starbucks - Articles and Posts from Slashfood

Posts with tag starbucks

Starbucks, Simon and Sushi - The Seattle Times in 60 Seconds

Posted Oct 19th 2009 12:00PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: In Sixty Seconds

Photo: cyclonebill, Flickr.

How to select rice from your local market.
A toxic "red tide" has shut down Northern Puget Sound's shellfish industry.
Elemental Next Door offers the refined Elemental@Gasworks food -- think hazelnut-studded wild boar pâté -- without "the attitude."
Coffee City: With falling traffic at Starbucks, Safeway looks toward a better latte future; Dilettante opens a second Mocha Cafe location; pour-over coffee is big at Port Townsend; a Stumptown producer's panel; Clover machines start disappearing from Starbucks and Carly Simon sues the chain.
Georgetown's Daimonji offers good food and massive bento boxes in a strip-mall setting.
All You Can Eat finds another Blue C Sushi location, Town Hall Seattle's Food Summit and a recipe for rice calas.
Recipes: Flip-Over Apple Cake, Pulled Pork on Soft Polenta, Grilled Zucchini Pasta, Two Pepper Chicken Chili, Crisp-Crust Cinnamon Apple Pie, Chickpeas in Coconut Sauce, a Trio of Dips, Angelina's Restaurant Crab Cakes.

Starbucks Launches VIA Ready Brew

Posted Sep 29th 2009 4:00PM by Sarah Christine
Filed under: New Products, Food News

Starbucks VIA Photo: Starbucks

Starbucks is now ready on demand. The coffee giant expanded its empire Tuesday with VIA, its version of "Ready Brew" instant coffee. Available in Colombian roast or bolder Italian roast, the packets of powdered coffee are sold in packages of three for $2.95.

After two decades of development, Starbucks is so certain consumers will like it that it's pitting VIA up against its whole-bean coffee, asking consumers if they can taste the difference.

"I think it takes great courage for us to take our brand name -- which we value more than anything in the world -- and put it on an instant coffee," CEO Howard Schultz said at a Starbucks VIA Ready Brew launch event Tuesday. "That's not a move of desperation, that's a move of confidence and the fact that we know this coffee will pass the test of time."

Back in March, Slashfood did a taste test and we were "pleasantly surprised" by the flavor. More recently, we did a side-by-side comparison and found the results to be similar. There's no doubt that a freshly brewed cup of coffee takes the cake, but after a recent instant coffee taste test (that we're still recovering from), we would be more than happy to sip VIA.

Find out where VIA is available and how you can get a free sample after the jump.

Continue reading Starbucks Launches VIA Ready Brew

Lucky Clover with the CoffeeMeister

Posted Sep 29th 2009 3:00PM by Erin Meister
Filed under: Coffee, Trends, Coffee shops, Artisan Foods

Erin Meister trains baristas for North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee and sporadically maintains the blog Meet the Press Pot from her home in New York City. This is part of a series of tips for the caffeine-addicted.

Well, what do you know? Clovers really are lucky.

Of course, I'm not talking about the four-leaf kind, though that type's pretty rare, too. No, I mean the Clover coffee maker, a high-tech gadget that dropped jaws all over bean circles a few years ago, with its deeply sophisticated, digital one-cup-at-a-time brewing (not to mention the $11K price tag).

At first, the machines were the pride of the serious coffee lover, with independent cafés snapping them up as a way of showcasing artisanal coffees one by one, instead of losing them to the murky depths of an insulated thermos. But when Starbucks bought the Clover technology last year, the funky-looking little metal boxes were suddenly less and less available to your average café owner, becoming proprietary to the green mermaid.

So why is this lucky? Because it started a revolution. Or, more accurately, a renaissance. Read more about getting lucky with cup-at-a-time coffee after the jump.

Continue reading Lucky Clover with the CoffeeMeister

11 Secret Fast-Food Menu Items

Posted Sep 23rd 2009 3:00PM by Mike Pomranz
Filed under: How To, Comfort Food, Fast Food

The In-N-Out Animal Style. Photo: kaba, Flickr.

It is the stuff of fast-food chain legend: a secret menu known only to those insiders brave enough to order outside the listed menu. Tales of "animal-style fries" and Starbucks' secret "short" size abound, but which of these are real and which will merely earn you a quizzical stare from the cashier?

Ditch the risk of disappointment and become a fast-food insider with Slashfood's list of some top-secret menu items at well-known restaurants near you.

Continue reading 11 Secret Fast-Food Menu Items

Instant Coffee Taste Test

Posted Sep 1st 2009 4:46PM by Slashfood Editor
Filed under: Coffee, Taste Test

We chugged our way through more than two dozen different blends so you'll know which brands are worth sipping -- or skipping. After our jitters subsided, one clear winner emerged. Click on to see how your favorites fared.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=694120&pid=694119&uts=1250801161

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

Instant Coffee Taste Test

We're not coffee snobs, but we're hard pressed to think of a single instance where we'd pick the stir-in stuff over some java that's hot from a freshly-brewed pot. Still, sometimes we need a caffeine fix on the go or in a jiffy, and there's not a bean to be seen.

We chugged our way through more than two dozen different blends so you'll know which brands are worth sipping -- and skipping. Keep clicking to see our reviews from the deepest dregs to the creme de la cafe.

Rachel Been, AOL

Getty Images North America

Instant Coffee Taste Test

Rachel Been, AOL

Chock Full O'Nuts

Sip or skip? Skip. Skip very, VERY far away.

Pass for brewed? No

Tasting Notes: Wow, what a tease. We were beckoned in by a yummy smell, but the flavor -- ugh. It's cruelly sour with an undertone of rotting veggies and chock full o' yuck.

Rachel Been, AOL

Nescafe Clasico

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? Never

Tasting Notes: This barely even passes for instant java, and packs a bitter, chemical afterburn that took forever to get off our tongues. No mas, por favor.

Rachel Been, AOL

Folgers Coffee Singles Classic Roast

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? No way

Tasting Notes: It smells okay, but has no flavor whatsover. Sure, the pack's convenient -- if you have an on-the-go hankering for the taste of brown water.

Rachel Been, AOL

Folgers Coffee Singles Classic Decaf

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? No

Tasting Notes: No aroma, no flavor, no caffeine -- not a single reason to bother.

Rachel Been, AOL

Rocket Fuel

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? As the worst gas station coffee you've ever had

Tasting Notes: It smells like dust, and while it's billed as "rich, dark, powerful coffee," all we're getting is a seismic blast of bitterness.

Rachel Been, AOL

Sanka

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? Really bad, burned decaf

Tasting Notes: We're really feeling the burn on this one. The flavor is oddly reminiscent of scorched cheese -- not something we're looking to encounter first thing in the a.m.

Rachel Been, AOL

Brown Gold

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? Perhaps for metallic conference room coffee

Tasting Notes: It's got a strange dusty, papery smell and a tinny taste -- is that the "gold" part? And what the heck is an Excelsio bean?

Rachel Been, AOL

Folgers Classic Roast

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? No

Tasting Notes: If this odor-free, sour, bitter blend is indeed the best part of waking up, we suggest you just stay tucked in bed.

Rachel Been, AOL

White Rose Original Blend

Sip or skip? Skip

Pass for brewed? Maybe at Homer Simpson's nuclear plant.

Tasting Notes: Savor the taste and aroma of cardboard dunked in hot water? Have we got the brew for you!

Rachel Been, AOL

Editor's Picks - Best of the Rest

Posted Aug 21st 2009 5:00PM by Alex Van Buren
Filed under: On the Blogs

Grown-up sodas. Image: Details.

A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

BoingBoing picks up The Economist's story (and awesome graphic): "How many minutes do people in your city have to work to buy a Big Mac?"

Adult sodas from the stylish fellas at Details.

Starbucks-lovers, alert! They are lowering prices on some drinks but kicking them up a notch on others.

The L.A. Times reports: Facebook has created "Restaurant City." You may never get work done again.

Another ephemerally gorgeous piece from Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With" column, featuring a meringue-raspberry ice cream cake and some enviable dishware.

Portland, Oregon continues to rule, with a Fermentation Fest on Thursday of next week. (Clearly either our invite was lost in the mail, or they do not know about our pickling problems.)

Have you sampled the blackberries in the market right now? They are super-sweet. This Blackberry-Cabernet Caipirinha from Chow had us drooling.

The best Bruni interview of the bunch -- from the New Yorker.

Free Starbucks Pastry

Posted Jul 20th 2009 1:30PM by Sara Bonisteel
Filed under: Fast Food, Food News

Photo: miskan/flickr

Starbucks really wants you to try their new line of pastries.

On Tuesday, July 21, the chain will give patrons a free pastry until 10:30 a.m. with the purchase of a beverage. Items included in the promotion are muffins, scones, bagels, croissants, rolls, bread, pound cake, morning buns, coffeecake, cheese danish, apple fritters, doughnuts, tarts, pies, gluten-free orange Valencia cakes or tropical paradise bars.

The promotion is for the chain's new formulation of pastries that are trans-fat free and made without artificial dyes, sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup. Coffee lovers will have to print out the coupon or show it to the barista on their hand-held device.

[Via Starbucks]

McDonald's Serves Up Free Mocha Mondays

Posted Jul 13th 2009 1:30PM by Sarah LeTrent
Filed under: Fast Food

McCafe Mocha. Photo: sameold2008/flickr

How do you take your coffee? How about free?

Stop into a McDonald's between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. today or on any Monday between now and August 3 and get a free sample of their McCafé Mocha.

The fast-food chain will offer either a 7-ounce iced mocha or 8-ounce hot mocha -- but only one per customer, so choose your format wisely.

With such deeply entrenched competitors as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and the newly arrived Canadian competitor, Tim Hortons also thirsty for market share, the promotion is McDonald's newest effort to promote its new line of premium espresso drinks to coffee-drinkers nationwide.

McDonald's McCafé line was introduced in early May and includes hot or iced coffee, lattes and mochas, as well as cappuccinos and hot chocolate.

As McDonald's continues drawing in coffee-drinking customers with their McCafé concept, Slashfood wants to know, who's got your favorite cup o' joe?

Pom Iced Coffee Considered

Posted May 4th 2009 4:00PM by Lissa Townsend Rodgers
Filed under: Coffee, Chocolate, Raves & Reviews, America, Dining at Our Desks, Tinfoil Swan

As we've noted, it's iced coffee time, folks. While we can all agree that the best version is that which is freshly brewed, sometimes you've got to make do with what can be grabbed out of the convenience store fridge. Starbucks' Frappuccino is a perennial favorite, and we're fans of their Doubleshot Energy Drink (especially the new Cinnamon Dulce flavor) when caffeine alone isn't quite enough.

Behold, however, a challenge to Starbucks supremacy from Pom Iced Coffee. Far from an unpleasant mix of joe and pomegranate juice (though it does feature a touch of the antioxidant-laced fruit extract), this is one smooth-blended iced coffee drink. The cafe au lait version is delightful, but it is the chocolate that may soon boast the title of best bottled iced coffee, with an addiction-inspiring taste reminiscent of a blend of Yoo-Hoo and chocolate Nestle Quik.

The only problem with this cooling nectar? It's only available at select stores and Whole Foods in the Northeast (though bottles have been spied at 99-cent stores on the west coast). If anything were to make a convenience store crawl or a trip to a pricey specialty grocer worth it, it is Pom Chocolate Iced Coffee. So stock up.

Note: Slashfood does not accept compensation of any sort in exchange for reviews.

Taste Test - Starbuck VIA

Posted Mar 12th 2009 5:05PM by Marisa McClellan
Filed under: Raves & Reviews, New Products

Recently, Starbucks wowed the world when they announced that they were releasing a line of gourmet instant coffees, in the hopes of capturing an untapped market. The coffee-loving world was immediately agitated, how could an instant coffee qualify as gourmet and was it possible for Starbucks to create something palatable? (Most instant coffee is unmitigated swill, at least in the eyes of the coffee snob.)

I got my hands on a couple of VIA samples late last week and have spent the last few days trying it out, often subbing it in for my regular morning cup. So far, I've been pleasantly surprised by the taste. It's got a fairly full and rich flavor and isn't plagued by the thin, bitter taste that accompanies so many other traditional instant coffees. I did find that it was missing some of the finishing notes that freshly ground and brewed coffee has, but it was far better than some of the brewed coffee I've consumed on airplanes and at diners over the years.

One thing I discovered when making this coffee is that you've got to take care while pouring out your hot water. Each little packet has enough coffee crystals to make an eight ounce cup of coffee, and so if you add more than that, you'll end up with a watery cup. I find this a little disappointing, as I typically drink a cup of coffee that's closer to 12 ounces each morning. If I were to become a VIA regular, I'd end up measuring out half packets all the time, I practice that would get really frustrating. It would be nice if this coffee came in a larger, multi-serving package, so that I could measure out the amount of coffee I wanted, without the constraints of the packet.

Gallery: Starbucks Via

Would You Rather Have McDonald's or Starbucks Move in Next Door?

Posted Feb 16th 2009 5:00PM by Emily Matchar
Filed under: Business

A new report from the Pew Research Center shows that consumers would rather live in a place with more McDonald's (43 percent) to one with more Starbucks (35 percent), reports Brand Week. Though McDonald's got the most votes overall, Starbucks won with the 18-29 demographic, college graduates, and those in the highest income bracket. While men preferred McDonald's to Starbucks by 46 to 30 percent, the female vote was almost an even split. Starbucks did best in the West, winning by 47 percent to 28 percent. McDonald's had the biggest margin in the Midwest.

So would you prefer to live in a place with more McDonald's or more Starbucks? I'd prefer to live in a place with more Krispy Kreme drive-thrus, but apparently that was not one of the survey options.

Starbucks to Offer Breakfast Pairings

Posted Feb 5th 2009 11:59AM by Marisa McClellan
Filed under: Coffee shops, Food News

Have you ever gone into Starbucks in the morning and found yourself wishing that the ubiquitous coffee seller offered a combo meal, akin to those you can get at McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts? Well, soon that particular wish will come true!

Howard Schultz, company CEO, announced on Tuesday that beginning soon, they'll be offering a variety of "breakfast pairings" at "attractive" prices. Starbucks revenues have decreased dramatically in recent months and so they're taking a number of steps in order to stem the tide of these losses, including closing of 300 stores and ceasing to brew decaf after 12 noon.

Speculators say that the decision to introduce these "breakfast pairings" was also motivated by the increased competition from McDonald's, as the hamburger giant has rolled out premium coffee drinks over the last 18 months.

What do you think? Would you be more likely to order a full breakfast from Starbucks if you could just say, "Give me a number one!"?

Starbucks Closing 300 More Stores

Posted Feb 2nd 2009 11:00AM by Marisa McClellan
Filed under: Coffee shops

starbucks coffee cup and chocolate chip banana bread

Last summer, Starbucks announced that they were going to close 616 under-performing stores across 44 states and the District of Columbia. At that time, they attributed the closures to over-expansion and the slowing economy.

Unfortunately, the economy has continued to worsen over the last six months and so Starbucks has determined that they need to close 300 more stores and cut 6,700 additional jobs in order to improve their financial outlook. It breaks out to 6,000 retail and 700 non-store jobs. They haven't yet released the list of locations that they'll be closing, but analysts expect to see the names of those stores in the coming days.

No Decaf After Noon, Says Starbucks

Posted Jan 30th 2009 4:00PM by Emily Matchar
Filed under: Coffee, Business

In yet another sign of the declining economy, Starbucks has decided to save cash by not continuously brewing decaf coffee after noon. The company, which had been brewing fresh pots every half hour, will still have decaf available anytime on request. Starbucks hopes the measure will help it save $400 million by September.

Other cost-cutting tactics include closing stores in the U.S. and Australia, trimming "waste" such as extra milk in lattes and cappuccinos, and brewing smaller pots of coffee so there's less thrown away after the 30-minute limit. Customers desiring decaf after 12 pm will have to wait approximately 4 minutes for their coffee to brew.

Scrumptious samples from YumSugar

Posted Oct 16th 2008 6:26PM by Marisa McClellan
Filed under: YumSugar

Each week we round up some of the best that our friends over at YumSugar are writing. Here are some of the treats from the last week.

How many classic candies can you name? Take a peek at this slide show and test your knowledge.
Italy is currently in the throws of a major parmaggiano reggiano crisis.
The weather is finally turning chilly on the east coast, making it the perfect time for soup!
At the NYC Food and Wine Fest, Tyler Florence demonstrated the romantic dinner he made for his wife.
For beginning cooks, an easy chili recipe and for more advanced folks, a recipe to stretch your abilities.
As far as we know, pot is still not legal tender, even at McDonald's.
Starbucks unveils their holiday marketing campaign.
Competitive eater Joey Chestnut wins the World Pizza (eating) Championship.

Next Page >

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Slashfood Editor	49	0
2	Alexa Weibel	38	2
3	Sarah LeTrent	35	1
4	Monika Bartyzel	25	0
5	Hanna Raskin	22	0
6	Sara Bonisteel	17	0
7	Jennifer Lawinski	12	0
8	Emily Farris	11	0
9	Jennifer Iserloh	9	0
10	Michael Thomas Hastings	9	0
11	Lisa Schweitzer	9	0
12	Kat Kinsman	8	2
13	Mike Pomranz	6	0
14	Max Shrem	4	0
15	Joshua M. Bernstein	4	2
16	Jose Ralat Maldonado	4	1
17	Erin Meister	4	0
18	LeNell Smothers	3	0
19	John Devore	3	0
20	David Koeppel	2	0

Reviews: What's New This Week Jim Carrey's "A Christmas Carol" Creepy in a Good Way Twitter Follow Friday on ParentDish!	Jon Gosselin Hits the Yoga Mat World Run Day 2009 is This Sunday! Mariah Carey Flaunts A Fuller Figure
Victoria's Secret Angels Update - Are There Five New Winged Wonders? Beyoncé and Katy Perry Rock Garter Belts at MTV Europe Awards 'Gossip Girl' Style Revealed in Costume Designer's Book 'You Know You Want It.' We Get the Scoop on Dressing Blake Lively and Leighton Meester	Can 2022 be the 'Year of the Tiger' if the Tigers are all Gone? Eco-Beat, 11/5 Does Humane Veal Exist?
Ellen Degeneres Dances Her Way to Real Estate Riches Get the Look for Less: House Beautiful Foyer Paint Trends: Predicting Next Year's Hottest Colors	Freaky Ferrets; Bionic Bowser The Penguin and the Zoo-Keeper: A Love Story Dog Bone Recipes

Starbucks, Simon and Sushi - The Seattle Times in 60 Seconds

Starbucks Launches VIA Ready Brew

Lucky Clover with the CoffeeMeister

11 Secret Fast-Food Menu Items

Instant Coffee Taste Test

Instant Coffee Taste Test

Editor's Picks - Best of the Rest

Free Starbucks Pastry

McDonald's Serves Up Free Mocha Mondays

Pom Iced Coffee Considered

Taste Test - Starbuck VIA

Would You Rather Have McDonald's or Starbucks Move in Next Door?

Starbucks to Offer Breakfast Pairings

Starbucks Closing 300 More Stores

No Decaf After Noon, Says Starbucks

Scrumptious samples from YumSugar

Tip of the Day

Slashfood Features

RESOURCES

Featured Stories

Slashfood bloggers (30 days)

Most Commented On (60 days)

Updates From

Sites We Love