Convenient Caffeination or Why I go to Starbucks

Starbucks. We all know the name and unless you've been living under a rock or in the boondocks for the past ten years or so, you've probably been to a S'bucks location and paid $3+ for one of their coffee drinks. Plus three dollars for something that cost maybe $1.50 to make. Why do we do it? Well, according to the founder of the company, we pay $3.50 (for a tall) blended coffee drink so that every employee, even the part timers, can have health benefits, a 401k, and good working conditions. While true and extremely admirable in a time where the fight to get a living wage is still a grassroots campaign, this can't be the whole of the story.

Starbucks has probably pulled one of the best marketing magic tricks a company could imagine. They've made hundreds of millions of coffee afficionados think that their mediocre coffee blends are something really fantastic and special, hence the price tag. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit. In general, I find their straight brewed coffees to be less than great when taken straight with sugar and occasionally some cream. A good number of the blends are much too acidic while others are victim to the muddy, indistinct flavor usually reserved for overbrewed, oft-reheated diner/fast food coffee. Whether this is a fault of the baristas during the brewing process or the beans and blends themselves, I don't know. Once in awhile, I find a blend that is nice or tolerable and I do appreciate their attempt to introduce lesser known coffees to the public with the weekly selection and black apron coffees. However, as an occasional coffee drinker, this usually doesn't benefit me. When I go for coffee, I want a consistently good straight coffee with clear, bright flavor notes and the right balance of acid and earthiness or I go for one of those seasonal blended drinks like the Pumpkin Latte or Maple Macchiato.

Where S'bucks really shines is in the blended Frappoccino drinks. These babies are high fat, high sugar, and high calories. A tall frapp with whip will usually run you about 500 calories. Fat and sugar will make nearly anything taste good, but in a society where obesity is the number one killer, is it really a good idea to indulge in these oversweet, caloric bombs? Starbucks is the Burger King of the beverage world though. It's the only place you can go and have it made "your way" for about the same price as a Whopper combo meal. All in all, if you want really good coffee, it's better to buy a french press and some of the really fantastic blends from Boca Java to DIY.