Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
guardian.co.uk
Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
1–10 of 16 posts
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#2OT, but the key to instant coffee is to "brew" it with milk. It kills the acidity and makes it somewhat drinkable.
Of course, if you don't have some sort of way to make one cup of real coffee, you don't deserve good flavor ;)
(I use this: http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID... ... and now you have my session id :P )
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#3It appears to me that SBUX has lost sight of the premise (at least in my opinion) that what they're selling is an experience, and people pay for the experience by buying a coffee. As with any other franchise or franchise-like operation, the "secret sauce" is to make the experience bland enough for it to appeal to a large segment of the population, and consistent enough that people will have their expectations met regardless of which location you visit.
I seem to recall that their CEO wrote a scathing internal memo a while back about where the company has gone, but as a publicly traded entity they've become conditioned to see profit as their only goal.
BTW, I'm a semi-fan, at least to the extent that I needed to hang out somewhere for a while today, and the first place that came to mind was SBUX (I wanted wifi, and coffee was welcome too).
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#4Why didn't they just put coffee grounds in a tea bag and sell it that way? It seems like it would produce instant coffee almost on par with regular drip. They might have to adjust the density of the bag's paper, but that's about it.
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#5Pre-ground coffee and a french press is still damn good and damn near as quick to make as instant. I really don't understand drinking instant coffee at home -- in a war zone maybe (then again, even in Blackhawk Down I think he got a brew going, didn't he?)
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#6OT, but the key to instant coffee is to "brew" it with milk. It kills the acidity and makes it somewhat drinkable. Of course, if you don't have some sort of way to make one cup of real coffee, you don't deserve good flavor ;) (I use this: http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID... ... and now you have my session id :P )
I've been using the AeroPress: http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress.htm -- an odd gadget from the inventor of the Aerobie. It's pretty quick to use, results are off in the direction of an Americano, and it's really easy to clean. I'm happy with the coffee it makes, though I'm no expert.
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#7OT, but the key to instant coffee is to "brew" it with milk. It kills the acidity and makes it somewhat drinkable. Of course, if you don't have some sort of way to make one cup of real coffee, you don't deserve good flavor ;) (I use this: http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=1&GID=3&LID... ... and now you have my session id :P )
A regular french press is pretty easy.
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#8If anyone wants great instant coffee try cold-brew, you can buy it in refrigerated condensed liquid form, just search Amazon for N.O. Brew, I used to swear by this stuff. It was also great for making cold coffee drinks.
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#9Why didn't they just put coffee grounds in a tea bag and sell it that way? It seems like it would produce instant coffee almost on par with regular drip. They might have to adjust the density of the bag's paper, but that's about it.
If you google "coffee tea bag" the first link explains why not: "Unlike tea leaves, coffee grains release little flavor unless they come into contact with water that is not only hot but also agitated. The water may simply flow through a sock filled with ground coffee, or it may be thrust up through a percolator, but it must be moving. This limitation has traditionally made brewing coffee by the cup messy and inefficient."
Re: Starbucks instant coffee reviewed, almost nauseating
#10Pre-ground coffee and a french press is still damn good and damn near as quick to make as instant. I really don't understand drinking instant coffee at home -- in a war zone maybe (then again, even in Blackhawk Down I think he got a brew going, didn't he?)
in a war zone maybe
Well, I am in warzone, I'm founding a startup! ;-) No, on a more serious note: I'm drinking the instant stuff (Nescafe Gold, fwiw) for half a year since my coffee-maker broke down - and I actually like it.
I find it tastes merely different, not necessarily worse, than the stuff that my former capsule machine ("Dolce Gusto") and the regular powder-through-filter setup spit out.
It's obviously no comparison to a fullblown espresso maker that meals the beans on the fly but since I can't afford the latter I don't find the instant stuff much worse than the listed alternatives. All of them merely taste reminiscent of real coffee anways - so I can just as well drink the cheapest option.