Comments on: Pour Over brew method coming to a Starbucks near you!

By: RT

RT — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:16:24 +0000

For those who are complaining the brew-over is lukewarm, try this:
1) Make sure the barista is using hot water from the brewer spigot (some stores have filtered hot water at the espresso machines as well, but it isn’t as hot)
2) Make sure the barista pours a little water into the metered pitcher, dumps it out, then pours again. Some of that water is sitting in a holding tank. It is hot, but not as hot as what will come out after that first bit is cleared.
3) Go back to the bar/register after about three minutes and POLITELY ask if your coffee is ready. Sometimes the barista has gone on to another customer (or two, or three) and has forgotten your brew-over. Even the best barista will get distracted and forget you are waiting. Baristas are always doing several things at once (even when there are no customers!) and in the meantime your unattended brew-over is cooling off.
4) If you are going to stay and would like to have a few cups of coffee, and really love great, rich tasting coffee, order a french press. Ask them to use their insulated press, if they have one. You can request any blend of coffee they have available–they will open a bag off the retail floor if they have to! Ask for a for-here cup with it and you can enjoy great french press coffee out of a homey ceramic mug.

By: CD

CD — Fri, 28 May 2010 01:31:35 +0000

@Erin, I have the same complaint about the pour-over – the lukewarm coffee is not appealing.

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:21:10 +0000

I have been disappointed with my “pour-over” coffee. Local Starbucks don’t brew decaf after 3PM and since I am pregnant, I have had the opportunity to try coffee using this new method about 5 times at 3 different Starbucks. The first one I had was lukewarm, had coffee grounds in it, and I fished out a piece of black plastic. I threw it away. Hoping it was a fluke I continued to try it a few more times because I LOVE Starbucks coffee. Sadly, they have all been lukewarm with a weak watered-down taste. If I can get to Starbucks before the afternoon, then I gladly pay for my brewed coffee, but anytime in the afternoon or evening, I have sought out other local coffee shops for a nice brewed cup.

By: Riki

Riki — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:51:50 +0000

Hey Chris!

Well then, I consider myself even MORE fortunate that I’m not the ‘average’ barista that you mentioned up there. =) The ‘bonus clip’ I added above is genuinely, the real ME & I ENSURE that every guest I assist FEELS the 3rd PLACE! (Believe it or not, we’re STILL out there)

Starbucks may have begun, exclusively selling beans & serving drip coffee. But let’s face it-Starbucks has become bigger than that now & we cater to EVERYONE (Adults, Children, Families). It’s no longer just about serving great coffee, but it’s about providing an unbelievably exceptional experience for each & EVERY customer! From the moment our guests enter the store & get greeted on a 1st-name basis, to getting their drinks started while they’re waiting in line, to chit-chatting w/the barista @ the register & learning about new & upcoming pastries/drinks/offers/promotions/inside-tips, to looking forward to getting their drinks, as we thank them w/ a smile & wish them a GREAT DAY, these are ALL part of the 3rd Place Starbucks Experience! I’m SURE you’ve experienced this, right? I’m blessed & proud to say that this occurs @ my current store EVERY DAY; not because we HAVE TO, because WE WANT TO! Surely, this doesn’t happen @ EVERY store. I’ve worked @ many SBUX’s in the past. Some may require improvement, some may not require as much. Nothing is perfect. For me, I’m all about the PRESENT time-not about how it used to be or how it’s going to be; I leave ‘how it used to be’ in the past & I leave ‘how it’s going to be’ a surprise!

Your scenario (above) may be typical & common to occur as ‘Pour Over’ proceeds. However, it has not occurred YET. When something hasn’t happened yet, despite the obvious (which I intentionally overlook), I LOVE keeping things open-ended, preoccupying myself w/ the notion of “Let’s just see! – You NEVER know!” This way, I have the most impartial perspective instead of manifesting 1 way or another & setting myself up for disappointment.

When customers receive the overall, exceptional service @ SBUX that they deserve, an issue of seasonal pastries being seasonal or the pour-over method becomes a mere spectacle in their mind, LIGHT YEARS away, because suddenly, they realized that they adored how they JUST got treated.

Despite its ups & downs, 1 thing, especially, that I’ve always admired/loved about Starbucks, is that they keep trying to improve & attempt to keep up w/ the current times by focusing on the entire Starbucks picture as a WHOLE, while STILL not forgetting its roots by working diligently & closely w/ the coffee farms, giving back to the communities. When I was a waiter, a co-worker tipped me, “So what if you have 6-7 tables to wait on? Try to oversee your ENTIRE station of 6-7 tables as 1 GIANT one! THAT’s how you serve tables…” This is what Starbucks is doing.

By: Scooter McGoo

Scooter McGoo — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:05:35 +0000

Being the “OMG what’s wrong with this picture now” guy, my only question on this “next big thing” promo is that I was taught during my first brew event training that coffee is supposed to brew at 205F in order for a optimum product. This is not the temp that comes out of any spigot and when I tried to steam water I could only reach 201F. But I did brew espresso this way at 201F today and it made a nice short.

By: CoffeeExpert

CoffeeExpert — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:31:48 +0000

As a manager and a barista I think this method will be adventurous and interesting. I do regret Starbucks’ decision to discontinue decaf in the afternoons, but certainly understand it as it is so sporadically sold, it can be wasteful to brew all day. However, I have pursued a policy of on-demand brewing for customers if they would like a certain coffee brewed that we don’t have, as well as brewing decaf on demand. We also offer Americanos as an alternative. When I first tried the Americano I was pleased with it’s smoothness and body and saw that it was a good suggestion in place of a decaf brewed coffee. So, my customers certainly have the option of having a decaf product if they want to. They will either go with one of those options or just go with Caffeinated Pike. They are generally pleased. Also, with brewing other varieties of coffee they want, they are either impressed and pleased that I would do that that they are willing to wait, or they simply pass and go with Pike, get another drink, or get nothing. All this to say that waiting on coffee is not a problem for us, but I am interested to see what this method brings. And I do describe the difference between coffees Chris W. : )

By: Chris W

Chris W — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:07:32 +0000

Riki,
In my experience, your role playing is exactly what Starbucks would love for you to say, but customers aren’t going to understand the new method any more than they understand why seasonal pastries disappear. While I would thoroughly enjoy being your customer, the likely interaction is going to go like this:
Customer: No more bold today?
Barista: Nope.
Customer: So I guess I’ll take what you’ve got.
Barista: Okay, Pike Place it is.
And scene.
The average barista shuns any and every opportunity to create extra work for themselves, not to mention probably can’t even describe the difference between coffees.
When I started with Starbucks in 1996, if you didn’t like regular coffee, you probably weren’t hired by the manager. Now, lack of coffee knowledge is accepted, as long as you show up for your shift.
Just my two cents, trying to survive as a brewed coffee drinker in a frappuccino world.

By: Riki

Riki — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:18:37 +0000

Mel! FANTASTIC Pour-Over blog w/ pics & ALL! Thank you ^_^

As to your concern for customers & the wait time for the ‘Pour-Over’, I honestly think that customers would be SO delighted that SBUX has finally thought out an alternative to the dreadful Brew-On-Demand, that their enthusiasm will out-weigh & diminish their previous concerns!

Can you imagine?

Customer: “Oh, no more bold? Right, I have to wait. It’s ok then.”

Barista: “ACTUALLY, we have a NEW method now & I can brew you some bold in as little as 2 mins!”

Customer: “Wait, WHAT? Really? That’s GREAT!”
THE END

(bonus clip) If I was the barista, after THE END, I’d add:

Riki: “No, I’m sorry. That was very mean of me. But wouldn’t it be a GREAT IDEA? What size for your Pike Place? … JUST KIDDING! Hey, whaddaya know? Your Sumatra is read SIR! Enjoy…”

By: Melody

Melody — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:38:44 +0000

Hey but CABarista, the link I added above with today’s edit says US and Canada! I thought it was going to be both markets getting the pour over.

By: CABarista

CABarista — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:30:29 +0000

interesting. Everything coming out is saying “stores in the US”