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B-Rant- submitted by Linda Keenan on 02/06/2008 To Hell With Political Correctness. I Love Starbucks!By Linda Keenan I'm about to admit something that will get me run out of sophisticated society with people wielding deadly demitasse spoons: I love Starbucks. I don't want the company to close any of their stores as part of a global retrenchment. Not the one that, according to the company locator, is 0.8 miles away from me. Or 1.1 miles away. Or 2.2 miles away. Or even the one 4.8 miles away. I especially love the drive-thru one in Harpswell, Maine, where my mother-in-law lives. Not that her coffee is bad, of course. But it isn't Starbucks. I am 38, and in 20 or so years of hard-core coffee drinking I have followed Starbucks from a smattering of urban stores (my local store in the mid-90s was Astor Place in Manhattan, one of the busiest in the world) to ubiquity in the city, to blessed saturation in the suburbs where I now live. I well remember the era before Starbucks was on every corner, and from my perspective that was a benighted time for those who wanted a consistently good cup of coffee. I've been to innumerable coffee houses, often taken there by friends who couldn't stomach the idea of drinking "corporate" coffee. And I, in turn, found I often couldn't stomach the coffee they served. My experiences there were wildly inconsistent, and the employees often far more insolent and pretentious than any I've met at Starbucks. Of course there are terrific independent coffee houses, but I'm happy to note that those places I do remember fondly have continued to thrive in spite of Starbucks. I should say that I am pathologically non-nostalgic, and I've never romanticized the "coffee experience," which is precisely what the Starbucks CEO seems intent on resurrecting. I don't long for spirited discussions of Voltaire with strangers when I get my coffee. I don't imagine a caffeine-fueled Algonquin Roundtable translated to my coffee shop off the interstate. Mostly what I want is to go to a place where my coffee is always good, where the lighting and furnishings are less dreary than, say, "Drunken Dognuts," where I can hear music that may be cynically chosen but undeniably better than most chain stores, where I can plug in my computer to join the modern café society I actually do belong to: the internet. Is Starbucks good or bad for the world? Has the company exported coffee-drinking homogeneity around the globe? Does it treat growers fairly? Those questions are valid ones and I wouldn't attempt to answer them here, nor do I have the expertise to do so. But as for this committed coffee fiend, when it comes to consistent quality, a Starbucks Venti Bold is just my cup of tea.
  wHY IS is so hard for people - submitted by Anonymous on 02/06/2008
wHY IS is so hard for people to accept that Starbucks makes good coffee? Have you tried dunkin donuts lately? It's horrible. Thank You linda, I'?ve been - submitted by coffeelover on 02/06/2008
Thank You linda, I'?ve been thinking the same thing. So what Starbuckks is corporate. It's the best place to get consistently good coffee and yuou pay for it. beg to differ - submitted by Anonymous on 02/06/2008
Sorry guys, but Starbucks has past its prime. I like Dunkin Donuts coffee and I like its price. Starbucks became a mini-mall, not a coffee place. Sheetz - submitted by S.P. Gass on 02/06/2008
Starbucks tastes good, and the success of the company is an amazing story. The price does seem high to me, especially for everyday coffeegoers. Sheetz (gas station chain) is now offering gourmet coffee at lower prices. S.P. Gass http://lowtechtimes.com hi! i think people have - submitted by linda keenan on 02/07/2008
hi! i think people have very different coffee habits. once i got used to the strong taste back in my 20's i couldnt go back. i am also one of the contrarians who doesnt even think it's that expensive. what is the large at dunkin donuts going for these days? ill have to look but it's maybe 50 cents more at sbux and 10 times better. now i should say that i cut out starbucks for several years as part of my 'im buying a house austerity plan'. but it has snuck back in now that im working (somewhat). and i LOVE IT! By many taste tests, Dunkin - submitted by Anonymous on 02/07/2008
By many taste tests, Dunkin Donuts has won many times over the last several years. Do the research, Starbucks is well down the list at like 12th or 13th. The experience ok, the wi-fi kewl place ok, but not for the taste of the coffee. yummmy - submitted by starbucker on 02/07/2008
i love orange cream frappucinos!!!!!! with all my heart.No where else i'm aware of offers them or the delectable caramel apple cider. i know dunkin has won some - submitted by whoknows on 02/07/2008
i know dunkin has won some taste tests but i don't get it at all. it's weak and sometimes burned. i think starbucks is a lot better. but i also like seattle best and green mountain. hey, starbucker, I totally - submitted by Relly on 02/07/2008
hey, starbucker, I totally agree. Orange Cream frappucinos rock! I could care less about - submitted by just totally nasty on 02/14/2008
I could care less about Starbucks' ubiquity or any of that other crap. Their coffee is awful. Thank God one of those decent independent coffee houses is right next to my office. i agree - submitted by Anonymous on 02/24/2008
Starbucks is good coffee, I agree, they roast the beans to give a stronger flavor. regular people like weak bland coffee. my second choice is Tim Horton's good stuff. my 2 cents Am I Crazy ? - submitted by Anonymous on 08/06/2008
I like Starbucks. I also like some mom and pop coffee shops too. It all depends on my mood that day.  |
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