Posted Mon Oct 29, 2012, 5:10am Subject: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
I'm really disappointed with Starbucks Pourover technique. They get the pourover set up, and they literally dump the coffee into the pourover cone - "in a nice swirling motion" over a total of about 8 seconds.
A minute later I have an underextracted cup of coffee.
They use a brew ratio of 18, looks like a fine grind (maybe 5 on the Ditting?). Every cup I've measured ends up right around 0.90% strength, is incredibly weak. This is the same exact thing as using my CCD while it is sitting on my mug, and dumping the brew water into it and allowing it to drain with no steep. I don't think it's a mystery as to why these pourovers suck.
I wonder if Colin might notice a difference in technique...
Shame too. They do a french press the way it's supposed to be, and these FP brews have been spot on.
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Posted Tue Oct 30, 2012, 7:29pm Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
The only decent thing I have had from Starbucks in a loooong time is a Clover made with a very light roast when I was recently in San Francisco. Everything else, I have low expectations.
infinus Senior Member Joined: 20 Jan 2012 Posts: 73 Location: Indiana, USA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Cheap POS Grinder: Baratza Preciso Vac Pot: Broken by the cats! Drip: Brazen, Technivorm Roaster: Behmor 1600
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2012, 4:39am Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
Wow, I thought it was simply through economics of scale/mass production that Starbucks coffee ended in the final form it is....... ends up it starts from the top! How do they every expect the stores to come close if in the tasting room they start out so wrong.
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2012, 11:26am Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
I bet it's possible to hit a numerically accurate extraction this way... but the margin for error is tiny, and would still bet you anything it's a very unbalanced extraction (mostly ash, followed by whatever aromatics they didn't destroy in the roaster, very little body).
If you're going to bother with pour-over, slow down an do it right.
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2012, 12:22pm Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
infinus Said:
Wow, I thought it was simply through economics of scale/mass production that Starbucks coffee ended in the final form it is....... ends up it starts from the top! How do they every expect the stores to come close if in the tasting room they start out so wrong.
Perked Senior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2012 Posts: 30 Location: Ohio Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2012, 1:40pm Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
infinus Said:
Wow, I thought it was simply through economics of scale/mass production that Starbucks coffee ended in the final form it is....... ends up it starts from the top! How do they every expect the stores to come close if in the tasting room they start out so wrong.
Unfortunately the drive to make money lowers the quality of everything. Look at dunkin donuts.... the worst coffee you can get other than a diner or local eatery (I've never been impressed with ANYTHING I get while eating out.
hankg Senior Member Joined: 29 Dec 2004 Posts: 64 Location: California Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Saeco Titan Drip: Technivorm Thermal
Posted Wed Oct 31, 2012, 10:21pm Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
Well, at least I'm glad that when I have to land at a Starbucks here, I've never had mine produced like that. It's always a slow pour. It looks like on that video, he's trying to attempt a technique like the Bunn Trifecta with all the turbulence. Big fail. Hopefully the baristas here never see that video. At least you can always have them do it over if you're not satisfied.
Posted Thu Nov 1, 2012, 7:06pm Subject: Re: Starbucks Pourover Technique - Dump and Drain
I don't think Starbucks doing pour over has anything to do with quality at all. It is simply a way for them to serve those customers. Who want another choice other than the Pike Place after a certain time of day, or decaf after certain hours when they stop brewing it.
Last one I had was nasty. The coffee itself may have been ok, had I been able to taste anything other than "paper bag". First coffee I've ever had that literally tasted like licking a wet cardboard box would be like.
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