August 6th, 2008 
Roast Master Wow! Starbucks has taken a giant hit in the last year! Is it really that surprising though? If you are a coffee lover — who isn’t interested in what Charbucks has to offer, you are probably a little glad that the dominating coffee giant is losing face quickly.
It wasn’t long ago that Starbucks was opening a “Specialty Coffee” shop on pretty darn near every bloody corner near and far. And it didn’t take long for people to lose interest either. Why? Well, there are probably as many reasons are there are Starbucks stores (Yes, stores……these places are hardly cafes or coffee houses!!). The feel that the company started off with was that of what Howard Shultz liked to refer to as “the third place”. That is that there is Home, Work and Starbucks……sorry Howard, but its hardly a place I’d want to spend much time. Actually, when I’m on the road, I’ll take a Tim Hortons coffee or a Dunkin Donuts coffee over a burnt, gut rotting cup of *$’s! And thats coming from a Roaster of nearly 6 years!
Whats happend then? Many, many changes have occured within Starbucks. The worst step was probably moving from glorious bins full of (burnt) beans over to bagged apparatus that customers were apparently expected to purchase based on what was written on the bag. You can make a package as fancy as you like, Howard, but really…..its whats inside that counts! Step two……remove all of your wonderful, La Marzocca manual espresso machines from your shops and replace them with push button vending machines! What is this……McStarbucks???? (and speaking of the McD’s, aren’t they pushing specialty coffee now?? Or is that a thing of the past too??
Now, in recent news, Starbucks is admitting the closure of 61 locations in Australia. That doesn’t really comes as much of a surprise though. Australians have a long history of great coffee.
What goes up……must come down.
Over and out!
Now gimme some coffee!
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$18,000 vending machines, no doubt.
There are a few of those good, original “third-place” stores left in some of the big cities in the US, like Chicago or Houston, where you can sit for 6-8 hours studying ancient languages and meeting up with old friends. In those stores, you forgo the coffee and drink some tea. But, unfortunately, those experiences are becoming rarer every day.
At one point, at the Uptown Park Houston location, there were enough of us “regulars” that popped in for extended stints “at the Bucks” that we developed an almost “Cheers-like” atmosphere. Lasting friendships were created and memories were made. Those were good times, and the quality of the coffee really didn’t matter.
Unfortunately, largely because of the Starbucks’ conglomeration, indy shops in places like Houston are scarcely able to survive longer than 1-2 years. In order to do so, they have to sell their souls and make their revenues from their own brand of sloppaccinos. The art of the espresso has been lost to the masses and become the provenance of esoteric coffee gurus who speak of ancient coffee wisdom believed by most to be mere superstition.
Ironically, however, because indy shops are disappearing throughout the country, Starbucks may be our only alternative for “that place to go” away from work and away from home. We end up compromising our high standards of coffee quality for a place to sit down and chat with an old friend. I would rather do that in a Starbucks than a Dunkin’ Donuts.
Perhaps there are a few purists left out there who shun the evil empire of Starbucks with religious fervor. But, even for a roaster and coffee geek like myself, the nostalgia of what Starbucks used to be, what it promised always to be – the Third Place, still lodges in the heart and beacons one to come in. But once inside, disappointment and lamentation ensue. What is passed on as the sweet nectar of the gods is nothing but ashen hot water. The soft atmosphere of cozy chairs, quiet conversation, low lighting, and carpet are replaced with tile floors, wall-to-wall windows, and the incessant noise of blenders churning out 500-calorie milk shakes with assembly line consistency.
It is a sad game we play – the unending search for the perfect coffee shop and the imperfection that we settle for everyday.
I am enjoying the blog! Keep it up.
-EJ
Hey there Eric! I agree entirely. And the saddest part is that the indy shops tend to provide some great coffee, but are unable to compete with giants like *$’s.
Where do you roast coffee if ya don’t mind me asking!!
dave
Not Here To Bash Starbucks. I Worked For Them Back Right Before There Made The Machine Switch, As A Matter Of Fact My Store In Lil 5Points Was One Of The Last Ones In ATL, To Go Automatic, I Tried To Purchase Our Marz, But Rumor Had It, It Was Going To Be Crushed!?Anyway I Saw It Coming, To Sterile Of A Place, I Now PAN Roast For A Living An I Am Able To Give My Clients That ” Specialty Coffee ” Rock On Coffee Lovers!
Pan roasting eh!! Where are you doing that? I’ve been roasting for about 6 years now on probats. Its a great job to have!!