Summer Food Fun and Drink 2009 Starbucks in decline - Chapter 5 · Friday July 17, 2009 by colin newell
The Seattle-based gourmet coffee chain said it is changing the name of one of its existing stores in its hometown to a name that reflects the neighborhood location.
The store will be called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. It will open next week and will serve coffee and tea as well as wine and beer.
Isn’t that like McDonalds changing its Victoria area outlet names to Madame Elizabeth’s Crumpet and Tea house?
Or GM or Ford changing their name to Henry’s Perfectly Reliable Maker of Motored Carriage?
Someone should have told their marketing people that you can’t buy authenticity.
Many industry pundits feel that the Starbucks brand still “resonates” with those who drink coffee regularly. But with the recession now in its second year, the brand may be struggling more because it is considered “premium,” and therefore an expensive product, by consumers.
No. No. No. It is because (in my opinion), Starbucks coffee is not the Starbucks coffee of, say, 10 years ago. In 1992, I used to delight in an extra large black coffee from Starbucks; rich and hot, filled with body and mysterious flavors.
Now it just tastes like the inferior coffee beans that the real specialty coffee companies are passing on that maybe, just maybe, is not good enough. Dunno. You judge.
The fact is, better coffee has arrived in the form of Victrola or Stumptown or Vivace and Intelligentsia
Nobody is going to be fooled by this. Corporate coffee is corporate coffee however you slice it.
Starbucks needs to move aside and let the real coffee brew.
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Summer Food Fun and Drink 2009 Starbucks in decline - Chapter 4 · Thursday July 16, 2009 by colin newell
In a remarkably lame move, Starbucks is shape-shifting itself into a mom-and-pop neighborhood cafe in Seattle.
A Seattle outlet of the 16,000-store coffee behemoth is being re-branded without visible Starbucks identifiers, as 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.
And they plan on going head to head with the likes of Victrola, Vivace, Cafe Vita, Cafe D’arte and Stumptown.
From my perspective, I think this latest Starbuck bait and switch is the height of cynicism and breathtakingly shortsighted – even for a foundering behemoth like the jolly green caffeine giant.
Recently I have compared the following chain coffee recently and here is my score…
Lame- Starbucks – Watery, thin, unremarkable… Americano with a puff of whisper thin crema
Slightly Lame- Tim Horton’s – Like their gut wrenching doughnuts, Tim’s coffee has nothing redeeming about it. Coffee flavored mouth wash. Remember, don’t swallow any!
Not so bad- McDonalds – Drip coffee thick enough to plasma cut steel plate. Delicious with an egg McMuffin.
Continuing on Starbucks Seattle plans… they also plan on serving beer and wine.
This marketing move from Coffee Oz northwest is baffling, amusing and kind of sad in a way. In this economy (if I was Howard Shultz), I would be holding my cards real close. But what the heck. Nothing ventured – nothing gained…
Just ignore the aging wizard behind the curtain.
Summer Food Fun and Drink Chapter 17 Bang Zoom to the Moon · Wednesday July 15, 2009 by colin newell
It is almost 40 years ago when man first walked on the Moon.
And I was there – in front of an 7 year old Canadian made Viking B&W TV set from Eatons.
I was like 9 or 10 years old.
And now – 40 years later, where has our Space program gone?
Other than militarizing space… I mean that area just above the ionosphere, not really space at all. We have done nothing really meaningful… in Space… for 40 years.
I say we for a reason and with clarification.
Yes, we have dropped probes and crawlers on Mars in the last 10 years.
But we as humankind have done very little to fix inner space or wander outside of that shell around us that is currently cluttered with detritus, Google satellites, spy satellites and weapons.
So. As much as I would like to celebrate this coming anniversary (and don’t get me wrong… I have fond memories from 1969 and all…) – but it just feels like my fellow spacemen and spacewomen (and I) have been standing in an open field this whole time.
Just looking up.
Summer Food Fun and Drink Chapter 16 OTTO in the House 3 · Wednesday July 15, 2009 by colin newell
OTTO
12 pounds of stainless steel
On a hot electric stove
Portafilter filled with espresso from Cafe Fantastico
Ten minutes later
Espresso
Without a sound
Served with a smile
Astounding.
