Comments on: Brew on Demand: The prequel (1980s to April 3, 2008)

By: BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL

BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:18:50 +0000

My first coffees brewed in a french press was Sumatra and Arabian Mocha Java. I still remember Emily making it for us and my friend Matt. It was pretty amazing! Drinking Aged Sumatra these days.

By: Melody

Melody — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:34:10 +0000

(Reply @Catherine) Hi Catherine! That’s very cool to hear. We’re definitely talking about one area Starbucks could improve. I remember one time I went to a Clover Starbucks and saw Zambia Kasama on the drip brew – I asked about it and a barista said that they had a large amount of the bean about to expire and decided to brew through it. I thought that was a great idea!! I enjoy the change of pace. However, it seems that Starbucks would rather mark out expired bean than brew through coffee about to expire on their shelves – In my mind, this is definite a place where Starbucks needs to work on their coffee strategies.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:23:36 +0000

I work at a different corporate coffee shop, and we still do our coffees by what expires first–every store makes their own coffee brew calendar each week (its my favorite part of the week, personally!). We can adjust our bean orders based on customer preferences at our store. When we have one of our seasonal varieties out, we brew them on tuesdays and saturdays. Two coffees in the morning, one in the afternoon, always store choice. It means that although there are hundreds of these stores, they could be brewing any of our coffees at any time, and that makes me happy.

By: CD

CD — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:29:57 +0000

(Reply to Melody) I remember the Malt addition well. I also remember “add Power” back in the late 1990s. It was a protein powder that you could add to your Frappuccinos. It was before Atkins and before its time so it did not last, but I liked adding it to my Mocha Frap. Now, of course, protein is sort of back with the Vivannos but I haven’t actually tried to add it to a Frap. I do like the Vivannos and my kids love them.

Kenya was the first Starbucks Coffee I think I ever drank and I loved it. It’s not my favorite today, but it still holds a place in my heart. One memory of Kenya is sitting in a Starbucks studying for my Torts exam drinking refill after refill of Kenya, which is probably one of my only favorable memories of Torts!

I always liked the bolder coffees in the passport – which is probably why I took such a liking to Starbucks. Like you, I like Verona. I often use it as a replacement for Espresso Blend when I make espressos at home.

I also really liked the Aged Sumatra they had last year in the special tins. Especially in a french press. Is the Sanini you are referring to the same as the Arabian Mocha Sanani? If so, I like that one too and am happy to see its return.

Casi Cielo is a nice one to wait for each year and it makes a nice gift coffee as it tends to be one that most people have never experienced and most find enjoyable.

There are no Clovers at the Siren here in Chicago so I tend to stick to simple espresso beverages, or if time permits, a french press with a friend. I pass on PPR.

By: Melody

Melody — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:36:10 +0000

(Reply to CD) – Hi there CD! In the early 90s, I remember Yirgacheffe being on the menu and being in love with that coffee. But I went through a time where I nearly forgot coffee. That’s hard to explain, but I’ve been through phases where brewed coffee seemed unimportant to me. Believe it or not, when Starbucks offered “malted” Frappuccinos I thought I was in heaven! Love the malted Frappuccinos.

Sometime in about 2006 or 2007 I reconnected with the joy of the french press. I fell in love with Sanani pretty passionately. A press of Sanani made my day. The truth is, some great Starbucks baristas suggested some coffees to me, and the next thing I knew I was hooked.

Though by about the middle of 2008, I stopped enjoying the French press very much when I realized that there was a new thing at Starbucks called the Clover. I discovered the Clover in January 2008, and by the summer of 2008 I was turning up my nose at a press, because the Clover seemed superior.

Today, my favorite drip coffee varies with mood, but Verona has a special place in my heart. Of the more limited offering coffees, I really like Aged Sumatra, and Yirgacheffe, but it can really vary a lot too.

What was your first favorite coffee?

By: Chris W

Chris W — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:36:20 +0000

When I first started with Starbucks, we had to grind all the coffee that we brewed. Eventually, we went to a model where the (then) Coffee of the Day choices were delivered pre-ground, in full batch portions. This was an amazing time saver, but was probably not very packaging friendly.
The whole thing reminds me of my first job working at a theater. Our manager would have us fire up the popcorn popper just to get the aromas going. That’s what happened when we had the whole beans in bins instead of 1 lb. bags.

By: Steve H

Steve H — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:07:45 +0000

There’s a related topic that I’d like to see you write about–that’s brewing at home. Basically we can do an “on demand” using a small French Press or a small batch and that works well for having one cup in the morning and then off to work, but what are the recommendations for when you want to brew a larger batch to enjoy over the next hour or so?

By: bayareabux

bayareabux — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:27:21 +0000

Crema is right, but regardless, if you took 98% of an aspirin, would you worry that it wont work because of the missing 2%? If you drink coffee, any coffee but decaf, you’ll get a caffeine buzz. The difference in caffeine between roasts and blends is not in any way significant. Its just an urban legend of the coffee house that keeps getting told and told and told.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:29:29 +0000

variety is the spice of life but its also good marketing to keep variation within such a large business, otherwise people will get bored, eventually…

By: Brendan206

Brendan206 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:33:42 +0000

I always wondered if you might someday do a specific post on Brew on Demand. I look forward to the next installment. I’m sure you’ll get tons of comments.

Speaking of the “lighter” roasts you alluded to… I still see them from time to time, but only rarely. Several weeks ago I saw Breakfast Blend available in a licensed store, and it seemed odd to see that instead of Pike Place Roast.