Moderator: Modern Buddy Staff
There is actually a Starbucks that moved in a few years ago closer the entrance to a strip mall (behind the actual MALL) but in front of the strip mall with the grocery store that USED TO house Mocha Lisa's.Syd wrote:A small strip mall in my neighborhood had an independent coffee shop for a few years. Then the mall management decided to let a Starbucks into the same strip mall. Pissed me off the management co would do that to the independent. Then about a year later the grocery store in the strip mall renovated the interior and put in a Starbucks! So in under 100 yards there were two Starbucks and an independent. It was hilarious.
The in-store Starbucks didn't last long, the grocery store has closed too, and so far the independent has hung in there, and looks like it is keeping busy. Power to the people!
I'll happily drink instant, so you know how refined my palette is. But I may stop in to see if there is a mug there.
Man, now that sucks. Now StarBurns will burn the hell out of the Peets beens like they do their own. Yet another good coffee bites the dust.k1dude wrote:Umm. If you haven't heard yet, Starbucks bought Peets. If they treat them the same as when they bought Seattles Best, there will be no Peets in a few years.babblefish wrote:
No, not really, but they're not as big of a plague as Starbucks, although the bulk of their stores are in California. They have locations in CA, CO, IL, MA, OR & WA.
And for those of you wondering, Peet's coffee blows away Starbucks.
I have only one comment: "decafe"rsrider wrote:I've been to a few NOT STARBUCKS coffee shops, and their house brew is just as bitter as *$'s. I complain on *$'s web page all the time about their suck house brew, to no avail. I still go to *$'s, but most of the time I make my own coffee at home, using Trader Joes various coffees. I buy different varieties of arabica dark, and I'm happy. *$'s is good for Bike Night and grabbing a quick cuppa when out and about. The one thing I do hate about going to *$'s is the frickin campers........kick them out after 2 hours, I need a place to sit!!!
OK, good news. I just talked to a friend of mine who is a manager for one of the local Peets and as far as he knows, this is not true. He said there were rumors about this several months ago, but that's all they were, rumors.k1dude wrote:Umm. If you haven't heard yet, Starbucks bought Peets. If they treat them the same as when they bought Seattles Best, there will be no Peets in a few years.babblefish wrote:
No, not really, but they're not as big of a plague as Starbucks, although the bulk of their stores are in California. They have locations in CA, CO, IL, MA, OR & WA.
And for those of you wondering, Peet's coffee blows away Starbucks.
Interesting. A couple months ago our local TV news reported it was a done deal. But based on your post, I looked it up and our local news was incorrect. However, your friend was incorrect that it was just a rumor. The two coffee giants actually were in talks about a sale after years of rumors of a proposed sale. But it appears to have been shelved for the time being. It could potentially happen though since both parties refuse to comment. That often means the option is still on the table, they just need to iron out details and/or study it a little more.babblefish wrote:OK, good news. I just talked to a friend of mine who is a manager for one of the local Peets and as far as he knows, this is not true. He said there were rumors about this several months ago, but that's all they were, rumors.
Habit Burger is way better...ericalm wrote:More satirical than sarcastic.
I'm all for the small coffee places, etc., but the second someone said "Starbucks," we started down a path of inevitability. It always happens.
There are many things that, once stated on a forum, will precipitate a series of predictable responses: someone mentions drinking or liking a cheap "macro" brew beer; someone mentions In-N-Out or another famed burger palace; helmet threads, gear threads, etc.
I'm not knocking anyone, just poking fun at our unerring collective behavior.
And a roundabout way to reuse the Batman unicorn thing.
That swill?! If it wasn't hand crafted by either fixie-riding guys with handlebar moustaches or a group of monks in an Appalachian village, I'm not drinking it!jrsjr wrote:I'll drink a glass of "cheap "macro" brew beer" to that!babblefish wrote:Personally, I just like to support the underdogs, downtrodden and generally unbathed.
I'd drink it...as long as it's in a container with a scooter on it.ericalm wrote:That swill?! If it wasn't hand crafted by either fixie-riding guys with handlebar moustaches or a group of monks in an Appalachian village, I'm not drinking it!jrsjr wrote:I'll drink a glass of "cheap "macro" brew beer" to that!babblefish wrote:Personally, I just like to support the underdogs, downtrodden and generally unbathed.
Five Guys FTW! (Now that Heart Attack Grill had one. anyway)Roose Hurro wrote:Habit Burger is way better...ericalm wrote:More satirical than sarcastic.
I'm all for the small coffee places, etc., but the second someone said "Starbucks," we started down a path of inevitability. It always happens.
There are many things that, once stated on a forum, will precipitate a series of predictable responses: someone mentions drinking or liking a cheap "macro" brew beer; someone mentions In-N-Out or another famed burger palace; helmet threads, gear threads, etc.
I'm not knocking anyone, just poking fun at our unerring collective behavior.
And a roundabout way to reuse the Batman unicorn thing.
the fact of the matter is no one gave a crap about coffee until Starbucks started popping up. want coffee? it was either McDonald's, Winchell's, local donut shops, or a so called "coffee shop"ericalm wrote:More satirical than sarcastic.
I'm all for the small coffee places, etc., but the second someone said "Starbucks," we started down a path of inevitability. It always happens.
There are many things that, once stated on a forum, will precipitate a series of predictable responses: someone mentions drinking or liking a cheap "macro" brew beer; someone mentions In-N-Out or another famed burger palace; helmet threads, gear threads, etc.
I'm not knocking anyone, just poking fun at our unerring collective behavior.
And a roundabout way to reuse the Batman unicorn thing.
I wouldn't call what we have on top of the forum the MB logo. It was there when I got here.Cheshire wrote:Wow...that's a lot of interest in a mug with a scooter on it.
:rubs hands together: Hey, Eric...mind if I play with the MB logo or the MB patch design?
signed,
a potter.
Well, you could always move to Portland. Great scooter town and the home of Stumptown Coffee. Once you've tried some of their roasts, you would never go back to Charbucks anyway. (the actual truth is that dark roasted coffees, while bitter, stay stable on the shelf for a longer period of time - the lighter roasts with fruit and citrus and spice and chocolate flavors lose those after a few weeks - Charbucks is making a business decision, instead of a good coffee decisionMulliganal wrote:Man, now that sucks. Now StarBurns will burn the hell out of the Peets beens like they do their own. Yet another good coffee bites the dust.
) 
So called is correctJHScoot wrote:where can i find one of these....what you call them...these so-called "Starbucks"
Nope...someone at Starbucks is a total failure...LunaP wrote:Got mine today. My family went Xmas shopping at Potomac Mills. I was the only one that bought anything and it was the mug. (I hear it's a Lammy... the register said 'Vespa Mug' XD) Does that mean our shopping trip was a total failure? I can't decide.
So...you couldn't walk 100 yards away to another Starbucks? Or is that just around here...jrsjr wrote:Yeah, my local Starbucks doesn't carry much merch any more, so I had to order online. Some things you just gotta do.ericalm wrote:Resistance is futile. Actually it's probably pretty easy. I think. Whatevs, got me a new mug!
babblefish wrote:So...you couldn't walk 100 yards away to another Starbucks? Or is that just around here...jrsjr wrote:Yeah, my local Starbucks doesn't carry much merch any more, so I had to order online. Some things you just gotta do.ericalm wrote:Resistance is futile. Actually it's probably pretty easy. I think. Whatevs, got me a new mug!
As an Italian, coffee lover and licensed barista, I can tell you that most small, independently-owned brewhouses aren't necessarily all that good, especially when they try to push inferior blends on their customers by suggesting that organic coffee is better for the farmers and somehow magically taste better (it does not). That being said starbucks does not train their baristas at all, I had to explain to a friend that works there just why starbucks coffee tastes burnt no matter what (protip: the blend they use is too dark for espresso machines which are designed to extract the maximum amount of oils out of your grounds). Truth be told, the best coffee in existance is not some organic local roast, it's available all over the world (at a premium), and its what the vast majority of coffee shops in Italy will sell.ericalm wrote:What the hell is going on when it takes more than 24 hours for people to start slagging Starbucks in a forum thread?
Frankly, I'm a little disappointed. In these times, it shouldn't take more than an hour for someone to start ranting about crappy, mass-produced coffee from corporate bullies and the natural superiority of small, independently-owned brewhouses which probably do not sell cool Lambretta coffee mugs.
Lokky wrote:As an Italian, coffee lover and licensed barista, I can tell you that most small, independently-owned brewhouses aren't necessarily all that good, especially when they try to push inferior blends on their customers by suggesting that organic coffee is better for the farmers and somehow magically taste better (it does not). That being said starbucks does not train their baristas at all, I had to explain to a friend that works there just why starbucks coffee tastes burnt no matter what (protip: the blend they use is too dark for espresso machines which are designed to extract the maximum amount of oils out of your grounds). Truth be told, the best coffee in existance is not some organic local roast, it's available all over the world (at a premium), and its what the vast majority of coffee shops in Italy will sell.ericalm wrote:What the hell is going on when it takes more than 24 hours for people to start slagging Starbucks in a forum thread?
Frankly, I'm a little disappointed. In these times, it shouldn't take more than an hour for someone to start ranting about crappy, mass-produced coffee from corporate bullies and the natural superiority of small, independently-owned brewhouses which probably do not sell cool Lambretta coffee mugs.
I will drink nothing but Illy and if I ever decide that grad school isn't for me and I want to get back to brewing coffee for a living I will be making sure whatever establishment I end up working for serves nothing but Illy.
as a final note, 4$+ for an espresso?! What in the world! An espresso is 60 cents in Italy, 1 euro for a capuccino. Also why in America a capuccino is made with enough milk to give diarrhea to a colony of cats for several week?
Lokky wrote: Also why in America a capuccino is made with enough milk to give diarrhea to a colony of cats for several week?
There's not a Starbucks every 100 yards in North Chesterfield, Virginia. I drove more than 5 miles miles out of my way to a second Starbucks where they also had no merch. The helpful folks there suggested I try Goodwill because, "that's where all the out of date merchandise gets dumped." I went home, fired up the interwebs, and ordered the frikking thing. To their great credit, Starbucks shipping on mugs is very reasonable. EDIT: The mugs just now arrived only three days after I ordered them. Pretty good for a $3.00 shipping and handling charge! (Oh dog, now I've done it. I went and said something complementary about Starbucks online.)babblefish wrote:So...you couldn't walk 100 yards away to another Starbucks? Or is that just around here...jrsjr wrote:Yeah, my local Starbucks doesn't carry much merch any more, so I had to order online. Some things you just gotta do.ericalm wrote:Resistance is futile. Actually it's probably pretty easy. I think. Whatevs, got me a new mug!
Thanks for the tip. I've never tried illy in the US. I'll have to give it a try with one of the sample packs when they go on sale at Cost Plus.rsrider wrote:My wife just drinks Illy at home, which she gets at world market. They sometimes have great after Xmas sales on Illy, the Xmas packs they don't sell. Stock up!
Their Almodóvar cups come in sets of two so if one has a nervous breakdown, you can use the other one, right?ericalm wrote:Also, those illy cans have all kinds of uses.
And the artist cups are nice.
http://www.illyusa.com/webapp/wcs/store ... rtist-cups
I first saw one when I ordered a capp at a restaurant. It was a bit weird. Wasn't sure what to expect.jrsjr wrote:Their Almodóvar cups come in sets of two so if one has a nervous breakdown, you can use the other one, right?ericalm wrote:Also, those illy cans have all kinds of uses.
And the artist cups are nice.
http://www.illyusa.com/webapp/wcs/store ... rtist-cups
ericalm wrote:More satirical than sarcastic.
I'm all for the small coffee places, etc., but the second someone said "Starbucks," we started down a path of inevitability. It always happens.
There are many things that, once stated on a forum, will precipitate a series of predictable responses: someone mentions drinking or liking a cheap "macro" brew beer; someone mentions In-N-Out or another famed burger palace; helmet threads, gear threads, etc.
I'm not knocking anyone, just poking fun at our unerring collective behavior.
And a roundabout way to reuse the Batman unicorn thing.
jmazza wrote:They really do! I keep my Starbucks coffee in mine!ericalm wrote:Also, those illy cans have all kinds of uses.
I have looked at this thread a few times after starting it and have to say that I do not really disagree with those who dislike Starbucks because they cause all the mom and pop places to close down. However, I will forever be a Starbucks fan. For several years, I worked for a ministry that served the homeless. We were fortunate enough to get daily donations from about 6 local Starbucks. They would give us their day old pastries and coffee. With these donations, we brewed coffee and provided pastries to our homeless clients. I always thought it was neat that they could come in and have a Starbucks coffee and pastry for free. They all enjoyed it and we all enjoyed the coffee. So, even though they probably do run out most mom and pop coffee houses, they will always get my business. 
