The Starbucks Experience

[PhoenixAzul]

Because I'm now a consultant, I'm in the habit of doing initial client meetings/cold call meetings in coffee shops. I always buy. And I always use a non-Starbucks. I don't particularly care for the coffee at the stores, and the atmosphere has never really done anything for me.

My two favorite locations in Pittsburgh as of yet for client meetings/general consumption of coffee:
http://www.commonplacecoffee.com/
and
http://espressoamano.com/

Great coffee, nice folk (the Espresso guy always filled my water bottles for free when I was out on my long runs!).

For drinking at home, I go to http://www.prestogeorge.com/ and buy the JP Hearty blend. The best coffee, ever. Hands down. In a french press, please!

[HQWest]

I like Caribou too and used to go there in college but the location here is not very big.

Panera is also good. It is not as extensive a coffee menu, but free wifi and good breakfast items. It is also very high on the people watching list in my town as it seems to be the number one place for first meeting IRL for couples from the Christian Singles website

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

I also enjoy the environment at Caribou, too. They have a fireplace at the one I go to. Unfortunately, it's not a real fireplace, but it gives me a similar feeling as a real one. Maybe it's against code here to have a real fireplace inside of a coffee shop.

It's probably for insurance reasons they have the faux fireplace, or maybe shariah law forbids fireplaces there. Not sure f you know this but the majority stakeholder in Caribou is a bank out of the middle east and it's specifically written that CC has to follow shariah rules in how they operate (how they borrow money, no porn, alcohol or pork served etc). It's quite interesting.

But in regards to other Michigan coffee places-
The coffee beanery....horrid
Panera...good food but the coffee is so-so
Tim Hortons...never really had it
Biggsby...didn't care for it as Beaners and wasn't impressed after the whole name/image change either.
Dunkin Donuts-good drip coffee but those donuts are too tempting so I avoid that place.

[Gusteau]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAzul

Because I'm now a consultant, I'm in the habit of doing initial client meetings/cold call meetings in coffee shops. I always buy. And I always use a non-Starbucks. I don't particularly care for the coffee at the stores, and the atmosphere has never really done anything for me.

Yes. I live in coffeehouses, be it Starbucks or some other venue. I'm a tea drinker, so I can't really comment on the quality of coffee (though a friend's father french presses a 50/50 mixture of Starbucks' Pike and Italian Roast that is almost good enough to convert me from tea). I do enjoy the atmosphere of Starbucks because when I'm traveling I can walk into a store and know what to expect. Having the same decor and music can be very comforting when you're on the road for four months at a time.

That being said, I love the local places, and try to find those versus Starbucks, mostly because I think they more often have better pastries and snacks.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It's probably for insurance reasons they have the faux fireplace, or maybe shariah law forbids fireplaces there. Not sure f you know this but the majority stakeholder in Caribou is a bank out of the middle east and it's specifically written that CC has to follow shariah rules in how they operate (how they borrow money, no porn, alcohol or pork served etc). It's quite interesting.

Really? Wow, I didn't know that. That is very interesting. Now, when I go I'm going to be looking for things that seem to be different from the other coffee shops I go to. I also didn't know what a simulated fireplace was called (). Thanks PiKA. Yep, at first, I kind of figured that maybe it could have been for insurance reasons.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

But in regards to other Michigan coffee places-
The coffee beanery....horrid
Panera...good food but the coffee is so-so
Tim Hortons...never really had it
Biggsby...didn't care for it as Beaners and wasn't impressed after the whole name/image change either.
Dunkin Donuts-good drip coffee but those donuts are too tempting so I avoid that place.

lol
High fiving ya -the Coffee Beanery is awful. Yuck! -There was another coffee shop, which I think was a Coffee Beanery as I can remember. It closed. It was on the corner of Grand River and Meadowbrook, which I thought was a good location, so I was surprised when it closed. It closed long before I moved to Westbloom from Lansing.

I don't go to Panera as often as I used to. I think I've had coffee there maybe a few times. I would get an asiago cheese bagel, and an orange juice whenever I would go.

Hey, what happened to Biggby's old name? I can't remember if I read it on here or if someone told me. But, I remember the name being changed from Beaners to Biggby, because of something racial. I could be wrong, but that's what I remember reading, or when I was talking to someone about it. I like their coffee, though. It's not always hot, but the one I go to has a microwave, so I nuke it for a few seconds...still kind of annoying that I sometimes have to do that, though.

I've never been to Tim Hortons. I hear they have great coffee.

Yeah, I hear ya. I like Dunkin Donuts, but I don't go as often. I have to watch my figure.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Re: Beaners to Biggby...

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2007..._as_biggby.htm

[ColdInCanada11]

ASTalumna06, I'm not sure if they've changed it. It tasted like a different chocolate was used when I tried the peppermint hot chocolate at Christmas, but my friend bought me a regular hot chocolate a couple of weeks of ago, and it tasted like the usual dark chocolate to me!

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

Re: Beaners to Biggby...

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2007..._as_biggby.htm

Thanks for posting this. I knew I saw it somewhere. Funny thing is I've always remembered Biggby as "Biggby". I don't remember it ever being called Beaner's. I guess I've never paid much attention since I've only been going there since last year. It's just that I've never seen the "Beaner's" name before.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Thanks for posting this. I knew I saw it somewhere. Funny thing is I've always remembered Biggby as "Biggby". I don't remember it ever being called Beaner's. I guess I've never paid much attention since I've only been going there since last year. It's just that I've never seen the "Beaner's" name before.

Probably because there weren't that many of them until recently. I can only recall seeing maybe two Beaners in Metro Detroit, them being in the Royal Oak/B'Ham area. They have really expanded in the metro area since the brand re-imaging in 2008

[Amethyst2]

I go for the small independently run coffee shops - preferably run by Latin folk as in my opinion they make the best coffee. I give the large chains a wide berth and have never been to Starbucks.

Amethyst2

[Iota Man]

I'm not really feeling Starbucks, because they don't have free refills like some of the other places I've been too. Some places need to be more clear about what they mean as a "free refill" though. Some of it is misleading. For real.

[PeppyGPhiB]

We have countless coffee options in Seattle, so here's my take:

- Starbucks is convenient, and I love its corporate politics. Great place to work. Will work in a pinch, but I don't like the taste of the coffee from the automated machines they installed a few years ago. I don't really hang out in Starbucks - since it's all over the place, it doesn't have much of a coffee house feel anymore.
- Tully's (now owned by Green Mountain) always burns the milk in my latte. Only drinkable if I order it "not too hot."
- I prefer smaller roasters/local chains we have in Seattle...and we have many of them. Uptown Espresso, Cafe Ladro, Zoka Coffee, Cafe Vita, Diva Espresso, Fuel, etc. Plus I'll go to Cupcake Royale just for the Stumptown Espresso (Portland, Ore.).
- Drive-thru espresso huts on every corner/every gas station. Convenient, sometimes have Granitas, which I love in the summer. Otherwise I tend to avoid them, because again, most of them burn the milk. Love the punch cards, though.

ETA: You wouldn't believe the number of choices we have for coffee in the grocery stores, too. In many stores it takes up an entire side of an aisle.

[barbino]

Both my husband and I need coffee. One time we left the house on a weekend without any, and by 4pm we were cranky, shaky, and complaining that we both had to get some ASAP. I think that coffee is like a drug; it's a habit. I brew strong coffee most mornings.

I love Starbucks and am frequently there. I also like Caribou. I used to go to Barnes & Noble but now I'd rather go to the area Starbucks & bring my own books/magazines. I have no problems reading, studying, or doing work there. Our area Starbucks are pretty quiet and most of the people that go there are from the neighborhood.

However, the coffee is expensive. I usually get a pastry, cheese box, iced tea, or espresso con panna (with whipped cream). Espresso works much faster than coffee if you need a quick fix. I'll sometimes get the coffee (I love Verona but hate Sumatra). I like the dark roasts and the Indonesian blends. Now I want to go get some Starbuck's beans. I have one of their Iced Coffees right here beside me now.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by barbino

Both my husband and I need coffee. One time we left the house on a weekend without any, and by 4pm we were cranky, shaky, and complaining that we both had to get some ASAP. I think that coffee is like a drug; it's a habit. I brew strong coffee most mornings.

I love Starbucks and am frequently there. I also like Caribou. I used to go to Barnes & Noble but now I'd rather go to the area Starbucks & bring my own books/magazines. I have no problems reading, studying, or doing work there. Our area Starbucks are pretty quiet and most of the people that go there are from the neighborhood.

However, the coffee is expensive. I usually get a pastry, cheese box, iced tea, or espresso con panna (with whipped cream). Espresso works much faster than coffee if you need a quick fix. I'll sometimes get the coffee (I love Verona but hate Sumatra). I like the dark roasts and the Indonesian blends. Now I want to go get some Starbuck's beans. I have one of their Iced Coffees right here beside me now.

A cup of coffee actually has way more caffeine than a typical espresso drink. You'd have to drink 3-4 espresso shots in a latte to equal a tall drip. And if you like Verona, you should try Gold Coast Blend at SBUX.

[barbino]

I haven't had Gold Coast Blend for awhile, maybe I'll have to get the beans soon. I worked for SB for a few months many years ago when I needed a second job, so I'm pretty familiar with their coffee & products. The thing that I liked the most about working there was that we got a pound of coffee free each week. Since I was single then, I could not possibly drink it all. So I started giving it away to my friends, and I was suddenly very popular.

One of my real estate friends worked there part-time just to get the healthcare benefits, which used to be available to anyone who worked there, even part-time. I don't know if they still have these same benefits, but at that time it was a great part-time job. I knew an art-history PHD who taught part-time & ran the community-college art museum. What was her other part-time job? You guessed it- a Starbuck's barrista. She did this for a long time, too.