using less coffee when you brew? It doesn't taste as good as it used to. Just curious, I am a former employee, I never thought I would be one of "those" customers that pay for overpriced coffee, but low and behold, I have become one. But prob not anymore, it just doesn't taste as good? So I just wanted to get an answer from the inside.....
To: Starbucks employees...Has Starbucks started using lower grade beans?..Or...
(9 posts) (6 voices)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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I forgot to mention it tastes watery....
Posted 3 years ago # -
No, they switched to brewing exclusively Pike Place, which tastes like ****.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I'm not sure when you noticed the change, WTF... But if it has been within the past couple weeks, Starbucks switched to a new brew system. We scoop AND grind on demand, and during peak it is on an 8-minute cadence schedule. Its a new system we started so that, in effect, stores never run out of coffee. Since we are scooping whole beans directly into the grinder immediately before brewing, there is a slight difference in the volume of ground beans vs. whole beans after the fact. Corporate did not provide us with a new (reusable) bag to grind into, therefore our store has been using one 1# coffee bag, grinding into it multiple times to lessening waste: I imagine that trace amounts of our Morning Pick and Decaf get brewed into Pike Place and vice versa, affecting taste. Hope my explaination helps.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I have had Pike, and I actually liked it, it is just as of late it tastes like sour hot water....I wasn't sure if it was me, but the last 4 5 times I got coffee, it all tasted ick....
Posted 3 years ago # -
Pike Place isn't that bad, but it's not great either. It's a higher end coffee but has no particular flavors that stand out other than "coffee." I'm not a fan.
Also, I've heard rumors of stores where the managers are doing 1/4 batches on 1/2 and stuff to save money or using scoops that aren't level... this could do it too, but it's definitely against policy.
Most stores right now are brewing Gazebo in the mornings, you should ask for that. Gazebo f'n rules.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Gahhh Gazebo sucks! It's like eating orange peels!
Posted 3 years ago # -
when I was first starting starbucks 10yrs ago (not with them anymore) but was for 9yrs they always taught us that you should never grind coffee from 5 pound bags and then serve it right away. They claimed it needed a de-gasing period of 24hrs. Which is why we would grind buckets of C.O.W. the day before so it would have a chance to de-gas. Then with the whole brewing meetings and fresh brew promo roll outs they were teaching that the de-gasing thing was a myth. But I have a coffee book for the training center(I was a Starbucks experience teacher) that clearly says it needs a de-gasing period from the 5 pound bags. So then they changed the portion of coffee for half batch, and quarter batch. Even though they gave us new brewers and said the water was the same in comparison to the old brewers in ratio of water to coffee. I tasted it and knew better. It is sooooo weak and watery and I have felt that way since they rolled out the pike place. Because the house blend and the decaf taste watery too. Im so glad I missed the whole brew every 8min though, whoo dodged that bullet sounds like a nightmare for busy stores.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Don't you love it how a "coffee fact" can become a myth when it saves starbucks money? And then when you've been doing the old way since you were hired and the new manager gets **** when you do it the old way and writes you up? Freakin awesome!
Posted 3 years ago #
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