Quote:
Originally Posted by oneeyedhobbit
Wow...you sad, sad yuppy. Most coffee drinkers have absolutely no problem admitting that Starbucks coffee tastes like...well, dyed piss. They do NOT buy the best "great quality beans" and I have no idea where you are getting this. Further, I've no idea how the Starbucks home espresso machine is, I've never used it. But the truest espresso fiends will tell you to use a french press. Further, usually when you make poor tasting coffee on a really high end machine, it is most definitely the user, and not the machine. I'm certain the Starbucks machine has been simplified, which is both good and bad--on the one hand, its easier to get a so-so shot of espresso. But on the other, there is only so high you can go.
I suppose this is pointless to argue as coffee taste is all subjective...but try some good coffee, Illy or Lavazza or something before branding Starbucks as good...
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Hear, hear. My only beef is that a French Press is used for making coffee, not espresso. Espresso is made by forcing very hot (~200F is usual) water at high pressures through packed, finely ground coffee. But I digress...
Starbucks (*$), for the most part, sucks. This is a sad thing, because as has been pointed out, they have money. Lots of it. They have good equipment; I've seen it. They have the potential to be making some of the best coffee in the world, if only they trained their employees. Also, if stupid customers would stop asking for things like Half-Caff Non-Fat White Mocha with Orange Flavoring... drink the COFFEE, people! Stop adulterating it! Back to subject, though, their workers are morons. I've seen them take milk that was steamed previously (which, BTW, should never go past 160F, else it burns. Starbucks does this frequently. Nasty taste), dump some more cold milk on top of it, and re-use it. Bad, bad, bad. The properties of milk change drastically when heated, especially with a steam wand. When cooled, it changes again. You can never get the original taste or feel back. And yet they go re-using it. Fools. They can't even make a decent cup of regular coffee, either. I tried just some normal (I assume Columbian; I just asked for coffee) coffee the other day, and it sucked. Burnt and bitter. They do have good desserts, I'll give them that, but their coffee sucks arse. You want good coffee? Start visiting your local shops, and figure out what's good. Chances are any of them will be better than Starbucks, and you just might find a goldmine. Plus, you'll feel better knowing that you're supporting a local store, instead of a faceless corporation.
As for espresso machines, most of the time, it's the user's fault. I have an el-cheapo jobbie that cost maybe $100 new. It's not the greatest by any means, but I can make stuff better than Starbucks with it. Could I do better? Sure, with better equipment. For one, a decent grinder is very important. Mine sucked, before it broke. Even grind is very important to a good espresso.
Anyway, I'm done ranting. If you want more information,
CoffeeGeek is an excellent resource site, and some pretty decent forums, too. If you want some decent coffee (beans or ground), but don't feel like driving around looking for a shop,
Peet's Coffee and Tea will do it. I've bought from them and can vouch for quality. They've got some pretty awesome blends, too. Major Dickason's is quite nice for starting out.
(-:Stephonovich