From the Forum - Possible Reasons for Starbucks' Sludge

Those of you who read Consumatron regularly know that I have a hate-hate relationship with Starbucks Coffee. Those of you who read carefully also know that my hatred isn't due to some anti-corporate knee-jerk reaction. No, it is due to some my-coffee-tastes-like-carbon-ash knee-jerk reaction. I am a big fan of drip coffee. I like it lightly roasted so that the flavors of the bean are still discernible and the caffeine content is naturally high. Starbucks is the char-broil king when it comes to coffee. I can't understand why anyone enjoys their product.

Faithful Consumatron reader, Chris Hajer has a theory, which he posted in the forum:

Anyway, I am with you on Starbucks brewed coffee being far too dark and burnt. They are the my 2nd to the last choice for coffee (right before McDonalds and just after any gas station.) But, the other night I stopped in a Starbucks (hey, it was on the way home) and to temper the burnt taste I figured I would order a latte (extra half-n-half was not going to help.) I actually asked the dude "what is a latte?" before ordering, to make sure I was getting an espresso drink with a lot of milk in it. He patiently confirmed what I thought, so I ordered away.

It cost almost twice what a brewed coffee cost ($3.55 latte vs. $1.85 brewed) and was against my better judgment at the time, but I think I know now why they make brewed coffee that is nearly undrinkable: they WANT you to buy the $3/$4/$5 espresso drinks. The latte I had actually taste good. It was smooth, not too dark, a little sweet, a little caramel maybe and not at all bitter. It was actually enjoyable. I don't know that I will get one every time I find myself at the doorstep of a Starbucks, since with tax it's almost $4, for a cup of coffee, but I just realized that the scam is to make the regular coffee taste like crap so you HAVE to buy the espresso drinks, which taste pretty good.

Now I don't know if I am convinced that Starbucks purposely makes their coffee taste like sludge just to push the drinks with a higher profit margin, but it is an interesting theory nonetheless. It's the antithesis of offering a larger size for a minimal price hike. Instead, offer a minimally better taste for a larger price hike. In the rare instances I do find myself inside of a Starbucks, I rarely see people ordering drip coffee. Usually, an order consists of a twelve-part alien language incantation in return for a drink that is basically espresso, sugar and milk. Some Starbucks locations have even stopped listing regular drip coffee on their menus.

Could Chris be on to something? Howard Schultz always seems downright giddy when he speaks about sampling his company's coffees, but one man's treasure is another man's trash (mine). What do you think?

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