christophermolloy Senior Member Joined: 13 Sep 2005 Posts: 8 Location: Brooklyn, NY Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Krups Novo 3000 Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: Bodum Santos Drip: Starbucks Barista
Posted Wed May 14, 2008, 6:53am Subject: Re: I HATE the new Starbucks Pikes Place blend
break Said:
Aside from quagmired wars, the deconstruction of the planet, a simian administration in D. C., and super-greedy oi8l speculators, there are things other than Starbucks that derserve attention and wrath...."Top Chef" in particular.
You're right, this sort of comment can be spewed by any college professor, on any college campus, any day of the week, and I suppose if you run in certain circles where everyone is in concurrence with these sort of remarks, one may be naive to the fact that they might just rub some people the wrong way, and in a coffee forum, I just don't see the need to shift gears in that direction.
CoffeeRoastersClub Senior Member Joined: 6 Jul 2005 Posts: 2,135 Location: Vernon Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Vintage La Pavoni Lever... Grinder: KitchenAid Pro Line Burr... Vac Pot: Vintage Silex Drip: Aeropress, French Press Roaster: "EL SUPREMO" w/QuikSPIN-CRC...
Posted Wed May 14, 2008, 7:21am Subject: Re: I HATE the new Starbucks Pikes Place blend
christophermolloy Said:
You're right, this sort of comment can be spewed by any college professor, on any college campus, any day of the week, and I suppose if you run in certain circles when everyone is in concurrence with these sort of remarks, one may be naive to the fact that they might just rub some people the wrong way, and in a coffee forum, I just don't see the need to shift gears in that direction.
Back to business, I've had their Pike Place. Not horrible in my opinion, I would have preferred a bit richer taste; I do like their Espresso Roast and House Blend better.
christophermolloy Senior Member Joined: 13 Sep 2005 Posts: 8 Location: Brooklyn, NY Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Krups Novo 3000 Grinder: Solis Maestro Plus Vac Pot: Bodum Santos Drip: Starbucks Barista
Posted Wed May 14, 2008, 8:30am Subject: Re: I HATE the new Starbucks Pikes Place blend
NO PLACE FOR PIKE AT STARBUCKS By STEVE CUOZZO
May 14, 2008 -- THE new "everyday" coffee blend that's supposed to rescue Starbucks is more likely to sink it. The only way Pike Place Roast could save Starbucks would be to force it down the noses of competitors until they drowned.
Pike Place is precisely the kind of limp brew that has long ruled American taste. It's just what I - like millions of others - came to Starbucks to escape.
Its flavor is ashen, its body nil, its character none. It's CEO Howard Schultz's New Coke, destined to chase longtime aficionados to Dunkin' Donuts - or worse.
Starbucks says Pike Place is meant to bring the chain "back to where it all started." Well, if they're so proud of this ethereal elixir, how come it waited 37 years to sell it?
I've loved Starbucks since 1994, when one of the first Manhattan branches opened near my home. I defended it against coffee-haters who complain its deep-roasted product tasted "burnt" and against bozos who think $2.11 is too much to pay for a double-size cup plus the luxury of cozy free seating, reading and music for as long as you want.
Starbucks has sold great coffee for a long time. Despite blunders like replacing handmade espresso with machine-made, the basic raw materials - the beans - remained, for my money, the best around. And they knew how to blend, roast and brew them.
No competitor matched Starbucks' consistency. Nor could anyone challenge Starbucks' variety - from "mild" House Blend from Latin-American beans to "extra bold" Gold Coast, a magical meld from three continents.
But now the Seattle-based ship is listing like the Pequod, the doomed "Moby-Dick" whaler whose First Mate Starbuck inspired the chain's name.
Pike Place is supposedly "smoother" and "friendlier." And "fresh." So, what were all those other blends - stale?
It's metallic on the tongue, like supermarket brands favored by Fat Americans stuffing themselves on T.J. Cinnamons. It tastes under-roasted and cheap, although it costs you just as much as the bolder blends.
Anthony Carroll, Starbucks' "manager of green coffee quality," denied that Pike Place is made from cheaper beans, although he says the precise formula is "proprietary."
According to him, the bolder coffees I prefer have "pronounced edges." With Pike Place, "We want a smoother finish that sort of rolls off your tongue" - an effect achieved by manipulating the "roast profile" determined by roasting time and temperature.
Well, in my book, "pronounced edges" are called "flavors." The "smoother finish" evokes gassy beer like Budweiser. Guys, one "King" is enough.
Worse, they're stuffing it down on our throats. Carroll admitted that stores have stopped offering "coffee of the day" alternatives to Pike Place at noon, although they're theoretically available on request. But some stores I've been to "run out" of the better brews even earlier.
Pike Place is not the only sign that Starbucks is lost at sea.
We've read repeatedly since January that Schultz is getting rid of fried egg sandwiches, which blur the coffee aroma in stores. Yet four months later, the eggs are still stinking up the joints - languishing on shelves, despised and unsold.
Starbucks says they'll be "eliminated by the end of this fiscal year" - Sept. 30. Nine months to get rid of a lousy product the boss wants outta there?
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