As I am also a "team member" of a monster corporation, that seems to have two left hands that are not aware of each other, I wonder if anyone at Starbucks could answer your question. Our projects start one direction, and then they are like a sailing ship at sea, riding the moody political winds through our project management process. Often arriving at their destination port as nuclear powered submarines painted in a rainbow colored paint job.

Not to point fingers, (cough) marketing (cough), some departments can really end up taking over and driving projects they do not really "get", and the operations and product people just ride the roller coaster to the end of the ride, exiting the car with a headache and a queasy stomach.

I am sure there are some excellent coffee people there, but how can anyone roast and sell beans in that volume, with those ordering and shipping lead times, and still make a good fresh product? Isn't that really just a fatally flawed system to produce and deliver a "fresh" product?

I always take coffee to the fresh bread analogy, to me they are similar in a lot of aspects, and the challenges of the products production, shipping, and storage have been tackled in similar ways. Do you want a bag of sliced wonder bread, or a fresh loaf from the local bakery? The house where I grew up will take the sliced Wonder bread every time, even glowing over how soft a new bag is home from the store. When I comment on how much I prefer and love a chewy fresh loaf with a golden crunchy crust, I am looked at as an strange person with a "snooty" attitude and something to prove. Palettes have to be developed, and tastes do become more sophisticated with time, if someone has the care to develop them. But, there will always be a large percentage of people that really just do not care about quality that much, a large group to target with cheesy marketing and lifestyle branding, Starbucks targets and hits that group with laser guided smart bomb precision.

Well said. I couldn't agree more.

drgary wrote: I wonder what they were trying to accomplish with that blend to start with?

Imagine you are a coffee buyer and roaster at Starbucks. Everything you've done for the last twenty years has been based on the axiom that light roasts are undeveloped, weak, and bland; while only darker roasts can reveal the true character of any coffee. Then some suit comes in, and tells you lighter roasts are all the rage, and please have one ready to go in a month.

Now imagine the taste of the resulting product. Are you getting close?

If they wanted a competent light roast, maybe they should have tried a rerun of buying out George Howell

Coffee Connection roasted medium-to-light too didn't it? But it seems like the only thing Starbucks learned from buying them out was how to make frappuccino.

[T]here will always be a large percentage of people that really just do not care about quality that much, a large group to target with cheesy marketing and lifestyle branding, Starbucks targets and hits that group with laser guided smart bomb precision.

I think the same goes for the company (can't recall the brand name) that preys on this contingent with their nonsensical "caramel macchiato" flavored coffee creamer. I can't help but bristle whenever I see that in the store.

drgary wrote:I never found out if it got sweet. I added sugar to give it some taste. I'm guessing it was stale too, but I wonder what they were trying to accomplish with that blend to start with?

I actually think it is more to attract dunkin donuts drinkers more than to compete with 3rd wave coffee shops. It is funny though that they call this "the sweet spot" and "the pinnacle of coffee roasting." Are they admitting what they have been doing for decades was indeed not the pinnacle? You can't have it both ways, Schultz!