Tidgy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12125440

is it just me or have they changed it to a single print run rather than two, saving about 30% on costs?

rebrand my ****, money saving scheme lol

zip106

Don't see the problem - as long as the espresso and VIA stays the same and as long as I still get my free drink with my card

EddScott

A slightly chubby looking girl with long hair and big breasts wearing a tiara holding two large fish?




Oh wait, is it a mermaid? WTF does that have to do with Coffee?

Dr.No

Who cares about the logo and cups, it's what inside them that counts - and that's why I tend to avoid Starbucks (unless in the US and it's the only option).

Give me a Costa any day (from a proper Costa, with a barista that actually knows how to use the machines. There are too many Costas cropping up in pubs these days, where any old waitress has been given a two minute briefing on how to make coffee and that's it... which results in the WORST coffee I have ever tasted).

DN

Tidgy

i eyed it up more cos of the cost savings called a 'rebrand' lol

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Starbucks are a pet hate of mine!!

The last time I was in Ubud in the centre (non-tourist area) of Bali I was stunned to see a bloody Starbucks on the main street.

Anyone who knows Ubud will know what I mean when I say that it is a town too far for the likes of Starbucks

P1Fanatic

Well lets face it Starbucks only got to where it is on brand ie your average person thinks its cool to be seen in starbucks or with one of their coffees in hand (larger the coffee = the more important you are).

The coffee is very poor and served in truck stop mugs which are often chipped & stained. From memory they dont even use a proper coffee machine but just a B2C automated thing which is always in front of you so its harder to see what they are doing (or not).

Admittedly I do like their cakes and have been know to have the odd frappacino on a warm day but even those are very hit & miss.

I was in Oz for a month in Nov-Dec and even the smallest most remote place has a pukka coffee machine and normally uses local beans. Its like night & day. Even McDonalds has an independant McCafe station next to the front door.

Scooby Soon!

at the palace gates, was busy when I went past at night.

The king of ubud is not supposed to let any chains in to ubud I am guessing they offered him something that he could not refuse!

Hysteria1983

Not really sure what these places are like. There was never one in my hometown, and I have never been in one around here, but when I visited over Christmas last year me and my sister took tbe children into town and she suggested we went into starbucks for a coffee.
It was boxing day, and totally empty, otherwise I would not have gone in. From what I have passed around here, they don't seem like a place for children.

I can see why they might want or feel the need to expand, but all it will result in is more people drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in there, simply because they think they are a better person because they are drinking in ''THAT shop, you know.... The one that used to be starbucks''.

Stuck up people thinking that they are posh, because they ate drinking overpriced dishwater.

My did loves it in there, not for me though.

zip106

Now, I like real coffee.
I buy the stuff from Kona (that's Hawaii if you didn't know) that, IMHO, is quite possibly the best you can get.

I also have Blue Mountain Jamaica.

In all honesty, I even like *some* of the Starbucks stuff - the VIA is very handy for a quick cup and their espresso in shop is also ok. (my local is particularly good and the same baristas have been there several years).

The problem with these types of chains, apart from the 2 minute trained baristas, is that they've got an overly-perceived 'cool' stigma attached.

This is wrong. It's a coffee shop, like all the oythers.

Like when the Arctic Monkeys first hit the airwaves they were great, then they 'sold' out by going mainstream.... not my view - I always thought they were crap.

It's just the same - something gets too big and it's deemed 'naff', but it isn't. Really.
It's just 'cool' to call them naff.

You are all cool

Dr.No

My, how this thread meanders....

A good friend of mine bought me a bag of Kopi Luwak (AKA Civet poo) coffee for Christmas (along with a bag of JBM). Both of which were freshly roasted on the 16th December.

Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world...

http://londiniumespresso.com/products/kopi-luwak

...and it does pour very nicely (almost syrupy) with good rich and dark crema, it also tastes very smooth - slightly earthy as you might expect - but nothing really WOW! to write home about.

I'll crack into the JBM in the next few days and try that as well, as it's supposed to be right up there with the best. However, when it comes to taste preference so much can be gained or lost by the roast (and how light / dark it is) that we shall have to wait to get the beans from the fridge and open the packet to see what they're like before I could comment.

zip106

You'll fine JBM quite mild.

I tend to almost double the single serve quantity to make it a bit stronger.

Dr.No

Difficult to do that with a double-basket of an espresso machine - I can only fit so much in there! If it's dark roasted I should be OK, my worry is that it will be quite a light roast and not to my taste (even though its bloody expensive) which would be a real shame.

As I said before, I'll find out when I open the bag and actually lay eyes on the beans.

windyboy

what would Gibbs think ??

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Yep, that's it. sandy coloured logo in the hope we won't notice.

Lucky you being in Ubud.

tony de wonderful

I hate them, but sometimes go in just because of the convenience.

The awful conformity and mediocre francises on todays high-street is a real shame. It's soul destroying.

druddle

The whole point of the "new logo" is that Starbucks are planning to reach into other areas of business outside just coffee, hence dropping the "Starbucks Coffee" words from the logo, and keeping the same familiar picture as before...

Dave

Hysteria1983

They could have kept Starbucks though surely?

Thats what people are going to call it anyway.

Tidgy

thats whats claimed, but its also gone from two to single colour, alot cheaper for single than double colour. also if htat were the reason i think they would just remove the coffee from under the logo

ScoobyWon't

Free Starbucks coffee on Monday from HotUKDeals

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

We have one on site, well it was Starbucks but changed to Phillpotts, ok the Coffee is nicer than instant but its just Coffee, most of my team goes every morning and spend 2 quid on a Coffee, we have Gold Blend in the brew room, milk and whatever for free and you dont have to do a ten minute round trip to get it, plus it saves ten quid a week.

I reckon a lot of the people that frequent Starbucks probably, in reality cant afford it but now think its normal, not a luxury then moan they are skint and cant understand where all their cash goes, the markup on Coffee is immense. I can see the convenience but I bet a lot of the customers are like me that have facilities at work.

If you are going to have some nice stuff, make it yourself at home as generally its just Coffee, rarely do you get anything above average, its all marketing and image with little substance, its not Coffee experts selling gourmet varieties, its usually low paid Eastern Europeans selling overpriced stuff to the gullible, sat their with their Iphones trying to pretend they are in an episode of friends wishing the three gannies ont he next table and the mum with 2 kids would **** off as its spoiling the atmpsphere.

Randomly, best cup of Coffee last year was in a B and B in York, god knows what it was but it had a real kick, not refined but very effective and tasty.