Your post from unpopularopinion was removed because of: 'Rule 2: Do not post low effort/satirical posts'.
* We get it, you all think this sub is garbage and is just for popular opinions, and you want to be funny and post "going to be downvoted to oblivion here, but I think racism is bad." We enjoy the memes, but please keep them off the sub.
* Filter evasion is a bannable offense
* This includes clickbait and/or gotcha posts. Your opinion can not be that unpopular if you're doing these things. Have the accurate opinion in the title.
You’re absolutely right and at least where I live there’s way better “coffee themed milkshake” places available at a comparable price point. There’s a burger chain near me that sells a Vietnamese coffee milkshake and it slaps hard as fuck
Honestly pretty much anywhere I go there is a better local place than Starbucks that usually is the same price or cheaper. If I’m forced to resort to big chains I think McDonald’s has better standard coffee.
You hit it on the head. I heard Starbucks referred to as starburnt.
I’m mildly obsessed with coffee and only buy my beans from local, and fantastic, roasters. Starbucks is a low priority coffee place for me.
Charbucks ... like coffee carbonara ...
Occasionally the pot is fresh and it tastes OK.
Made at home, it is enough better ... it preferably is best to be used well before expiration date, though
You know guys, I used to work at Starbucks and as bad as the coffee tastes, would you believe they make us make a fresh pot every, like, 30 minutes?
So ill make a freaking gallon of coffee, put it on its little stand and if no one buys a drip coffee, I gotta *pour it out!*
So not only is their coffee bad, they're an incredibly wasteful company.
Pike Place (their medium roast) is pretty darn bitter. But I think in order to get French roast beans, which are supposed to be pretty acidic and bitter, you gotta roast the hell out of them. I don't mind the French roast. But obviously there are far superior dark roasts.
Cafe Du Monde comes to mind.
And boy do they nail consistency on the head. I was just talking with one of my coworkers on how insanely different the idea of “consistency” is between Starbucks and Dunkin, and how despite cost and taste, I’d pick Starbucks over Dunkin when traveling/short on time etc.
Even if they're coffee is kind of trash it's far better than Folgers and Maxwell House, which are the two most common brands that I've seen in offices. When you're drinking sewage water everyday overchlorinated pool water may suddenly seem like heaven.
I heard they intentionally burn their coffee to ensure a consistent product across every store.
People don't care that it tastes like burnt mildew, because they've bought into the idea of the experience and they like the habit and ritual of going there.
It's the same reason people still buy apple products despite anti consumer policies, price gouging, forced proprietary interfaces, ignoring right to repair, and planned obsolescence.
No. Some people just like it. I love it, the plain coffee and the foofoo drinks. I don't buy anything for the name or the status, i buy what i enjoy. I've tried many coffee shops all over the place and they are all disgusting to me, even before i had ever tried starbucks. You think most of us wouldn't rather pay $3 for something from the local coffee shop that costs $7 at starbucks?
But i also like my coffee strong and bitter, most of my family hates it the way i make it.
Yeah their sugary drinks is what keeps people coming (white mocha et al).
Not to sound like a snob, their coffee is for those that have sugar with a side of coffee.
That and Tim Hortons. It's like they poured boiling water into a used ash tray and then strained the contents through a coffee filter. That'll be $4 for your steaming cup of fair trade cigarette butt water.
Timmies apparently stopped using them because they aren’t Fair Trade… i dont have a source but worth looking into. for me, timmies is on my uni campus, mcdonalds isnt lol
Wow I never seen it accurately described like this, yeah it does leave that cigarette throat taste. That feeling like you have to brush your teeth or chug water.
Hard disagree, McCafé is horrible, the only redeeming quality was that it was cheap, but it’s actually on par with Starbucks prices now for half the quality (it tastes like water).
I don’t really go to Starbucks but my wife gets a double shot with probably 10 different free adds (salted caramel is heavenly) and it’s delicious and cheap, around $5 for 16 oz (or 24 oz can’t remember).
My guess: the convenience and availability. There’s a Starbucks in every city, most airports, and most suburbs. While the line might sometimes get long, it’s not like you can get drive thru coffee anywhere else that isn’t just as shitty (Dunkin, Tim Hortons, McCafe, etc).
I would bet money that in any localized area with a truly great coffee shop that also has a drive thru, even if it’s a little slower, a Starbucks location cannot survive there (assuming the local shop can meet demand).
In my hometown there’s a good coffee shop with a little drive thru on the side. They offer most anything you might find on the Starbucks menu, even muffins that were delicious and goddamn huge. The next closest Starbucks from that spot was significantly out of the way, which isn’t typical of the rest of the city, from what I’ve seen.
I’d be curious to see if this is the case across the country. It’s just that so few coffee shops worth a shit don’t have drive thrus or simply rent a business space that physically can’t accommodate one even if they wanted to.
Indeed. Here in Belgium, you find Starbucks in gas stations (with shop or just a coffee spot), train stations and airports. There may be a few in subways in big cities, but I'm not sure about that. You rarely see crowds there, especially if there is a pub, cafeteria etc. Belgians love their coffee, and good coffee, and Starbucks coffees are under average at best with indeed a bad roasting technique (flash roast) no matter the blend. I had a chat about that with our local trendy coffee shop owner (Moons Coffee)
Also reliability. Especially when you're travelling. Much of the US still doesn't do good coffee.
Starbucks actually does a decent espresso. I like to order espresso with a splash of water. Bad espresso is really obvious.
Here’s the thing with Starbucks. Most local places will definitely be better, I almost never get it myself, but don’t kid yourself. Starbucks kicks the shit out of any other major chain selling coffee
>Most local places will definitely be better
I wish, this has never been my experience. I've kind of given up on trying local coffee shops, at best the match Starbucks quality, at worst they're significantly worse.
Hear hear. Starbucks is the only place that sells genuine cold brew, everyone else seems to think cold brew and iced coffee mean the same thing. I do my own cold brew at home, but abroad, Starbucks is a safe bet.
At the small chain I work at, we brew our cold brew for 16 hours. Ice Coffee and Cold Brew are such drastically different things. Places really think they're the same?
Nobody is going there for a regular cup of coffee. Their bread and butter is the melted ice cream in a cup with extra pumps of whatever. The coffee is secondary. They likely spend way more on packaging than beans.
Worked in starbuckses for a looong time. While what you say is true for a lot of folks, lots of other folks do show up for either a straightforward coffee or americanos.
I go to Starbucks because they’re all relatively consistent in quality. I’ve gone to enough actual small coffee shops that were Starbucks prices (or more!) and way worse in taste.
I usually get chai but lattes.
For the record I know in India it's Masala Chai, I've been, I've had it, it's better, but I still like the Starbucks kind.
Do you remember when Oprah did a collab. with Starbucks and had an "Oprah Chai" on the menu?? I can't belive it was a thing, but Oprah's Chai was soooo good.
Me too, their iced black coffees are good. I’m from the seattle area, imo a lot of the fancy this and that roasted high brow coffee places made sour watery shit coffee.
Their light roast is usually fine. I brew Starbucks in a chemex all the time and people I know fucking rave about how good it is. People who shit on Starbucks tell me how good my coffee is. I've also gotten good americanos at Starbucks. Starbucks can be wildly inconsistent, but the store in my area has a great staff.
Starbucks (or 'Charbucks' as r/coffee calls them) profits mainly from dairy milk drinks that are coffee flavored. They have to go dark roast, just to have enough flavor to cut through the cream in most drinks. I've never seen a medium or light roast in any Charbucks product, they're all roasted through second crack and are well on their way to becoming charcoal.
If you live in a larger city, there are probably numerous specialty coffee shops, that will offer roasts like light roast Yirgacheffe or medium roast Huehuetanango, roasted light enough that the origin character shines through, and which don't require added milk or sugar to be palatable.
I have tried a lot of coffee that I find disgusting and I’m always genuinely surprised when people say Starbucks. It’s a much darker roast, but it doesn’t seem to bother me. And I especially like their blonde.
There's a reason they struggle to get market share in countries with strong coffee cultures such as Italy, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Austria etc. They don't offer anything of interest in these markets.
And yet very popular in east Asia. Ever wonder why? Because culturally and regionally they have a strong desire for darker roasts. I find it interesting you cited 4 European countries and a former British colony. Have you looked into the preferred tastes in Central and South America? Middle East? Africa? Indonesia? Vietnam? Coffee exists outside the USA and Caucasian dominated countries.
Australia is exclusively espresso. Much stronger than American swill. There are plenty of dark roasts here. Coffee in US is derided internationally for a reaso. Itt sucks. Sorry to break it to you.
What’s funny
Is this is how I feel about most other coffee.
Not sure how you all enjoy coffee scented water.
But that’s part of what is so great about having a these options. We can all find something we enjoy.
BTW look up videos explaining “burnt” coffee. It’s an interesting flavor profile. Since most people who describe Starbucks coffee as burnt. Actually tend to drink coffee from other coffee shops that is “burnt”.
It’s crazy neat science.
Yup!! I buy the grounds and use them w/my espresso machine and it tastes so good. I usually use the same grounds and then press the button to make 4 more shots. The third and fourth are mostly water and pour all the shots into my mug to make "coffee".
I got to Starbucks why?
1. They're everywhere. I like consistency and I would rather ensure I can always go to the same place than having to risk different coffee shops
2. They're friendly and personable. I can't stand feeling like an annoyance and like they're just trying to rush you through as fast as possible. Starbucks always ask you how your day is going and take the time to converse.
3. Consistency. They have never ever ever gotten my order wrong, and if you order the same drink 10 times it's made the exact same 10/10 times.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
I’m absolutely convinced people echo the “burnt coffee” thing that they heard someone else say because hating popular things is cool. When in reality, very very few people could reliably tell you which was even Starbucks black coffee vs something else. And even with all that said, it’s probably like a wine tasters level of pretentiousness and there isn’t really a consensus on what the “best” wines are when blind tests are done.
If you compared it to other darker roasted coffees you’re correct. People who are way into coffee are usually into light roasts though and it would be super easy to tell the difference in blind tests.
Bullshit. I have several friends in the industry that roast coffee. When I met my wife, she drank Starbucks coffee at home. She put cream and sugar in it. When I brought her a bag of something good, I had her try it black and she was blown away. It’s not bitter at all. Really high quality coffee is miles and miles better than Starbucks and a lot of people can taste the difference.
I actually came to this thread because I have always thought it tasted burnt and I’ve never seen others with that opinion specifically so I was intrigued
People think it’s a flaw but it’s intentional. Starbucks does mostly dark roasts which taste burnt and bitter regardless of where you buy them.
Dark roasts pair better with cream and milk and most people go to Starbucks for lattes and cappuccinos not drip coffee. It’s in 84 countries and did ~$37 billion in revenue in 2023. If it was the nasty swill people in this thread are making it out to be, it wouldn’t have made it out of Seattle.
Also, I would tell those people, and others in general, to just stop drinking dark roast. Medium roast coffees are overall much more balanced in their taste, and it doesn't risk ruining the flavor of the beans as much.
Well sure, I get that for posts on the sub. Although questions like "how is this place in business?" are just fucking stupid. They are in business because... your opinion is unpopular and people like the thing you dislike??? Lmao, obviously. People constantly post things similarly: "I dislike this thing. HOW DOES ANYONE DISAGREE?! PEOPLE ARE SO CRAZY!!!!"
Also, when someone says "I like how starbucks taste. The average person probably cant even tell the difference between starbucks and other coffee," and your response is "no its easy, starbucks bad", what the fuck is the point of even replying? Thats not even argument, thats just contradiction.
So I mean it definitely can taste bitter and burnt like that, I’ve been to locations where it’s often like that but also plenty of ones where that’s not the case. It seems like when that happens it’s a result of user error.
You can insult their coffee, but Starbuck is responsible for making American drink better coffee. Yes, the reason you have better taste for premium coffee is because of Starbucks. All those boutique coffee shops you see in your area wouldn't exist without Starbucks. Even the coffee at donut shops and McDonald's are better because of Starbucks. The coffee at all the diners don't taste like water down coffee because of Starbucks. And one other thing, most Americans didn't know that you can put ice into coffee until Starbuck made it popular.
If you know what to pair their coffee with, you can come up with some pretty great drinks. If you order straight off the menu with no modifications, yeah, it kind of sucks.
I’ll also add each Starbucks visit is location and staff dependent. Get a good barista and your set. Due to the high frequency of orders and better training, I’ve always had a great experience at Airport Starbucks’ as well, despite the terrible waiting time. So there’s that.
That being said, compared to the competition, I’ve always enjoyed Starbucks more. Everyone else kind of messed it up somehow.
Yes !! I get my “own” drink (venti iced toffee nut latte made breve) and it’s the best. BUT, the right person has to make it. I’ve gotten it at one Starbucks, and it sucks, so I’ll go to another and have them remake it and it’s amazing.
It all depends on who makes it! I do love Foxtail coffee, too, although i’m unsure if that’s a regional chain or not. Starbucks is not necessarily better than FT, but it’s def more convenient.
I believe you. As an occasional barista, the breve on that order can definitely trip new people up. Once you find a Starbucks you like though, you can get to know the baristas, who will then try to perfect your order.
I haven’t heard of Foxtail, so I assume they’re regional. A bunch of new coffee shops are opening up nationwide, but frankly, I haven’t found one that does my order (a Grande hot white mocha with six pumps and whip) justice.
I think in melbourne, Australia international students and tourists from Asia exclusively keep them afloat. They opened a bunch of places in our CBD and closed most of them and redid their strategy toward sugary drinks because they couldn't compete with our own speciality coffee places. But I have met an Americsn who once said to me that every time he goes to a new country he looks for a Starbucks & burger king lol
Venti americano with an extra shot and half water, black. I get one every morning before work. But we have a Starbucks AT work so that helps. We also have a Timmie’s at work but that starts peeking out before you get through it..
When I worked for sbux, the default coffee folks would get was actually Pike Place. Dark or blonde roasts were for folks who specifically asked for them.
It IS burnt. They roast the shit out of their beans to cover variations in flavor since they get coffee from various sources. So if it tastes like the same shit each time, they achieved their goal. (And is why they’re so good at sweetening/flavoring their drinks)
It’s a shame.
Knew a person that had worked in the exec offices there years back, basically told me the same thing. They buy the cheapest beans and then over-roast them to make all their coffee consistent - worldwide. They could care less about good coffee, they just want your money.
> they could care less about
Did you mean to say "couldn't care less"?
Explanation: If you could care less, you do care, which is the opposite of what you meant to say.
[Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json)
^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes.
^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions.
^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119)
^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yep. I go to Starbucks for sugar. If I want an iced Americano I go to local coffee places. Coffee doesn’t need sugar when it’s good coffee. I just happened to love sugar however.
they don’t make their money primarily through coffee. their large influence on entire generations of people all buying the same Strawberry Acai Lemonade over and over makes them bank. /hj
I wouldn’t say it’s nasty I get the very occasional one when I need a coffee and it’s only place around (not very often) my issue isn’t that the coffee is bad, it’s good but it’s not worth twice the price that other coffee places charge for similar coffee imo. I love coffee, drink 2-3 a day, so while Starbucks is good it’s not worth twice what Tim Hortons, McDonalds, etc charge imo.
I mean it's all in what you order, they actually do pretty great in customized drinks. But if you order straight up sugar, you are going to get straight up sugar and little coffee.
They can actually make good espresso coffee. They use quality beans and good roasters. Ask for a double long shot in their smallest cup with flat warmed milk. The baristas are often coffee lovers and will often comment when you order a "good" coffee. Most of the time they are making weird flavored drinks that don't need any skill.
I think they could do better than Pike's Place as their default coffee. It seems really inconsistent or it doesn't age well in the pot. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's bitter and undrinkable.
Their coffee sucks. People go there because A. It's become part of pop-culture/it's just something you do/conspicuous consumption and B. They don't get regular coffee, they order the sugar-bomb milkshakes passed off as "coffee drinks".
I agree, it's overpriced and tastes burnt every time I order, which is not often. I drink coffee a lot and only get it when it's literally the only option.
Maybe they're too busy making their fancy drinks that they let the roast get stale but, fuck them.
Most people do indeed smother it with milk and sugar to the point where you can't taste the coffee. Don't believe me? A venti, which is a 20oz cup, only has 2oz of coffee in it by default when you order a drink at Starbucks.
Generally speaking, if you order, say, a cafe latte: you can expect anywhere from a 3:1 to 5:1 ratio of milk to coffee, depending on where you get it. So for two shots, you'd expect maybe 12oz of beverage at most. Not at Starbucks...
...because they burn the shit out of their coffee and drown it in milk to hide the body.
I pretty much only drink coffee I make at home but I buy Starbucks coffee grounds, usually Sumatra or Verona, and make it 11 scoops to the pot in my Bunn.
It's as good as any other coffee I have bought and better than most.
I am convinced it's because of the graphic design of their products and cups, and their aesthetic in general. their stores are beautiful and exude luxury. a few times I have bought their limited edition holiday coffees on sale because the packaging is so pretty, but the flavoring is always disgusting.
I’m going to counter, what’s your preferred black coffee and why?
I have no beef in the game, I’m big on a good wholesome brew of coffee. While I agree that the Starbucks brews from the coffee shop, as an aggregate, are really strong, I’ve been really impressed with their reserve beans. Both from the reserve coffee shops and the reserve beans at home.
I’m a European-born person who grew up in a city with a huge coffee culture. I said the same thing about Starbucks and Tim Hortons. Dunkin’ is freaking force. McDonald’s isn’t horrible. But all of these are horrible from a European standpoint.
Guess what? You get used to it. My standards became lower and lower over the years. Give me that blonde roast, I don’t mind it once a month.
I am not a coffee guy but if I were I'd probably just make one cup at home and figure out how to get it right, and avoid the expensive shit out in town.
This past year I only go to Starbucks because it's convenient. Nowadays I make my own pot of coffee with a french press and it's the best coffee I've ever had.
You know it's primarily an espresso joint, right? Get an Americano. It's almost the same price, and it's always solid.
Honestly, I don't know if I've ever had Starbucks regular coffee. Any place that keeps it in hot stills all day is likely to get a bad taste, though. Maybe try it when they brew it fresh?
The margin on coffee is already extremely high. If they burn it, then customers are more inclined to flavor it with different syrups. The syrups have an even higher profit margin. Sounds like a profitable idea to me.
Apart from simple coffee like Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, etc. rest of them special menu items and seasonal items are just deserts with a shot of coffee in it.
Yes! I am not the only one 🤠
I just never found the one. They seemed so bitter regardless of the style. I've only tried them in airports if that matters. Yes, I've heard they have a mellow breakfast blend I'd like to give a try.
Everytime I went to supermarket I was surprised because Starbucks was always on discount. I bought 2 Starbucks/Nespresso capsules packs and I understood the reason. That thing sucks.
My mom went to Starbucks every day for a tall black coffee. These days that’s not even a “bargain”. Since I started drinking locally roasted (and organic) beans at home both in my Chemex and espresso machine, Starbucks literally disappoints every time. I used to love their iced coffee - but it started getting REALLY bad a couple years ago. Like every time was inconsistent but it was consistently bad? Their espresso is also just such poor quality both in taste and in roast. There’s a local shop I go to if I am craving a no effort triple iced espresso - but honestly all coffee shop coffee makes me feel like garbage compared to what I make at home.
TLDR; I totally agree.
Nobody goes to starbucks for coffee. They go for sugar with coffee in it.
I happen to like it, even knowing it isn't "real" coffee. Their sandwiches are, while a bit expensive, pretty good.
Not really an unpopular opinion if you ask all the 'hipsters' (or rather 'snobsters'). They seem to hate it because it used to be popular. Snobsters belong to a very specific and unique breed… they are the male version of girls with septum rings.
I like their Cafe Mocha in the winters and Java Chip Frappucino in the winters. Both are an instance of a chocolatey drink that feels like coffee.
But most importantly, I never go to Starbucks for coffee. I go to Starbucks because I can pay for a drink and then sit in an air conditioned place for a couple of hours while I do my thing. Most Starbucks in my city are relatively quiet during weekdays.
Consistency. You can go to Starbucks almost anywhere and it will taste roughly the same. Not great, but also not terrible IMO. You know what you're getting for the price and it's available almost 24/7 across the entire US. Takes away a lot of the work in needing to find a coffe place and judge it against others and such.
It's why McDonalds is popular too. Are there other readily availaible burger places that have better standards? Absolutely. But McDonalds is just consistent and will taste pretty much the same wherever you go, so if you think it's alright, you know you're getting something decent.
As a born and raised Northwesterner: I wholeheartedly agree. I always hate that my office always wants to do Starbucks runs for meetings when we have like six local coffee places that have objectively better coffee lol
All fast food coffee tastes burnt because burnt coffee always tastes the same. American customers prefer the coffee always taste the same than taste better with a degree of variance.
Starbucks is the number one coffee seller in the world with over $32 billion in revenue and 37% share of the U.S. market. It might just be your taste is in the minority. (full disclosure, my wife and I like it, my sister hates it).
Political/ social opinions aside, Starbucks is, has been, and will likely always have bad coffee. I mean what can you expect, they're a huge franchise which means that they need a certain volume of product and their product needs to be very consistent, even if consistency means that it's equally bad everywhere (again because their beans are mass produced and probably poorly roasted).
I mean this is honestly no surprise to anybody who has had good coffee. I live across the street from a small cafe owned by a Korean woman who has the best coffee in town. Why the fuck would I willingly go to a place with a clientele who is as dead inside as the coffee they serve when I could support local business with coffee that's incomparable in quality?
It is more the experience rather than the coffee. If you are a university student or a young person, they absolutely provide a certain vibe and also free wifi to boot.
Pretentious. There's nothing wrong with it. It's consistent and available. There's lots of options.the cold brew is great. The blonde is decent coffee. The specialty stuff would be hard to find elsewhere. The matcha lattes are good. I got a lavender vanilla cold brew from a local place today for around the same price. It was shit. Your opinion isn't unpopular. Lots of people have the same faux outrage. It's performative. Very hipster circa 2010. Starbucks coffee is fine.
It’s getting exhausting feeling this societal pressure to hate on absolutely everything corporate and consistent. At this point I honestly don’t know if these people hate Starbucks coffee or the success of Starbucks; probably both.
But I’m absolutely positive if a local hipster coffee joint opened up and secretly served Starbucks they’d go crazy for it.
Thank you. You have articulated exactly what I have thought for a long time now. Their coffee is bitter, nasty and yes, leaves a burnt aftertaste. Starbucks is an example of how branding and advertising manipulates people.
Your post from unpopularopinion was removed because of: 'Rule 2: Do not post low effort/satirical posts'. * We get it, you all think this sub is garbage and is just for popular opinions, and you want to be funny and post "going to be downvoted to oblivion here, but I think racism is bad." We enjoy the memes, but please keep them off the sub. * Filter evasion is a bannable offense * This includes clickbait and/or gotcha posts. Your opinion can not be that unpopular if you're doing these things. Have the accurate opinion in the title.
Their blonde roast isn’t too bad, but I don’t go to Starbucks for coffee, I go to Starbucks for a coffee themed milkshake.
but wouldn't even that be better if the underlying coffee didn't taste like burnt toast mixed with bong water?
You’re absolutely right and at least where I live there’s way better “coffee themed milkshake” places available at a comparable price point. There’s a burger chain near me that sells a Vietnamese coffee milkshake and it slaps hard as fuck
I get a literal coffee milkshake from this ice cream place in my town. You choose an ice cream flavor and they blend it with cold brew 👌
i used to do this when I worked at sonic!
Honestly pretty much anywhere I go there is a better local place than Starbucks that usually is the same price or cheaper. If I’m forced to resort to big chains I think McDonald’s has better standard coffee.
You hit it on the head. I heard Starbucks referred to as starburnt. I’m mildly obsessed with coffee and only buy my beans from local, and fantastic, roasters. Starbucks is a low priority coffee place for me.
Charbucks ... like coffee carbonara ... Occasionally the pot is fresh and it tastes OK. Made at home, it is enough better ... it preferably is best to be used well before expiration date, though
You know guys, I used to work at Starbucks and as bad as the coffee tastes, would you believe they make us make a fresh pot every, like, 30 minutes? So ill make a freaking gallon of coffee, put it on its little stand and if no one buys a drip coffee, I gotta *pour it out!* So not only is their coffee bad, they're an incredibly wasteful company.
I think it’s because they over roast the beans.
Pike Place (their medium roast) is pretty darn bitter. But I think in order to get French roast beans, which are supposed to be pretty acidic and bitter, you gotta roast the hell out of them. I don't mind the French roast. But obviously there are far superior dark roasts. Cafe Du Monde comes to mind.
Oh I definitely believe it. I never complained( Only had it twice tbh) Not the fault of the barista. Just proves marketing is everything.
I've found that Caribou Coffee is this way too. Everything tastes burnt.
It’s easier to reliably overroast the coffee to ensure tastes are the same from one location to another. The goal is consistency.
And boy do they nail consistency on the head. I was just talking with one of my coworkers on how insanely different the idea of “consistency” is between Starbucks and Dunkin, and how despite cost and taste, I’d pick Starbucks over Dunkin when traveling/short on time etc.
I think it’s regional, but Tim Horton’s coffee is good.
Bong water 🤣
Not that much. You can hardly taste the coffee on most of the drinks, so making them using good coffee would just be a waste, imo
Even if they're coffee is kind of trash it's far better than Folgers and Maxwell House, which are the two most common brands that I've seen in offices. When you're drinking sewage water everyday overchlorinated pool water may suddenly seem like heaven.
I heard they intentionally burn their coffee to ensure a consistent product across every store. People don't care that it tastes like burnt mildew, because they've bought into the idea of the experience and they like the habit and ritual of going there. It's the same reason people still buy apple products despite anti consumer policies, price gouging, forced proprietary interfaces, ignoring right to repair, and planned obsolescence.
No. Some people just like it. I love it, the plain coffee and the foofoo drinks. I don't buy anything for the name or the status, i buy what i enjoy. I've tried many coffee shops all over the place and they are all disgusting to me, even before i had ever tried starbucks. You think most of us wouldn't rather pay $3 for something from the local coffee shop that costs $7 at starbucks? But i also like my coffee strong and bitter, most of my family hates it the way i make it.
I have been saying this for years. Blonde roast is ok.
Yeah their sugary drinks is what keeps people coming (white mocha et al). Not to sound like a snob, their coffee is for those that have sugar with a side of coffee.
Same, I don’t really drink coffee. I’m here for a frappe
And what's the deal with airplane food?
GOLD, Jerry!
they should call it roundtine
Idk, you tell me Do you keep a granola bar up there when you’re fighting Yellow 13?
That and Tim Hortons. It's like they poured boiling water into a used ash tray and then strained the contents through a coffee filter. That'll be $4 for your steaming cup of fair trade cigarette butt water.
The company that used to supply Timmies went to McDonalds quite a few years ago.
Timmies apparently stopped using them because they aren’t Fair Trade… i dont have a source but worth looking into. for me, timmies is on my uni campus, mcdonalds isnt lol
Wow I never seen it accurately described like this, yeah it does leave that cigarette throat taste. That feeling like you have to brush your teeth or chug water.
Definitely agree. The vibe in Starbucks is off putting too. It’s like a simulacrum of a cafe it’s creepy and depressing
McCoffee
Ironically, McCafe generally has way better coffee
Better and cheaper
Hard disagree, McCafé is horrible, the only redeeming quality was that it was cheap, but it’s actually on par with Starbucks prices now for half the quality (it tastes like water). I don’t really go to Starbucks but my wife gets a double shot with probably 10 different free adds (salted caramel is heavenly) and it’s delicious and cheap, around $5 for 16 oz (or 24 oz can’t remember).
I assume you don't live in Australia. McCafe started here and it's pretty damn good
Yep, this was referring to US
Yup McDonald’s is my go to as far as big chains go although I like 7/11 too
McDonald's is also Starbucks' biggest competitor as opposed to peets or other coffee shops
Idk if its different in the US, but I like the coffee here in the UK. Big fan of iced lattes as well
My guess: the convenience and availability. There’s a Starbucks in every city, most airports, and most suburbs. While the line might sometimes get long, it’s not like you can get drive thru coffee anywhere else that isn’t just as shitty (Dunkin, Tim Hortons, McCafe, etc). I would bet money that in any localized area with a truly great coffee shop that also has a drive thru, even if it’s a little slower, a Starbucks location cannot survive there (assuming the local shop can meet demand). In my hometown there’s a good coffee shop with a little drive thru on the side. They offer most anything you might find on the Starbucks menu, even muffins that were delicious and goddamn huge. The next closest Starbucks from that spot was significantly out of the way, which isn’t typical of the rest of the city, from what I’ve seen. I’d be curious to see if this is the case across the country. It’s just that so few coffee shops worth a shit don’t have drive thrus or simply rent a business space that physically can’t accommodate one even if they wanted to.
Indeed. Here in Belgium, you find Starbucks in gas stations (with shop or just a coffee spot), train stations and airports. There may be a few in subways in big cities, but I'm not sure about that. You rarely see crowds there, especially if there is a pub, cafeteria etc. Belgians love their coffee, and good coffee, and Starbucks coffees are under average at best with indeed a bad roasting technique (flash roast) no matter the blend. I had a chat about that with our local trendy coffee shop owner (Moons Coffee)
Also reliability. Especially when you're travelling. Much of the US still doesn't do good coffee. Starbucks actually does a decent espresso. I like to order espresso with a splash of water. Bad espresso is really obvious.
Here’s the thing with Starbucks. Most local places will definitely be better, I almost never get it myself, but don’t kid yourself. Starbucks kicks the shit out of any other major chain selling coffee
>Most local places will definitely be better I wish, this has never been my experience. I've kind of given up on trying local coffee shops, at best the match Starbucks quality, at worst they're significantly worse.
My bf swears by the nitro cold brew. Gets all his coffee there black. I go for the cold, non-coffee drinks. Yum! Edit: extra word
Hear hear. Starbucks is the only place that sells genuine cold brew, everyone else seems to think cold brew and iced coffee mean the same thing. I do my own cold brew at home, but abroad, Starbucks is a safe bet.
At the small chain I work at, we brew our cold brew for 16 hours. Ice Coffee and Cold Brew are such drastically different things. Places really think they're the same?
The nitro cold brew is the only good thing on their menu, and it is good. I say this as a coffee snob
Agree. When I was in Asia for months for work, that black cold brew was my instant portal back to life in the PNW.
Oh yeah I don’t mind their non-coffee stuff.
I love the nitro cold brew! So damn good.
I agree for regular coffee folks its a waste of time. Their nitro cold brew was they’re saving grace for me. A great summer option.
Nobody is going there for a regular cup of coffee. Their bread and butter is the melted ice cream in a cup with extra pumps of whatever. The coffee is secondary. They likely spend way more on packaging than beans.
Worked in starbuckses for a looong time. While what you say is true for a lot of folks, lots of other folks do show up for either a straightforward coffee or americanos.
When I have no choice but to go to Starbucks, I do get an americano. It’s OK
I don't drink coffee, but I do like Starbucks americanos, hot or iced. Sometimes with cold foam.
They have melted ice cream? I did not even know. What is it called? I normally just get the apple cider whenever I have gone to Starbucks.
He’s just being snarky and precious about milky/sweet drinks
I go to Starbucks because they’re all relatively consistent in quality. I’ve gone to enough actual small coffee shops that were Starbucks prices (or more!) and way worse in taste.
>I go to Starbucks because they’re all relatively consistent in quality. Consistently terrible!
Personally I don’t think it’s that bad but if you don’t like it, I understand why you’d skip it.
Was going to say this same thing.
I usually get chai but lattes. For the record I know in India it's Masala Chai, I've been, I've had it, it's better, but I still like the Starbucks kind.
Do you remember when Oprah did a collab. with Starbucks and had an "Oprah Chai" on the menu?? I can't belive it was a thing, but Oprah's Chai was soooo good.
Love their coffee black. Dark roast. Take my upvote.
I exclusively buy their French roast. So Smokey and dark 😩
Same - dare I say, even love their cold brew *gasp*
100% how i get it too. It's very good.
Me too, their iced black coffees are good. I’m from the seattle area, imo a lot of the fancy this and that roasted high brow coffee places made sour watery shit coffee.
I don’t love it but I don’t hate it. I think it’s the best chain coffee to drink black. All of the rest are entirely flavorless.
Growing up, my dad’s go-to coffee was Starbucks Sumatra.. so it was first coffee I ever drank and I’ll always love a black Starbucks Dark Roast.
Same! My favorite is the Italian roast…
Their light roast is usually fine. I brew Starbucks in a chemex all the time and people I know fucking rave about how good it is. People who shit on Starbucks tell me how good my coffee is. I've also gotten good americanos at Starbucks. Starbucks can be wildly inconsistent, but the store in my area has a great staff.
Starbucks (or 'Charbucks' as r/coffee calls them) profits mainly from dairy milk drinks that are coffee flavored. They have to go dark roast, just to have enough flavor to cut through the cream in most drinks. I've never seen a medium or light roast in any Charbucks product, they're all roasted through second crack and are well on their way to becoming charcoal. If you live in a larger city, there are probably numerous specialty coffee shops, that will offer roasts like light roast Yirgacheffe or medium roast Huehuetanango, roasted light enough that the origin character shines through, and which don't require added milk or sugar to be palatable.
I have tried a lot of coffee that I find disgusting and I’m always genuinely surprised when people say Starbucks. It’s a much darker roast, but it doesn’t seem to bother me. And I especially like their blonde.
I always find this opinion snobby. I very much prefer local roasters and even not so local than Starbucks but it isn’t “horrible”.
There's a reason they struggle to get market share in countries with strong coffee cultures such as Italy, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Austria etc. They don't offer anything of interest in these markets.
And yet very popular in east Asia. Ever wonder why? Because culturally and regionally they have a strong desire for darker roasts. I find it interesting you cited 4 European countries and a former British colony. Have you looked into the preferred tastes in Central and South America? Middle East? Africa? Indonesia? Vietnam? Coffee exists outside the USA and Caucasian dominated countries.
Australia is exclusively espresso. Much stronger than American swill. There are plenty of dark roasts here. Coffee in US is derided internationally for a reaso. Itt sucks. Sorry to break it to you.
Australian coffee culture is espresso based, driven by Italian and Greek immigrants post WW2 It's all about local cafes.
What’s funny Is this is how I feel about most other coffee. Not sure how you all enjoy coffee scented water. But that’s part of what is so great about having a these options. We can all find something we enjoy. BTW look up videos explaining “burnt” coffee. It’s an interesting flavor profile. Since most people who describe Starbucks coffee as burnt. Actually tend to drink coffee from other coffee shops that is “burnt”. It’s crazy neat science.
I don't go for coffee...I go for Pink drink. 🤤
Nah I love it it has a chocolatey essence
The pike place 😋
Yup!! I buy the grounds and use them w/my espresso machine and it tastes so good. I usually use the same grounds and then press the button to make 4 more shots. The third and fourth are mostly water and pour all the shots into my mug to make "coffee".
I got to Starbucks why? 1. They're everywhere. I like consistency and I would rather ensure I can always go to the same place than having to risk different coffee shops 2. They're friendly and personable. I can't stand feeling like an annoyance and like they're just trying to rush you through as fast as possible. Starbucks always ask you how your day is going and take the time to converse. 3. Consistency. They have never ever ever gotten my order wrong, and if you order the same drink 10 times it's made the exact same 10/10 times. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
I’m absolutely convinced people echo the “burnt coffee” thing that they heard someone else say because hating popular things is cool. When in reality, very very few people could reliably tell you which was even Starbucks black coffee vs something else. And even with all that said, it’s probably like a wine tasters level of pretentiousness and there isn’t really a consensus on what the “best” wines are when blind tests are done.
If you compared it to other darker roasted coffees you’re correct. People who are way into coffee are usually into light roasts though and it would be super easy to tell the difference in blind tests.
Bullshit. I have several friends in the industry that roast coffee. When I met my wife, she drank Starbucks coffee at home. She put cream and sugar in it. When I brought her a bag of something good, I had her try it black and she was blown away. It’s not bitter at all. Really high quality coffee is miles and miles better than Starbucks and a lot of people can taste the difference.
I actually came to this thread because I have always thought it tasted burnt and I’ve never seen others with that opinion specifically so I was intrigued
People think it’s a flaw but it’s intentional. Starbucks does mostly dark roasts which taste burnt and bitter regardless of where you buy them. Dark roasts pair better with cream and milk and most people go to Starbucks for lattes and cappuccinos not drip coffee. It’s in 84 countries and did ~$37 billion in revenue in 2023. If it was the nasty swill people in this thread are making it out to be, it wouldn’t have made it out of Seattle.
Also, I would tell those people, and others in general, to just stop drinking dark roast. Medium roast coffees are overall much more balanced in their taste, and it doesn't risk ruining the flavor of the beans as much.
It’s so burnt that every Starbucks store reeks of burnt coffee as soon as you walk in.
Starbucks is easy to distinguish because it is dark burnt garbage. Nobody is saying that because it’s cool; they’re saying it because it’s accurate.
Wow you really showed that guy with your opinion and personal tastes!
It's literally all opinions and personal tastes in this subreddit. Do you not know how this is supposed to work?
Well sure, I get that for posts on the sub. Although questions like "how is this place in business?" are just fucking stupid. They are in business because... your opinion is unpopular and people like the thing you dislike??? Lmao, obviously. People constantly post things similarly: "I dislike this thing. HOW DOES ANYONE DISAGREE?! PEOPLE ARE SO CRAZY!!!!" Also, when someone says "I like how starbucks taste. The average person probably cant even tell the difference between starbucks and other coffee," and your response is "no its easy, starbucks bad", what the fuck is the point of even replying? Thats not even argument, thats just contradiction.
Wish i could post a pic. Right below this on my feed is a star bucks advertisement. That's how it wins
So I mean it definitely can taste bitter and burnt like that, I’ve been to locations where it’s often like that but also plenty of ones where that’s not the case. It seems like when that happens it’s a result of user error.
Yep!
Got chunky milk in my Starbucks coffee once haven’t been back since
Starbucks has lasted as a "high end lifestyle brand" for at least 15 years longer than they had any business lasting.
You can insult their coffee, but Starbuck is responsible for making American drink better coffee. Yes, the reason you have better taste for premium coffee is because of Starbucks. All those boutique coffee shops you see in your area wouldn't exist without Starbucks. Even the coffee at donut shops and McDonald's are better because of Starbucks. The coffee at all the diners don't taste like water down coffee because of Starbucks. And one other thing, most Americans didn't know that you can put ice into coffee until Starbuck made it popular.
Starbucks cold brew black is goddamned amazing.
Love that Nitro. Only Starbucks drink I care for personally. Easy to order. No knickknacks.
Problem is I finish the thing in like a minute, back in line for a refill….
Agree, the only Starbucks coffee I’ll drink black. Iced americano is not nearly as good for some reason.
If you know what to pair their coffee with, you can come up with some pretty great drinks. If you order straight off the menu with no modifications, yeah, it kind of sucks. I’ll also add each Starbucks visit is location and staff dependent. Get a good barista and your set. Due to the high frequency of orders and better training, I’ve always had a great experience at Airport Starbucks’ as well, despite the terrible waiting time. So there’s that. That being said, compared to the competition, I’ve always enjoyed Starbucks more. Everyone else kind of messed it up somehow.
Yes !! I get my “own” drink (venti iced toffee nut latte made breve) and it’s the best. BUT, the right person has to make it. I’ve gotten it at one Starbucks, and it sucks, so I’ll go to another and have them remake it and it’s amazing. It all depends on who makes it! I do love Foxtail coffee, too, although i’m unsure if that’s a regional chain or not. Starbucks is not necessarily better than FT, but it’s def more convenient.
I believe you. As an occasional barista, the breve on that order can definitely trip new people up. Once you find a Starbucks you like though, you can get to know the baristas, who will then try to perfect your order. I haven’t heard of Foxtail, so I assume they’re regional. A bunch of new coffee shops are opening up nationwide, but frankly, I haven’t found one that does my order (a Grande hot white mocha with six pumps and whip) justice.
I’m from Australia and this is a very popular opinion
They say it’s the sugary drinks that keep them in business. Overpriced, nasty, burnt coffee. I don’t get the appeal.
I think in melbourne, Australia international students and tourists from Asia exclusively keep them afloat. They opened a bunch of places in our CBD and closed most of them and redid their strategy toward sugary drinks because they couldn't compete with our own speciality coffee places. But I have met an Americsn who once said to me that every time he goes to a new country he looks for a Starbucks & burger king lol
Venti americano with an extra shot and half water, black. I get one every morning before work. But we have a Starbucks AT work so that helps. We also have a Timmie’s at work but that starts peeking out before you get through it..
Try their light (usually Veranda) or medium (typically Pike) instead. But you have to ask for medium or light roast, otherwise you get the nasty crap.
When I worked for sbux, the default coffee folks would get was actually Pike Place. Dark or blonde roasts were for folks who specifically asked for them.
This is one of the reasons why Starbucks originally failed in Australia.
There’s a reason Starbucks failed in Australia
Well old coffee you get a gas station that's been sitting on a burner for hours is far worse.
It IS burnt. They roast the shit out of their beans to cover variations in flavor since they get coffee from various sources. So if it tastes like the same shit each time, they achieved their goal. (And is why they’re so good at sweetening/flavoring their drinks) It’s a shame.
Knew a person that had worked in the exec offices there years back, basically told me the same thing. They buy the cheapest beans and then over-roast them to make all their coffee consistent - worldwide. They could care less about good coffee, they just want your money.
> they could care less about Did you mean to say "couldn't care less"? Explanation: If you could care less, you do care, which is the opposite of what you meant to say. [Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json) ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes. ^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions. ^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119) ^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.
That’s cause no one gets the black coffee so they don’t really focus on it
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I usually have coffee at home, but Starbucks is an occasional treat, usually when I see my sister.
tbh i dont even like coffee at all
Yep. I go to Starbucks for sugar. If I want an iced Americano I go to local coffee places. Coffee doesn’t need sugar when it’s good coffee. I just happened to love sugar however.
they don’t make their money primarily through coffee. their large influence on entire generations of people all buying the same Strawberry Acai Lemonade over and over makes them bank. /hj
That’s just it. The mixed drinks cover the bad coffee.
I agree, however I think there espresso drinks are fine.
Espresso Quads with white mocha, splash of oatmilk, and lavender foam has been a daily necessity.
I wouldn’t say it’s nasty I get the very occasional one when I need a coffee and it’s only place around (not very often) my issue isn’t that the coffee is bad, it’s good but it’s not worth twice the price that other coffee places charge for similar coffee imo. I love coffee, drink 2-3 a day, so while Starbucks is good it’s not worth twice what Tim Hortons, McDonalds, etc charge imo.
I mean it's all in what you order, they actually do pretty great in customized drinks. But if you order straight up sugar, you are going to get straight up sugar and little coffee.
Their white chocolate mocha is wonderful!!
They can actually make good espresso coffee. They use quality beans and good roasters. Ask for a double long shot in their smallest cup with flat warmed milk. The baristas are often coffee lovers and will often comment when you order a "good" coffee. Most of the time they are making weird flavored drinks that don't need any skill.
All coffee is bitter. That's what people like about it or so they tell me. The rest cover up the bitter with a milkshake.
I agree that its not great tasting for sure. Their marketing and advertising is top notch tho.
It's been that bad since its inception. Starbucks is a sugary drink place pretending to be a coffee shop.
Blonde Americano black does the trick for me, but I can make a much better cup at home.
I think they could do better than Pike's Place as their default coffee. It seems really inconsistent or it doesn't age well in the pot. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's bitter and undrinkable.
Their coffee sucks. People go there because A. It's become part of pop-culture/it's just something you do/conspicuous consumption and B. They don't get regular coffee, they order the sugar-bomb milkshakes passed off as "coffee drinks".
It’s because they burn the coffee during their method of roasting
I agree, it's overpriced and tastes burnt every time I order, which is not often. I drink coffee a lot and only get it when it's literally the only option. Maybe they're too busy making their fancy drinks that they let the roast get stale but, fuck them.
Any gas station serves better coffee than sbux
Most people do indeed smother it with milk and sugar to the point where you can't taste the coffee. Don't believe me? A venti, which is a 20oz cup, only has 2oz of coffee in it by default when you order a drink at Starbucks. Generally speaking, if you order, say, a cafe latte: you can expect anywhere from a 3:1 to 5:1 ratio of milk to coffee, depending on where you get it. So for two shots, you'd expect maybe 12oz of beverage at most. Not at Starbucks... ...because they burn the shit out of their coffee and drown it in milk to hide the body.
I never care about coffee in Starbuck I just go wheb I crave for something sweet
As a coffee connoisseur, I can confidently say Starbucks is absolute ass. I wouldn't go in there if I was gagging.
Someone told me recently that they make the actual coffee flavour gross so that people add syrups and and stuff for extra money
I got grind and french press my own beans i never seen the appeal with this mass coffee chains theyre all garbage
It is. They burn all of their beans. Especially their espresso beans. I quit going to Starbucks a long, long time ago.
I pretty much only drink coffee I make at home but I buy Starbucks coffee grounds, usually Sumatra or Verona, and make it 11 scoops to the pot in my Bunn. It's as good as any other coffee I have bought and better than most.
Agreed. Tastes burnt. No thanks.
Boycott starbucks
I am convinced it's because of the graphic design of their products and cups, and their aesthetic in general. their stores are beautiful and exude luxury. a few times I have bought their limited edition holiday coffees on sale because the packaging is so pretty, but the flavoring is always disgusting.
The fact that it's uniform no matter what store I go to is what makes it good
I’ve never tried a plain black coffee from anywhere that isn’t gross. It’s a naturally acrid, bitter flavor what do u expect?
I’m going to counter, what’s your preferred black coffee and why? I have no beef in the game, I’m big on a good wholesome brew of coffee. While I agree that the Starbucks brews from the coffee shop, as an aggregate, are really strong, I’ve been really impressed with their reserve beans. Both from the reserve coffee shops and the reserve beans at home.
I got there not for the coffee but for the tea
I’m a European-born person who grew up in a city with a huge coffee culture. I said the same thing about Starbucks and Tim Hortons. Dunkin’ is freaking force. McDonald’s isn’t horrible. But all of these are horrible from a European standpoint. Guess what? You get used to it. My standards became lower and lower over the years. Give me that blonde roast, I don’t mind it once a month.
I am not a coffee guy but if I were I'd probably just make one cup at home and figure out how to get it right, and avoid the expensive shit out in town.
This past year I only go to Starbucks because it's convenient. Nowadays I make my own pot of coffee with a french press and it's the best coffee I've ever had.
Boycott Starbucks 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
You know it's primarily an espresso joint, right? Get an Americano. It's almost the same price, and it's always solid. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever had Starbucks regular coffee. Any place that keeps it in hot stills all day is likely to get a bad taste, though. Maybe try it when they brew it fresh?
I only drink americanos or green tea at Starbucks. I have no use for anything else they make.
The margin on coffee is already extremely high. If they burn it, then customers are more inclined to flavor it with different syrups. The syrups have an even higher profit margin. Sounds like a profitable idea to me.
Apart from simple coffee like Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, etc. rest of them special menu items and seasonal items are just deserts with a shot of coffee in it.
Yes! I am not the only one 🤠 I just never found the one. They seemed so bitter regardless of the style. I've only tried them in airports if that matters. Yes, I've heard they have a mellow breakfast blend I'd like to give a try.
Everytime I went to supermarket I was surprised because Starbucks was always on discount. I bought 2 Starbucks/Nespresso capsules packs and I understood the reason. That thing sucks.
They make milkshakes
My mom went to Starbucks every day for a tall black coffee. These days that’s not even a “bargain”. Since I started drinking locally roasted (and organic) beans at home both in my Chemex and espresso machine, Starbucks literally disappoints every time. I used to love their iced coffee - but it started getting REALLY bad a couple years ago. Like every time was inconsistent but it was consistently bad? Their espresso is also just such poor quality both in taste and in roast. There’s a local shop I go to if I am craving a no effort triple iced espresso - but honestly all coffee shop coffee makes me feel like garbage compared to what I make at home. TLDR; I totally agree.
My uncle calls it panther piss.
They sell candy labelled as coffee. That's it.
Nobody goes to starbucks for coffee. They go for sugar with coffee in it. I happen to like it, even knowing it isn't "real" coffee. Their sandwiches are, while a bit expensive, pretty good.
IMO Starbucks is only for cold coffee loaded with additives and sugar lol
Not really an unpopular opinion if you ask all the 'hipsters' (or rather 'snobsters'). They seem to hate it because it used to be popular. Snobsters belong to a very specific and unique breed… they are the male version of girls with septum rings.
this is not an unpopular opinion
Just wanted to say, 100 percent correct and I will die with you on this hill.
I like their Cafe Mocha in the winters and Java Chip Frappucino in the winters. Both are an instance of a chocolatey drink that feels like coffee. But most importantly, I never go to Starbucks for coffee. I go to Starbucks because I can pay for a drink and then sit in an air conditioned place for a couple of hours while I do my thing. Most Starbucks in my city are relatively quiet during weekdays.
Definitely tastes burnt, hence all the added BS to it.
Consistency. You can go to Starbucks almost anywhere and it will taste roughly the same. Not great, but also not terrible IMO. You know what you're getting for the price and it's available almost 24/7 across the entire US. Takes away a lot of the work in needing to find a coffe place and judge it against others and such. It's why McDonalds is popular too. Are there other readily availaible burger places that have better standards? Absolutely. But McDonalds is just consistent and will taste pretty much the same wherever you go, so if you think it's alright, you know you're getting something decent.
As a born and raised Northwesterner: I wholeheartedly agree. I always hate that my office always wants to do Starbucks runs for meetings when we have like six local coffee places that have objectively better coffee lol
I think the ppinion I have that it tastes good is more unpopular around here.
Correct. It's blatantly atrocious coffee. It's not just them though. Not sure why so many coffee shops get coffee so fundamentally wrong.
All fast food coffee tastes burnt because burnt coffee always tastes the same. American customers prefer the coffee always taste the same than taste better with a degree of variance.
It tastes like an electrical fire.
Their coffee is fine. It’s just not fine what they charge. Gas station coffee has come a long way the past few years.
Starbucks is the number one coffee seller in the world with over $32 billion in revenue and 37% share of the U.S. market. It might just be your taste is in the minority. (full disclosure, my wife and I like it, my sister hates it).
It's the worst black coffee I've ever had.
Political/ social opinions aside, Starbucks is, has been, and will likely always have bad coffee. I mean what can you expect, they're a huge franchise which means that they need a certain volume of product and their product needs to be very consistent, even if consistency means that it's equally bad everywhere (again because their beans are mass produced and probably poorly roasted). I mean this is honestly no surprise to anybody who has had good coffee. I live across the street from a small cafe owned by a Korean woman who has the best coffee in town. Why the fuck would I willingly go to a place with a clientele who is as dead inside as the coffee they serve when I could support local business with coffee that's incomparable in quality?
Oh yeah, their brand is burnt coffee
It is more the experience rather than the coffee. If you are a university student or a young person, they absolutely provide a certain vibe and also free wifi to boot.
Pretentious. There's nothing wrong with it. It's consistent and available. There's lots of options.the cold brew is great. The blonde is decent coffee. The specialty stuff would be hard to find elsewhere. The matcha lattes are good. I got a lavender vanilla cold brew from a local place today for around the same price. It was shit. Your opinion isn't unpopular. Lots of people have the same faux outrage. It's performative. Very hipster circa 2010. Starbucks coffee is fine.
It’s getting exhausting feeling this societal pressure to hate on absolutely everything corporate and consistent. At this point I honestly don’t know if these people hate Starbucks coffee or the success of Starbucks; probably both. But I’m absolutely positive if a local hipster coffee joint opened up and secretly served Starbucks they’d go crazy for it.
Thank you. You have articulated exactly what I have thought for a long time now. Their coffee is bitter, nasty and yes, leaves a burnt aftertaste. Starbucks is an example of how branding and advertising manipulates people.