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Starbucks coffee worth the price?

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valman13440
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Joined: 7 Apr 2008
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Location: Rome NY
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Posted Mon Apr 7, 2008, 11:36am Subject: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

My local grocery stores have the 11oz bags of Starbucks coffee for almost $9.00 a bag,it does taste good but is it worth the price and how does it compare to Folgers or Maxwell house that costs $8.00 for a big 2.5 pound container?

thehubbell
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Posted Mon Apr 7, 2008, 12:07pm Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

Welcome to Coffeegeek! Most people around here will recommend freshly roasted coffee then grind it right before you make your coffee. I would recommend finding a local roaster or ordering freshly roasted coffee online. The real question is is it worth if to you. Your taste preference is what is important. I personally think that whole bean Star Bucks is much better than pre-ground coffee from Folgers/Maxwell House etc. if that is where you are along your coffee journey. I roast my own coffee and it is cheaper than buying Star Bucks and much fresher. Mark

greeneye
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Posted Mon Apr 7, 2008, 1:42pm Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

All of the coffee you buy at supermarket is stale, ground and whole beans. Buy your roasted beans from a local specialty roaster or home roast. If your roast at home green beans only cost a fraction of roasted beans from a store or roaster and you have the satisfaction of doing the roast yourself and know you have the freshest roast possible. Green beans last up to 3 years if stored correctly.

OtterFrylock
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Posted Mon Apr 7, 2008, 1:54pm Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

There are actually a few Starbucks blends I like (sue me) and my trick is to buy directly from Starbucks and in small batches (1/4-1/2 pounds) on days when they are serving one of those blends in house. The barista gets my beans out of their "big bags" from which they brew- which seem to be fresher than the 1 pound bags they sell in store. Plus, buying in smaller lots ensures that the beans don't sit around my kitchen very long. In terms of Starbucks vs. Folgers/Maxwell House/Yuban, yes there is a difference. Traditional grocery store blends are full of low-grade Arabaica and some robusta. Starbucks and most of the more expensive brands you'll come across use high-grade Arabica. Even stale, they are worlds apart from their discount cousins. But as others have said, fresh is always best. If you learn to roast your own, you can have better beans than the gourmet brands for the same price as that shiny big red can. And if you live in or near a big city, you can probably find a local roaster who will sell you great beans for around the same price as Starbucks.

paslug
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Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 100
Location: Kennett Sq, Pa
Expertise: Just starting

Posted Mon Apr 7, 2008, 2:17pm Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

Before I started roasting my own, I used to buy the large cans of Folgers. I could never understand why it tasted so bad before I finished the can. Even if you decide you would rather buy the Folgers, unless you drink a lot of coffee, the large cans go stale way before you can use it.

harmolodic
Senior Member

Joined: 8 Aug 2006
Posts: 65
Location: DC
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Tue Apr 8, 2008, 4:09am Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

I've never had a cup of coffee from Starbucks that came close to the flavor and freshness of my home roasts. And I'm not even really anti-Starbucks (well, a little)....they do what they do and have (arguably) raised the bar for coffee at least in the US. But really, buy good greens, start with an inexpensive home roaster, and you will almost INSTANTLY be drinking great coffee.

JR
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Posted Tue Apr 8, 2008, 5:20am Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

valman13440 Said: My local grocery stores have the 11oz bags of Starbucks coffee for almost $9.00 a bag,it does taste good but is it worth the price and how does it compare to Folgers or Maxwell house that costs $8.00 for a big 2.5 pound container? Posted April 7, 2008 link You've tried it and you like it, so why ask? Don't you know if you're willing to spend the extra money on it, or do we need to tell you that? If you were willing to spend that much on coffee, but NOT pleased with the Starbucks, people here are more than willing to help. But if you like it, who are we to tell you that you shouldn't? Jack

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CoffeeRoastersClub
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Posted Tue Apr 8, 2008, 7:13am Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

Everythings relative. Is home roasted coffee worth the price? I think so. But to try to compare Starbucks price, to Maxwell house, to Home Roasted is like comparing apples to oranges. I won't ever go back to Maxwell, except to drink it at a family function not hosted by Kara and me. But to ask a comparison of Maxwell to Starbucks to Home roast one must factor in other considerations: Home roasting has a considerable initial expense, plus recurring costs of electricity, beans, time involved to roast. You get the picture. Len CoffeeRoastersClub.com

www.CoffeeRoastersClub.com My blog: http://coffeeroastersclub.caffeblog.com Contact me on JavaChatter: http://www.JavaChatter.com userid: len-crc

harmolodic
Senior Member

Joined: 8 Aug 2006
Posts: 65
Location: DC
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Tue Apr 8, 2008, 8:51am Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

I know it seems like home roasting has a steep investment price. But my household drinks at a minimum one pound of coffee a week. If I buy, say, a pound from Intelligentsia once a week at $12.00/pound, that's $624 a year. I can buy any number of great greens for $5 or less a pound, shipped! That's $260 a year. The difference more than buys a Behmor, and the annual electricity as well. The time factor cannot be underestimated--but for a lot of us it's a fun hobby (or obsession....) so it doesn't really matter.

Posted Tue Apr 8, 2008, 2:01pm Subject: Re: Starbucks coffee worth the price?

Home roasting is the most satisfying and fascinating way to get a coffee education and helps one to appreciate coffee even more. It does not have to be expensive to home roast, green beans are one quarter the price of roasted beans, you can start with a cheap popcorn machine (but are limited to small roasts and limited control over the roasts) or go to a second-hand store or the back of a cupboard and get a bread machine, a heat gun, a cooling fan and a bit of knowledge and before long you will be turning out great roasts. My batches are usually 300g-600g in my Corretto (named after Aussie gal who thought up this roasting idea). Food for thought!!!!

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