The Starbucks Supremacy

[TomCat84]

^ It must be. Tea's harmless and lovely, and we couldn't possibly be addicted, could we?

Must be why you Brits are so damn crazy :biggrin1:

 

[TomCat84]

Starbucks coffee simply sucks. Perhaps the worst cup of coffee out there. I am a coffee drinker. I like Seattles Best ( Borders Book Store) is much better. Starbucks is laced with something. Who knows what else is in it? Perhaps cat urine?

Hint: Seattle's Best is owned by Starbucks :tongue:

 

[joe bltsflk]

I hate the taste of coffee. When I need caffeine, I just take half of a No-Doz.

 

[Mr. Snakey]

Hint: Seattle's Best is owned by Starbucks :tongue:

You are correct. I just did a search. Learn something new every day. Thanx.

 

[798686]

Must be why you Brits are so damn crazy :biggrin1:

Bloody colonials - so cheeky! :wink::tongue:

The British Empire was fuelled by tea, yknow. And slavery, but er...we won't go into that. :redface:

 

[helgaleena]

I do not like them because they do not have a 'bottomless' cup option, like our local coffeehouses do. I need serious caffeination when I go to a commercial place and one lousy tumbler ain't going to do the job.

Most of your espresso based drinks are off my menu anyway because of the cholesterol. Filtering removes the harmful oils, so a quality roast will still be wonderful and a cheap swill will be easy to spot.

When you add all that syrup and froth, it may as well be Maxwell House.

 

[DiscoBoy]

I chose the pretentious option.

I don't often go to Starbucks for a variety of reasons: I'm not the biggest fan of coffee (or anything caffeinated, really), Starbucks is way overpriced/I'm cheap, their food options are horrid (if not old, then bland) and I just can't understand anything on the menu.

The few times I have ordered anything (as opposed to sitting at a table waiting on others), I've more often than not made the mistake of asking for a S/M/L, only to be faced with a rude, irritated expression on the face of the barista just before I realise my mistake and embarrassedly mumble out the correct lingo. It's not a pleasant experience, and it just puts me off from ordering in the future. It also doesn't help that the baristas I've encountered are such stiffs about it. They know exactly what I'm talking about, I don't get why they have to be such pricks.

Also, they charge extra for lactose-free milk which is annoying (but I suppose I should be grateful it's even an option).

All in all, shitty cheap Timmy's coffee is the way to go.

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

All in all, shitty cheap Timmy's coffee is the way to go.

The terrorists have won.

 

[midlifebear]

In 1979 I thought a bicycle tour of the San Juan Islands would be a good idea for a vacation. And it was. I had an old friend who lived in Seattle in the Capitol Hill district who was not only willing to pick us up at the airport, but to also put me and my boyfriend up for the night. She lived with two queens she'd met during Erhard Seminar Training thingys (remember est?). We had most of that first afternoon to explore Capitol Hill and discovered what I've since learned was Starbuck's second store. It was homey. It was the local place to support. It was just like everyone's favorite, slightly funky and a bit run down building with a giant coffee roaster on one side of the store. We bought a pound of French Roast as a gift for our hosts. They were beside themselves with joy that we were able to "divine" what was their favorite coffee without being est graduates.

It's 2011 (almost). I dislike Starbucks. I don't begrudge the company's success. But my crankiness factor expands cosmologically whenever I arrive at an airport and the main choice for a hot mocha java is Starbucks. They seem "frozen" into thinking that mocha java must always be a cold frappe. Not. And I really dislike being forced to play toy Italian just to order a big cup. And I'm really not that thrilled with their coffees.

When I started this thread I selected the "pretentious" vote. And after watching the folks who hang out at the newly opened Starbucks in my BsAs neighborhood, I can attest it attracts an equally pretentious crowd. There is another coffee house here, (unlike the million of cafes where the best coffee available, if they have it, is Cabrales), on Pueyrredon that roasts their own beans. And they charge a bajillion pesos for half a kilo of Java or Sumatra. Plus, they are so pissy that they refuse to grind you a whole half kilo to go, because they insist it will go stale in a few days. Actually, this is true, unless you keep it in a Tupper Ware-like container in the freezer, which is what I do.

I'm all for supporting one's local coffee house. Even Salt Lake City has Salt Lake Roasting Company and The Coffee Garden, two very pleasant places to enjoy the free WiFi and hang out with that oxymoron known as Ewetaw Intelligentsia.

 

[nudeyorker]

I don't know that I would call the Starbucks pretentious but I've never sat down in one. A friend of mine calls it "The Waiting Room Of The Damned!" Because almost everyone is sitting there with their laptops. I was thinking about my favorite place for coffee in NYC and its...Lady M Confections, Cake Boutique House
Great coffee and the best cake available in NYC outside of my kitchen.

 

[798686]

Speaking of dodgy coffees...has anyone noticed those slightly dangerous cups they give you at McDonalds? They've got a tear-off section on the side, presumably to rip open when you've finished the drink - but anyone stupid enough (ie: me) could just tear it open, thinking it was an extra strip, and end up with boiling hot coffee all over 'em. :redface:

 

[Opalite]

I never actualy had coffee there (I actually hate going in at all.. that clown is just seriously scary, people!), so I wouldnt know about the cups? You should make a picture of them for me next time you go, they do sound funny enough. Not of the clown though.

 

[nudeyorker]

Speaking of dodgy coffees...has anyone noticed those slightly dangerous cups they give you at McDonalds? They've got a tear-off section on the side, presumably to rip open when you've finished the drink - but anyone stupid enough (ie: me) could just tear it open, thinking it was an extra strip, and end up with boiling hot coffee all over 'em. :redface:

How hot was the coffee? Did you pay with a Euro? (jk)
YouTube - McDonald's Hot Coffee

 

[rayray]

I know there are better tasting coffees..But i dont think paying as much as Starbucks charges for any size coffee is not reasonable.

 

[798686]

How hot was the coffee? Did you pay with a Euro? (jk)
YouTube - McDonald's Hot Coffee

It must've been at least 180f. :tongue:
And no, I got someone else to pay, of course. In pounds sterling. :wink:

 

[jjsjr]

Mine: Triple Tall Non-fat No-whip Mocha

I order coffee from my local coffee shop, so Starbucks is a non-issue for me.
But I know my order for whenever I end up going to a Starbucks.

 

[willow78]

I usually cause trouble by asking, "Which one is a small?"

I buck the system when I go to Starbucks... I ask for a small, medium or large... the baristas still treat me like a Star.

Do a Billy Connolly and ask for an 'Extra-Medium'
(he was actually talking about clothes shops but it could be applied to Starfucks)

...However, the sizes of their drinks are clearly advertised next to the cashier as "small", "medium", and "large." None of the venti or grande crap they force 'Mericuhns and Canadians to suffer. Of course, it's a bit of a strain on the people of Buenos Aires, the majority of whom do not speak English...

It's all about Starbucks being pretentious - everything sounds much fancier when it's foreign. If you go to a French restaurant and saw "pomme frites" on the menu, you'd expect it to be some 'haute cuisine' dish but it's just french fries.

I don't even like coffee - I'm 100% tea-drinker - I just like having an opinion on every thread. :biggrin1:

 

[accemb]

Starbucks is overpriced and pretentious; their coffee isn't that great either, in my opinion.

 

[Mr. Snakey]

I think The kid from Brooklyn has it about right with his opinion on Starbucks.:biggrin1:

YouTube - The Kid from Brooklyn - Starbucks

 

[rob_just_rob]

I don't drink coffee.