This recent post about Starbucks - as with most posts about Starbucks - caused the typical coffee cacophony over price and quality. Although I happen to like Starbucks just fine, I certainly appreciate a good homemade cup. Unfortunately, quality espresso machines are pricey and people rarely use them enough to meet their ROI ('Fess up: How many of you have a schmancy DeLonghi at home, but still go to Starbucks every day?). As a veteran barista (of both indie and corporate coffeehouses), I've come up with a stock of supplies to help make gourmet coffee at home.
Espresso drinks:
Moka pot (like this one from Bialetti): Many Italians still brew their espresso the old-fashioned way -- on the stovetop. The pot steeps espresso grounds in boiling water until the bubbles force the creamy coffee into the top of the Moka. Pour it out, and there's your shot.
Milk Frother (like this one from Aerolatte): This bad boy has a high-speed whisker that whips any kind of milk into foamy shape. (For a cappuccino, use half steamed milk/half foam; for a latte, use mainly steamed milk, with a layer of foam on top).
There are few corporations as polarizing as Starbucks. Even on this blog, it is the rare Slashbucks post that doesn't incite a ruthless comments war. Yet there is no denying that Starbucks is a fast food force and their products deserve coverage like everybody else, so simmer.
Today Starbucks is introducing yet another beverage to their liquid arsenal. Though frozen and blended, the new Vivanno isn't another tired variation on the -ccino theme. Nope, this is Starbucks' answer to Jamba Juice: A protein-packed smoothie.
Here's the scoop:
One whole - real! - banana (seriously! it will be peeled and pulsed before your very eyes!)
Whey protein (16 grams) and fiber powder (5 grams)
Choice of milk (default is 2%)
Ice
Secret Starbucks-Proprietary Orange-Mango Naked Juice
Portion controlled (default is Grande, and always has less than 270 calories)
Although I believe it is rather naive of the financially-woed coffee conglomerate to try and break into the oversaturated smoothie market with a mere four options, I decided to give 'em a go.
News agencies all over the country have been reporting the news. Starbucks, the coffee mega giant, is closing around 600 stores!
Most analysts blame it squarely on the company's over-expansion and a slowing economy. Starbucks has opened too many stores too close to each other, and that proximity has hurt the profits considerable. According to the Word of Mouth Blog from the Guardian, 70% of the stores being closed were opened in the last 18 months. Add to that the fact that people just don't have the extra cash to shell out on a luxury latte and Starbucks had a recipe for disaster.
The 600 stores represent about 5% of Starbucks' American stores. No word on whether they'll close any overseas outlets. According to reports, international expansion is apparently, still very much part of the plan.
If you're a fan of flavored vodkas and can stand a little fun being poked at you, I recommend this post from the A.V.Club. They reviewed three new flavors of vodka from Three Olives brand, and it's pretty amusing.
The flavors in question are tomato, root beer, and triple shot espresso. Not being a huge vodka fan in the first place, I found this review ,um, not too helpful, but entertaining. In the name of humor, they were a little homophobic, but I tried to remember to take it with a grain of salt.
Apparently, the tomato flavor was the least popular, which sounds reasonable to me. Can anyone find a reason for tomato flavored vodka? It didn't even get great reviews with bloody mary mix. The root beer flavor was deemed "all right', but apparently it went well in a root beer float. The triple shot espresso was by far the favorite. A.V.club also tried it with a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino to raves.
If you have your own personal review of these or any flavored vodkas I'd love to read it. Maybe it'd inspire me to try vodka more often.
There seems to be a lot of Starbucks news over the last few months. Here's some more, anyway.
It seems that Starbucks not everyone was happy about the switch to the Pike Place roast coffees. The Consumerist reports that the coffee chain got a lot of requests for consumers for the older, stronger roast coffees. Apparently some people likened the old roast style as having a burnt flavor, while the new Pike Place roast is much milder.
Anyway, the public demanded and Starbucks has conceded. They'll begin selling both varieties of coffee in stores that make fresh coffee all day. So if you're going to Starbucks for a leisurely weekend coffee, you can have your pick between the old and the new.
Last May, I was invited to a press tasting at one of my local Starbucks, to try out their new breakfast sandwiches and the warming program. Over the course of two hours, I tried four different sandwiches, a warm chocolate cookie and a bagel that had gone for a ride through the warming oven as well. The woman who was presenting was passionate about these sandwiches and her energy was infectious. By the time I left I was ready to eat my breakfast at Starbucks every day!
Of course, I didn't end up eating there every day (I think I've had just one breakfast sandwich from Starbucks since that morning) and as it has turned out, neither did most other Americans. Back in February, word broke that they will be phasing out the breakfast sandwiches come fall. And now, Denny Marie Post, the top executive in charge of food and beverages at the coffee giant has left the company. They haven't filled the slot yet and appear to be looking for someone who can come up with new food that will be tasty and compelling enough to drive flagging sales.
Imagine you're perusing your favorite food blogs, and you come across a headline that reads "How to order at Starbucks and not put on weight". If your first thought was anything like "Oh wow, finally, a map to not getting fat at Starbucks!", then you, like me, would be disappointed to read the actual article.
I see now that I was overly optimistic. Of course it's getting to be common knowledge how many calories are in most of the coffee chains' creations, and anyone can figure out that you need to order low fat items to maintain a healthy weight. I was simply, momentarily, envisioning a magic formula. Silly, I know.
Anyway, the article by Mark Strausman, in the Huffington Post, is an interesting one, full of reminiscences and observations, but no magic bullet. The real advice offered is to order low fat items and to order small sizes. Sounds like something to keep in mind as you're ordering your morning caffeine.
I'm not a big coffee drinker, and I hate to sound pretentious, but I have been against the coffee chain since I was a teenager and I rarely go into one of their stores (though my parents love, love, love the place). What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't be able to spot these customers at Starbucks, though, after reading the list you could say that it applies to customers in general.
The list is pretty funny. My favorite is the person getting coffee for the office, but because I absolutely hate that person. Also, the person making a complicated order and then expecting it, like, two minutes ago was particularly entertaining. If this kind of thing concerns you, there is some foul language in the post, so be forewarned. All in all, though, an amusing way to start your Sunday morning, and hey, maybe you can be on the lookout for types on the list.
I love it when people care. Even if it's about something minor, like whether you can get a slice of lemon with a Starbucks iced tea, it's always refreshing when someone actually gives a damn. I feel like I'm generally too busy (read: lazy) to care about things, and it's good to know that someone out there is doing the caring for me. Plus, caring gets other people caring.
Take, for example, Al Lewis at the Denver Post, who cares desperately about the fact that Starbucks doesn't provide fresh lemons to squeeze in iced tea. I never noticed it before, but now that I think about it, I might really like that option. I always ask for lemon with iced tea in restaurants, but it never occurred to me that Starbucks has been denying me. So while part of me thinks Al Lewis should just invest his time in finding another establishment for purchasing out tea, more of me thinks he keeps fighting the good fight. Your thoughts?
As you may have heard, after years of growth that kept them on track for world domination, in recent months global coffee phenomenon Starbucks suddenly hit a few stumbling blocks. Back in February, they closed their stores and retrained their employees on how to make the perfect shot of espresso. Yesterday, in response to critics who say that their beans are over-roasted, they introduced a new roast called Pike Place, named after the iconic market in Seattle, the city where they first started out.
They handed out free samples of this new roast yesterday at 12 noon to passersby and have scattered free coffee cards in daily newspapers all across the country. The clip you see above is from Mahalo Daily and in it, they capture reactions to the new coffee from Starbucks.
Have you tried the new roast? If you have, what do you think?
So, I've gotta hand it to Starbucks. Its new site, My Starbucks Idea, is actually...well, a good idea. You sign up and simply type in a suggestion that you think the coffee chain should adopt, and post it to the site. You can also view others' advice, and vote on ones you think are worthwhile.
Then - and this is the kicker - someone from the corporation actually reads the ideas and even puts some of them into practice. Several of the ideas on the site are currently "under review," like the suggestions for implementing frequent buyer punch cards, or for implementing free Wifi access in every store (obviously, many city locations already have WiFi service).
I'm also surprised at the quality of the suggestions. Though I'd imagine that the site is highly monitored to eliminate the crazies (or, for that matter, Starbucks haters), many of the responses are actually decent and well thought-out. And some, on the other hand, are flat-out hilarious: one poster calls Starbucks' music "pseudo-intellectual," "over-produced" and "noisy garbage," while another requests that the music in his local store be turned down, so that when he's "making a business call, it doesn't sound like I'm calling from a public place." Um...isn't that what your home and office are for?
Hmm...so I guess suggesting "STOP EXPANDING YOUR CHAIN!" would probably get flagged, huh? Just a thought.
Eating cheap in Manhattan by buying food exclusively from 99-cent stores. Doable? Yes. Advisable? Perhaps not.
The New York Times then brings chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in on the skinflint action, challenging him to cook a meal entirely of products from Jack's 99-Cent Store. See what he does with a 99-cent frozen salmon fillet .
Starbucks just can't stay out the news these days. The chain coffee shop has been told its stock is dropping, its ubiquitous presence is annoying, and its coffee sucks.
Now it's been informed that it's been ripping off its barista's as well. A judge in San Diego, CA ruled that the company had improperly distributed tip jar funds to supervisors and would need to reimburse rank and file baristas, in its California stores, tips they didn't get...with interest. The judgment could cost Starbuck's more than $100 million. That's a lot of tip jar change.
Predictably, the company is crying foul, and says it will "vigorously appeal." According to a press released cited by the Los Angeles Times: "Our shift supervisors deserve their fair share of the tips that they receive from the tip jars in our California stores...The decision today in our view represents an extreme example of an abuse of the class-action procedures in California courts."
The company also noted that the case was filed in 2004 by a single barista, and that the interests of shift supervisors (who also make coffee and work with the public), were not represented in the litigation.
Much as I dislike Starbucks, this is one case where I have to express my disdain for class-action lawyers even more. From my completely unscientific, anecdotal experience as a customer, I can't see any difference in the duties of baristas and their managers. Both work the machine during slams, both take orders, both dish up the Rice Krispy treats. Inasmuch as any clerk who's not a waiter deserves a tip, everyone behind the counter should share the wealth.
If you're a fan of flavored vodkas and can stand a little fun being poked at you, I recommend this 
Imagine you're perusing your favorite food blogs, and you come across a headline that reads "How to order at Starbucks and not put on weight". If your first thought was anything like "Oh wow, finally, a map to not getting fat at Starbucks!", then you, like me, would be disappointed to read the actual article.
Do you visit Starbucks on a regular basis? If you do, you might notice one or more of the type of patron that 
I love it when people care. Even if it's about something minor, like whether you can get a slice of lemon with a 
Eating cheap in Manhattan by buying food exclusively from 
Starbucks just can't stay out the news these days. The chain coffee shop has been told its stock is dropping, its ubiquitous presence is annoying, and its coffee sucks.
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
