Probably unfair of me, I know
I always get so disappointed when I walk past a Starbucks and see someone working on an Apple laptop. I mean, I just naturally assume that Mac users have better taste than that.
Now, I don’t mean “how can they patronize such a multi-corp coffee house?” Though some of their practices as outlined in Naomi Klein’s No Logo sound just atrocious. I don’t know enough about the business practices of other coffee chains*, or Apple themselves to make that comparison.
No, I’m talking about the taste of the coffee itself. When it has any, that is. Cause my experience with Starbucks nationwide is that when the coffee isn’t burnt, it’s flavorless. I can see if you are really desperate and there is no other coffee in a twenty mile radius, but good lord! This is the land of coffee shops! And many are oh so good.
In fact I am moved to go get some coffee goodness right now. From Torrefazione, who, yes, Starbucks has bought, but haven’t ruined yet. Their unsweetened mochas are the best.
*Except Stumptown, who are coffee gods and always my first choice when possible.
In my experience, candy-colored Apple laptops, Starbucks coffee shops, and annoyingly yellow VW Beetles all seem to weave themselves together into the ultimate tapestry of yuppie shit-headedness.
But that’s just me.
Someday somebody’s going to do a study of the genetic/biological component of people’s reactions to Starbucks coffee. Your reaction is obviously not a personal idiosyncrasy; I know a number of people who feel the same way. But a lot of people love it as much as I do — and I assure you I didn’t want to love it, I thought “who needs some Seattle intruder? we have good coffee right here in NYC.” But my brother was an addict and dragged me in and I tried it and was smitten. Their espresso is damn good. But there’s obviously some element that strikes certain people as unacceptable bitterness, and I look forward to seeing it all thoroughly investigated. At any rate, if you’ll accept that I can genuinely like it without being some kind of capitalist tool, I’ll accept that you genuinely dislike it without being a knee-jerk anti-capitalist who wouldn’t admit she liked it if it were the best thing she ever tasted. Deal?
I suspect for Starbucks patrons (or patrons of any major, homogenous chain) it’s a psychological comfort to know that wherever you go, there will be a familiar Starbucks, with a familiar flavor.
Even if that flavor is burnt or bland. Go figure.
Me, I just patronize my kitchen and make myself some Chai.
But then I really ought to leave the house more often.
It’s a deal, Hat.
The thing is, when I first had their coffee in the early 90s, it was a damn fine cup of Joe.
And it might be the same as it is with bagels–something about New York water makes it better.
‘Sides, I am so Apple’s bitch–who am I to point fingers at capitalist tools?
John–yes, well, Kip makes some nice Chai and good cofffee as well–fresh water is key.
And I understand comfort factor. But I would think people could have a home and an away team, as it were.
Bill–watch it man. Kip AND Patrick Farley carry those candy color iBooks! (ha)
‘Sides, the dude I was dissing had a fancy-schmancy Titanium job.
But…but Kip is a yuppie shithead. He’s just our yuppie shithead. And we wuv him for it.
(Besides, I like both those candy-colored clamshells and their companion VWs. So I guess that makes me a Y.S., too.)
All of M.L. King Blvd., save for right near the convention center, is a Starbucks-free zone. Nothin’ but Mom ‘N Pop coffee as far as the eye can see.
Take that, you efette hipsters. :p
But Amy, how virtuous is it to remain pure when temptation is not in your path? And there is no Starbucks past 39th on Hawthorne where the real hipness begins, so, nyah.
Gee Kevin, if Kip is a yuppie shithead, he better start coughing up that part of his slary he hasn’t been depositing. Go beat it out of him, will you?
Well, my wife and I just signed a contract to buy a house in Peekskill. And it turns out the locally owned Peekskill Coffee House has excellent coffee for much less than St*rb*cks (I got a double espresso for a buck fifty). So this sad tale of addiction may have a happy ending.
Soon to be an ex-capitalist tool,
Language Hat
Good luck with the house in Peekskill, comrade!
“But Amy, how virtuous is it to remain pure when temptation is not in your path ?”
There’d be plenty in my path if I took an alternate route to work, never fear.
Besides which, I stand by my opinion that six out of seven Starbucks brew their coffee from a mixture of asphalt, burnt toast crumbs, lukewarm tapwater, and Gravy Master[tm]. Even if their owners weren’t evil personified, I don’t think I’d be enough of a gambler these days to hope that I’d chance upon the one in seven where the brew is drinkable.
I don’t do pubcrawls. We should arrange a coffee crawl up M L King Blvd some day next Spring. Were I to have a blog, that would be as good a kick-off topic as any, I suppose.