Seattlest: And How Do You Like Your Starbucks Now, My Pretty?

polyrhythmic

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:43:45 -0800

Thanks ghastly. The warm, worn-wood, no-frills, original character of the Pike Place store just isn't seen in any other Starbucks, and I guess they're determined to keep it that way.

swag

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:56:27 -0800

"New and exciting - Drip coffee for people who don't actually like drip coffee!" Should we really be surprised? Given that Starbucks' greatest business success has been convincing millions of people who don't like coffee to believe that they, in fact, really do. (...i.e., when given enough milk, whipped cream, syrups, and other toppings to bury it like a murder victim in the Puget Sound.)

ghastly

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:55:29 -0800

To polyrhythmic: Old blend was Pike Place Blend. New: Pike Place Roast. New different blend. I think they are both Latin American blends, but they are most definitely different.

NxNW

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:52:09 -0800

New and exciting - Drip coffee for people who don't actually like drip coffee! Yes, it is smooth and low acidity, but it is not full flavored. I took one sip and wondered if it was brewed properly because it lacked the depth, punch, and high notes a great cup of coffee has (I will admit that some other Starbucks roasts have delivered these qualities in the past). It seems to make a watered down, unassuming cup. This is something different than the old Pike Place Blend. I do support grinding fresh beans right before brewing, but I hope they continue to have an alternative coffee of the day for people who actually want coffee. Then again, so many better places to go...unless you only have 5 mins between meetings.

polyrhythmic

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:24:20 -0800

It seems what's happened, as pointed out on Gothamist, is that Pike Place Roast is not new, just relabeled 'new' to sell more lbs of coffee. Is it so easily forgotten that Pike Place Roast has been 'released' every year, albeit with less fanfare? Perhaps the old Pike Place Roast (now with a TM) has been reworked, as they have done with the 'Heritage Logo'... the older (IMO better) brown logo has been made more PC: No nipples on this new one. Sadly sanitized, and I'd bet the 'new' Pike Place Roast has been reworked for mass appeal as well. Starbucks is calling this a new beginning, but it may well be the end -- do they have anything left to sell out besides the original store? And WTF are they going to call the Original Pike Place Roast? "Original Actually Somewhat Local Pike Place Roast"? Even the font used to advertise the 'new' roast (as seen above) is the same font used for years in Burger King Ads. Just another reason to visit Top Pot/Zeitgeist: Where the coffee is delicious and the doughnuts fresh. P.S. Is there a Barista who can clarify this old/new Pike Place Roast issue?

Saxtor

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:13:17 -0800

I don't like Starbucks, or coffee for that matter. And the tourists from out of town get a pass when I walk by hearing them recite "facts" about Seattle from their bargain-bin guidebook. But really, there's a difference between "first Starbucks" and "oldest Starbucks." I know that even Starbucks kowtows the notion, but that one you see at Pike's Market with the pre-corporate-cleansing old-school logo is the oldest; the first is long-gone.

Jack

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:51:48 -0800

Just walked down to the Pike Place sbux (I work nearby) and got myself a cup of the new stuff. Generally it's the acidity level that turns me off of of a lot of drip coffees, so this one is just right in my book.