Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/04/19

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Subject: [Leica] Starbucks
From: ajt at mrps.demon.co.uk (Tony Terlecki)
Date: Mon Apr 19 18:21:57 2004
References: <200404182233.i3IMXL9j043849@server1.waverley.reid.org> <40842D53.A50AE4AD@chello.nl> <1082413939.408453737f64e@mail.umich.edu>

On Mon, Apr 19, 2004 at 06:32:19PM -0400, dante@umich.edu wrote:
> Although it's easy to be dismissive of Starbuck's, the one thing it does have
> going for it is that its tight controls on making espresso make its product
> absolutely consistent worldwide.  

Consistent indeed...consitently mediocre, and that's talking only about an
espresso shot! And let's not talk about burnt because Starbucks way
over-roasts its beans to give that consistently flavourless cup.

When it comes to steaming milk there doesn't really seem to
be any clear guidance there because I've seen staff abuse milk in every
possible way. It's very rare to get a milk based drink with properly
steamed milk at Starbucks.

> While a "doppio" at Starbucks might only hit
> 90% of the fun factor of Segafredo through a Pavoni machine done properly, it
> beats the hell out of the burnt double shots I have experienced in about half
> the cafes I have visited in Europe (not a small number).
>

If you want consistency then you wouldn't be using a Pavoni - dreadful
contraptions. In fact Starbucks historically have used the best machines
available - La Marzocco Lineas. This was at some point deemed to much work for
high-volume shops and they changed instead to fully automatics which certainly
didn't help the quality of shot any.

Europe is very variable in its coffee and the success of Starbucks in any one
country is usually down to how poor the coffee culture and knowledge tends
to be in that country. Starbucks therefore does well in the UK because here
people historicaly drank that stuff called Nescafe (I hesitate to call it
coffee!). France has crap coffee but they don't have many Starbucks because
Starbucks would have difficuly forcing that sameness of store decor that
probably wouldn't allow them all to sit looking outwards at the world going
by. I'm not sure there is a Starbucks in Italy - why should there be where
even in St Marks square in Venice I can get a stunning shot of espresso for 80
cents?

-- 
Tony Terlecki
ajt@mrps.demon.co.uk

Replies: Reply from joecodi at clearsightusa.com (Joseph Codispoti) ([Leica] Starbucks)
Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Starbucks)
In reply to: Message from fmaturana at euskalnet.net (Felix Lopez de Maturana) ([Leica] Starbucks)
Message from n.wajsman at chello.nl (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] Starbucks)
Message from dante at umich.edu (dante@umich.edu) ([Leica] Starbucks)