present form in a couple of years.
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Hear hear,
I got a 20 buck gift certificate so I stopped by afew times to get the coffee. It's decent, but I make coffee at my house and bring it to work/school in a thermos for the best quality and price.
I would not go there and spend my own money.
The coffee maker is an old school cappuccino cooker.
I think it's settled that this group isn't crazy about Starbucks.
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*Chuckles* I figured out my own recipe to make (my take on) the "frappucino" that Starbucks sells. Not only does it taste a little better than theirs, but I can change the amount of Chocolate/Coffee I add to suit my taste on that particular day. O0
C*f3
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I visited a starbucks only ONCE...and didnt care for it. I will just have my cup of joe from either a gas station locally that sells good stuff or brew my own at home.
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I like the coffee at Starbucks. I hate the prices!
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I am a former Starbucks "Partner". I do like the coffee and other products. But I think it would be wise to try to lower the prices. But admittedly I have a soft spot in my heart for the company. At least for the outlet at the local mall that I worked at. After getting laid off at my former aerospace job after 9-11, I had to get a job that would help extend my unemployment until I got a better job. My experience was a positive one and my co-workers made coming to work a joy in a hard time of my life. So I kind of have to be soft on Starbucks.
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We used to go to Starbucks 3 or 4 times a week.
We still go every now and again (As a matter of fact we went earlier tonight) but these days it's more like 3 or 4 times a month.
We got one of those Keurig K-Cup machines and now when we want coffee, we usually just get it from home.
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Starbux (for a medium latte ) runs $4 here + a bagel or such. I gave up sepending $5 bux a day a ges ago and use the hot water at work for tea. Also the quality of Starbux is not what it used to be. Im not cheap but Im giving up Starbux to pay my oil bills. LOL
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I'm with Kojack. We picked up a Keurig machine about a year ago. I love that thing. I make a couple of cups each morning before I head out & every now & then I'll make a cup in the evening. My wife is addicted to the teas. I figured I would be spending a crap load of money on the K-Cups. But I actually did the math & so far I've spent about $1.85 per day buying the coffee. I used to spend WAY more than that at D.D.
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Yeah .. I give it up a long time ago... When they closed the one in my driveway
http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/55769/
Starbux (for a medium latte ) runs $4 here + a bagel or such. I gave up sepending $5 bux a day a ges ago and use the hot water at work for tea. Also the quality of Starbux is not what it used to be. Im not cheap but Im giving up Starbux to pay my oil bills. LOL
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I've never been to Starbucks, and I don't plan on it anytime soon. I drink cowboy coffee when I am in the woods, but never really outside of that.
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I'm with Kojack. We picked up a Keurig machine about a year ago. I love that thing. I make a couple of cups each morning before I head out & every now & then I'll make a cup in the evening. My wife is addicted to the teas. I figured I would be spending a crap load of money on the K-Cups. But I actually did the math & so far I've spent about $1.85 per day buying the coffee. I used to spend WAY more than that at D.D.
Keurig has an adaptor called My K-Cup where you can buy your own favorite ground coffee and use it in the adaptor. It's just like making your own K-Cup. So if you love Starbucks coffee, you can buy it at the supermarket and brew your own at home.
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We call it Charbucks, because they burn the beans. Also, since I'm going for the amount of caffeine, I personally believe that a regular cup of drip coffee has more caffeine than the amount that you'd get in a latte. Also, because I'm a proper Bostonian in exile in North Idaho, I get Dunkin Donuts coffee beans sent to me via care packages. (We'll be back in Boston for 3 weeks the end of this month). So, when we're in Boston, I'll be making a point of getting breakfast every day at Dunkin Donuts.
Besides, I can make a pot of drip coffee a whole lot cheaper than getting overpriced lattes at Charbucks. (The only reason that I go to Charbucks at all is because I was given a gift card for Christmas).
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I'm with Kojack. We picked up a Keurig machine about a year ago. I love that thing. I make a couple of cups each morning before I head out & every now & then I'll make a cup in the evening. My wife is addicted to the teas. I figured I would be spending a crap load of money on the K-Cups. But I actually did the math & so far I've spent about $1.85 per day buying the coffee. I used to spend WAY more than that at D.D.
Keurig has an adaptor called My K-Cup where you can buy your own favorite ground coffee and use it in the adaptor. It's just like making your own K-Cup. So if you love Starbucks coffee, you can buy it at the supermarket and brew your own at home.
That's right! I completely forgot to mention that nifty device. I purchased one of these back when I picked up the brewer. It's great. The only negative is you get so used to popping out the k-cup and throwing it away, it makes cleaning the "my k-cup" a pain. Man I'm lazy!
One side note. Only because several people on this thread have mentioned the "burned" taste of Starbucks. One of my friends opened up a coffee shop and prior to doing so did a lot of research about coffee beans. He made a comment once about Starbucks ability to serve a consistant cup of coffee, that they intentionally purchase sub par beans for their coffee. That way you consistently get a sub-par cup of coffe, nothing more...nothing less. The beauty of marketing!
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Ihave had starbucks a few times and feel it is average at best, I make a pretty good cup of coffee myself and it a great way to start my day. As for coffee bars and shops go I have to say that TIM HORTONS is by far the best there is...............other than my own!
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Ripped off AND Starbucks in the same sentence? Aren't those one in the same?
I've been to Starbucks once, and the lady got su frustrated with me cause I got up and asked for an extra large triple triple. She looked at me and said "you mean a ..........." I don't remember cause it was so obscure.
I looked at her with this dumb blank look of confusion and said "Eh? Huh what? I just want and extra large triple triple!"
It took a few minutes of arguing back and forth as I explained to her that I wanted the biggest size coffee they had with 3 cream and 3 sugar.
The thing cost me $5 something!!! I've not been back since and don't plan on it. I go to Tim Horton's where I go up and say "Extra large triple triple and a muffin please" and I get exactly that and it costs me less than $2.50!!!
LOL Im a cop-Starbucks is too expensive for my paycheck.
I hear you there! In Canada, when we're on duty, law enforcement gets our coffee free at Tim Horton's. Starbucks offers law enforcement coffee at 50% off but that's STILL no incentive to go there.
Why the hell should I have to learn a new friggen language just to order a coffee? Hell, I already speak the 3 main languages of North America, so if they can't understand me in one of them then I'll go somewhere else!!!
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In the airport last week (where, yeah; i was at a starbucks) this guy orderd a capucino and requested "no foam" -- this was funny; 'cause my cap. was about HALF foam.
In case anybody ever wondered about this the term "cappuccino" refers to the foam "cap" on the drink. A cappy without foam is what is called a latte.
We don't have a Starbuck's in the area where I live but when I am in Wausau, about 60 miles to the south, I will generally stop in at Starbuck's for a Venti Mocha. I agree that their prices are too high, especially in these times, but I consider it a treat more than a regular thing.
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I hate Starbucks.
I agree with Schro.
Sincerely,
Schro
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TimHortons is the best, but dont forget about 7-11 its not very expensive and they have all kinds of flavourings and crap that you can put in. Try half coffee, half hot chocolate with a bit of vanilla whatever in it. I can fill my whole thermos for a couple bucks.
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Ripped off AND Starbucks in the same sentence? Aren't those one in the same?
I've been to Starbucks once, and the lady got su frustrated with me cause I got up and asked for an extra large triple triple. She looked at me and said "you mean a ..........." I don't remember cause it was so obscure.
I looked at her with this dumb blank look of confusion and said "Eh? Huh what? I just want and extra large triple triple!"
It took a few minutes of arguing back and forth as I explained to her that I wanted the biggest size coffee they had with 3 cream and 3 sugar.
The thing cost me $5 something!!! I've not been back since and don't plan on it. I go to Tim Horton's where I go up and say "Extra large triple triple and a muffin please" and I get exactly that and it costs me less than $2.50!!!
LOL Im a cop-Starbucks is too expensive for my paycheck.
I hear you there! In Canada, when we're on duty, law enforcement gets our coffee free at Tim Horton's. Starbucks offers law enforcement coffee at 50% off but that's STILL no incentive to go there.
Why the hell should I have to learn a new friggen language just to order a coffee? Hell, I already speak the 3 main languages of North America, so if they can't understand me in one of them then I'll go somewhere else!!!
Bro, hit any Tim Hortons anywhere in Canada in the morning and it sounds like a bunch of turkeys bickering, "Double Double, Double Double, Double Double" hahaha
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Did you get ripped off at Starbucks? Yup. Welcome to Starbucks. With Starbucks you're basically buying the "cool" factor in being seen in their stores or sipping lattes from their little cups. I think once Starbucks loses its cool image it's going to be hurting bad because some of their business decisions just don't make any sense.
For example, in my local mall we had 2 of these stores: one on on the second floor at the end of the food court and another on the first floor. They were separated by an escalator. That's bad decision #1. When Starbucks shut down a bunch of stores they shut down both of these. Obviously the stores must have been somewhat close to being profitable since both were around for a while and the other was a Barneys prior to being a Starbucks. So instead of shutting down one and basically doubling the business of the other, they shut down both. That's mistake #2. In another local mall we had not one, not two, but three Starbucks. That's mistake #3.
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I love Starbucks but not at those prices. Maybe that is why our new Starbucks closed last weekend. :-\
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I hit a Charbucks occasionally...
What kills me is the requisite tip jar -- the "barrista" (bwaahaaahaa :*))) can barely make the effort to smile or even be polite, glares at me if I don't order in the exact starbucks weird coffee language and has only helped me for 2.5 minutes and then they expect a tip?
-- for what?!?!?!?!?!?
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I got tired of paying $3 & $4 at the coffee bar in the building for cappacino and latte, so I dug out our expresso machine that hadn't been used since before Katrina and got a can of Italian expresso coffee at the Italian deli--I now make my own--after 4 uses of the machine, I'm now ahead of the game. Plus, it's a consistent product I control. It's really not hard to do. But--no money in the tip jar so far! ;)
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I guess I am definitely in the minority here. I really like the drinks at Starbucks. I go once or twice a day. Now if I was just a "plain" coffee drinker, I guess I wouldn't waste my time going there, but I order all those "foo-foo" coffee drinks, and really enjoy them. Their oatmeal is yummy too!
Here in SOCAL, you can be waiting in line at one Starbucks...and be looking at the line at another. There are WAY too many of them, and I am sure some will close.
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Antimidas' rules of tipping
If I order food to go at a restaurant and they either deliver or bring to my car, I tip. If I go somewhere and have to go in to pick of the food or in any way serve myself, I don't tip. I never tip at a drive through of any kind. When I go some place where I have to serve myself and they have a tip jar prominently displayed, I inform them that to earn a tip they must serve me. Tips are for good service not self service, and I have no problem explaining that to them. I also refuse to go to places where they calculate the tip into your bill unless it is a large group and not my decision. Then I only tip the required amount or simply don't go. Tips are merit based and not an expense line item. Besides, we are already way over-paying for mildly flavored hot water at coffee shops. They should tip me for placing my order, drinking it and disposing of my own trash.
But to all the cheapskates out there that don't like to tip altogether, when you sit down at a table and the wait staff is serving you, you tip them. I never leave a place without tipping $5 at the least. Most of them have diminished wages because the employers consider tips part of their compensation. To not tip is rude.
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I love Starbucks but not at those prices. Maybe that is why our new Starbucks closed last weekend. :-\
They took down the sign today. Sorry to see it go. Tough for the economy of a small town trying to play with the big boys. :(
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I love Starbucks but not at those prices. Maybe that is why our new Starbucks closed last weekend. :-\
They took down the sign today. Sorry to see it go. Tough for the economy of a small town trying to play with the big boys. :(
Time to open up a Dunkin' Donuts Steve, it would probably do way better. O0
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Within the vicinity of my house and around the university, we have 7 starbucks, I don't waste my time because I have Peets coffee near my house.
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Caribou Coffe is just as plentiful around here. Then there is also Dunn Brothers. Until it falls back to a nickel a cup, I think I will stick to Diet Coke or the cheap stuff at home for my morning caffeine supplement. Gots to have me my Diet Coke intake of two liters per day. :)
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I do not do the Starbucks thing...well for one, we do not have one located in this town..it wouldnt survive anyways. We already have a great locally owned coffeehouse, Cherry Ghost Coffeehouse. On Friday and Saturday nights you can even go there and enjoy local talent playing their music. Y'all come down for a visit and we will go.
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Our family supports the local home team, PJ's over the Starbuck's guys, when we don't make our own.
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Starbucks coffee always seemed a little on the burned side to me.
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When ever I go in I feel like my masculinity has been pulled out from underneath me - the coffees not bad just abit overpriced for my student pocket, I dont understand how they can charge £3-4 ($4.80) for some coffee beans and hot water!
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overpriced and I switched to tea.
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Starbucks coffee always seemed a little on the burned side to me.
Dark roast is hard to do right, many times they seem to miss.
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I've never had Starbucks, nor have I ever really wanted to. I just can't see paying that much for a cup of coffee. I prefer to make my coffee at home. If I get a cup out somewhere, it's at a quick shop or McDonalds.
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Starbucks coffee always seemed a little on the burned side to me.
As it is, the darker the roast, the less caffeine there is. Since I'm going for caffeine, I will order "drip" coffee at a place like Starbucks over a latte. I'm also a fan of using the French press.
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The darker and thicker the better. When I was in the Air Force, we had a naval petty officer in our class who only had the responsibility of making coffee for one day. When he used 2 1/2 pounds to make one pot, they stripped him from ever making it again. But being a navy brat myself, i prefer shipboard coffee with the consistency of road tar.
I have a friend from Peru, South America that has brought me some fresh stuff back when he travels there. I can use half as much as normal in a drip maker and still get it so dark you cannot see a 1 million candlepower light through it. :) My kind of drink.
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The darker and thicker the better. When I was in the Air Force, we had a naval petty officer in our class who only had the responsibility of making coffee for one day. When he used 2 1/2 pounds to make one pot, they stripped him from ever making it again. But being a navy brat myself, i prefer shipboard coffee with the consistency of road tar.
I have a friend from Peru, South America that has brought me some fresh stuff back when he travels there. I can use half as much as normal in a drip maker and still get it so dark you cannot see a 1 million candlepower light through it. :) My kind of drink.
I grew up drinking Turkish coffee, the type that you drink in a little demitasse with the grounds in the bottom of the cup, so American coffee is like water to me.
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Getting coffee at Starbucks is like asking a fox to look after the hen house. Big expense, little satisfaction...unless you like to pay a fortune for a few cents worth of a hot water infusion from coffee beans. You ask, "pay a fortune?" Brewing your own coffee provides a cup--"Vente," or beyond, your choice--1/10 or less than the hit at Starbucks. Then you can use the savings to buy lottery tickets. Another wise investment.
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Starbucks doesn't sell New Orleans dark roast with chicory--that's the best you can get. They have a long way to go to serve cafe au lait with beignets.
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I have cut out Starbucks except for the occasional afternoon 3pm meeting and then it's still $8 for 2 cafe au laits or something. Remember: The sandwiches are delivered at 2am the day before. They are not fresh according to people Ive spoken to.
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They have a long way to go to serve cafe au lait with beignets.
Cafe du Monde... :@`
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I never feel ripped off at Starbucks, because you know the price if high when you walk in the doors. You glance under the glass at the pastries etc, and see $1.99 or so for what seem's like a little sliver of round cake etc. You have the option of buying or walking. My wife and I enjoy Starbucks because its pretty much not where your gonna be bothered by socker mom with a screaming infant or pack of rug rats running amuck of the place.
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Late follow-up, but I could not resist. I got this little diddy in my email today.
Starbucks Corp. is raising prices on certain harder-to-make beverages — and cutting the costs for simpler ones like a plain cup of coffee, the company said Thursday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32498075/ns/business-consumer_news/
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Coffee is my hobby.... I have a small commerical roaster and roast my beans once every week. I get premium green beans from sweetmarias.com in Oakland, CA. I have a commerical grade grinder and only grind right before brewing, as coffee begins to go stale 40 seconds after grinding. The beans begin to go stale starting at about 10 days after roasting. I normally give away left-over beans every week (7 - 10 days old) and keep the freshest ones for my family.
All of this may seem a little extreme, but I've been told many times that my coffee is "the best they've ever had". I'm told that one neighbor hides my coffee from the rest of his family, stockpiling it for himself.
There are actually many factors that are involved in making great coffee. It starts with premium green beans, then proper roasting, proper grinding, filtered water, and of course proper brewing. Believe it or not there is so much that can go wrong with any one of these steps, which is why so much lousy coffee is served even in nice restaurants.
As far as Charbucks, it's ok, but they really do burn their beans. I also think they mix in cheaper beans that have higher amounts of caffeine, as I'm always very wired after drinking a cup of charbucks. The better beans, Arabica, have less caffeine than the cheaper beans, robusto, which are used in the big box brands.
Anyway, I rarely drink Starbucks, but it's actually better than the other 4 coffee houses in our town. I've dumped my coffee out at all the others in town. There is only one coffee house (which is in Rhode Island) whose coffee I love, and they roast on site.
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Andrew- I'm with you. My wife & me had a coffee house in Bend, OR, for ten years called the Cafe Paradiso- named after the movie Cinema Paradiso, a great renter flick.
We had a very unique set-up called the "brew bar"- based on the Melitta power-over process. In a stainless steel unit we lined up 5 Melitta plastic holders and when customer would order we had a choice of four very fresh ground beans, we would do the pour-over and they would take the cup out from their side of the counter- we gaot raves on our coffees which we shipped in from a great Roaster; Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Co. in Santa Cruz, CA. The world continues to crave great coffee and hand-crafted beers- I'll drink to that!
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Just give me that Jamaica Blue Mountain Peaberry! $178 a pound! Yeah!!! :*)) Actually, the only thing I like from Starbucks is they have a green tea frappuccino that tastes like sweetened matcha (Japanese bitter green tea) with milk. Pretty tasty, if you ask me.
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I buy green coffee beans from different parts of the world, roast up a couple of days worth of beans then grind them up as I need them. There's no way starbucks can be any better than that at those prices. I usually pay between $3.50 to $4.50 a pound for the beans and it doesn't get any fresher with nothing added to increase shelf life. Roasted coffee beans can only sit around for a week then they get bitter and undrinkable. Jamaica Blue Mountain Peaberry sells for $23 a pound but too expensive for me considering I might not even like it.
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Starbucks doesn't sell New Orleans dark roast with chicory--that's the best you can get. They have a long way to go to serve cafe au lait with beignets.
Amen! Got introduced to chicory at a place in Longmont, CO called Lucille's. So strong and yet so smooth. Makes my mouth water to remember it. Now, I know it's not like being in New Orleans but it really set the hook in me. Lucille's also has a place in Boulder in case anybody out west decides to check it out.
Since that first day my wife and I order dark roast with chicory from a place in New Orleans called The Orleans Coffee Company. This stuff is dark and delicious. Friends of mine don't like it, they say it is too strong. That's cool, I get to finish the pot. Also works great in a press.
I can't stand it when you pick up a full pot of coffee to use as a magnifying glass to read the paper. Yeah, so times are tough! If I can't even get a decent cuppa joe because the economy's in the tank it's time to check the f^@& out!
Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. I'll be quiet now.