Starbucks Coffee

A vote for Thanksgiving Blend is a vote for the fundamental right that we  all should have to be able to enjoy a great cup of coffee.

So go out to your local Starbucks and support Thanksgiving Blend!

Get free coffee. It's your duty as an American.

Wow.  I had given up hope of ever seeing bold brewed all day in all stores.

Keep it up!!!

Art

ps:  I really ought to try it before commenting :)

ArtM - It's very good! The sumatra notes are very obvious and strong. Definitely a nice choice to have now! :)

Thank you BOLD COFFEE!!!

I love the thanksgiving blend.  I'm buying them for our family and friends thanksgiving dinner.  I am making it a highlight drink for the night.   French pressing it is my plan.

Please keep up the good bold coffee (this blend is not too strong so I love it...)

Love to see how people like this versus the PIKE (which I don't like)

I enjoyed the Thanksgiving Blend...I could definitely taste the cocoa notes in it.  Thanks again, I had a pleasant experience today!

This blend sounds awesome! I'll have to try it sometime soon!

I LOVE THE BLEND.   Can all the store brew this bold coffee??  4 out of 5 stores I go to daily after NOV4 do not offer this drip daily??

WHY?  

Melody and All,

Lately you haven't heard me complain too loudly about the brewed coffee choices, only because the weather has been warm here in So.Cali and I have been drinking Starbucks Double Shot on Ice. Well the weather has finally turned a little chilly and just yesterday I went to buy a drip bold in the afternoon. Hoping that I would get to try "Thanksgiving Blend". Well guess what..... Probably no surprise....

the whole visit turned out to be a disaster and I left with nothing in hand.

When I got to the counter I asked what they were brewing........ "Pike Puke" I was told. I asked if they could make me Thanksgiving Blend. "No, we don't brew that" was the reply. I asked why they can't brew Thanksgiving. "We don't have "Thanksgiving Blend" to brew". I said you have bags and bags over there. (pointing to the coffee rack) "Oh, we can't brew that" was the reply. Ok, I stood there for a moment stunned and I asked "can you brew me something besides Pike Puke" The answer again "oh, we can't". I said what do you mean "you can't". We don't brew anything but Pike Puke after noon time. At this point I was again stunned and very annoyed as you can imagine. Then my words just came out. I said "Ya know that's ok, $tarbucks has an 800 number to call for complaints and I will do just that." As I turned to walk out the barisita called me back and said" Ah, Well I told you I "can't" brew bold, but I didn't say say I "won't" brew bold." At this point I was so aggravated I told her to forget and walked out. I mean who would want to give their business to a business that is going to treat their customers like that? It's sad and pathetic.

Melody, I have heard you say "you have had to arm wrestle for bold". Well yesterday I had wrestle "on the floor" .

This is a real sad situation. My first try in a few months in trying to get a bold coffee and it failed.

$tarbucks listen up......... get it together...........You can't treat your customers like this........... or you are going to end up with none............

RANT OVER......... For now.................

What the hell.  WHY does Starbucks customer service SUFFER when you leave Washington??  Breve, your experiences are SO different than mine.

Yesterday, after work, I did a little shopping in downtown Seattle and stopped by store 309 (The Starbucks across from Nordstrom, downtown) and all I wanted was drip coffee.  There was a brand new barista at the register that I didn't know, and 2 other baristas whom I recognized.  I asked for drip coffee, and passed the barista my personal tumbler.

Thanksgiving Blend was ready - no wait. It's wonderful!! So then the barista says to me "Is this a refill?" That made me laugh because it's clear I hadn't been in that store for 2 hours - it's probably been a month since I went to that store.  I said "use your best discretion" (what the barista did not know was that it was my 3rd Starbucks trip that day, and I'd already paid for 2 coffees, a hot chocolate, and an oatmeal), and so he charged me the refill price. So of course I handed him my registered card, and so it was free.  (I tipped a dollar too).

I walked out of 309 and kept shopping.  And I LOVE Thanksgiving Blend!

Last Saturday, I was in a Starbucks in Edmonds - They were slammed. I wanted bold brew in the afternoon. Only Pike Place Roast was on. The barista OFFERED to brew up Sidamo  (that had been their morning pick)  "or any other coffee that I would liked".  I picked Sidamo.  I sat down at my table and when it was ready that barista brought me my tumbler out to my table. I tipped generously.

Breve, I *rarely* (though still happens once in a while) have to arm wrestle over coffee anymore, and now with so many stores brewing Thanksgiving Blend, I'm getting bold coffee all the time.

It makes me SO mad that so many Starbucks are CLUELESS about what it means to be a Starbucks, and what the customer service is in Seattle. CLUELESS.  That is where the downfall of Starbucks will be: Poor customer service will drive people away and have a longer and more lasting impact than 600 store closures.

Well I have disappointing news today: I was in a Seattle (residential area) Starbucks and had to go a bloody round of arguing to get bold drip coffee. Since today is a holiday (Veteran's Day), I was not at work, and thus at about 3 pm ish I headed to a Starbucks to relax, read, and drink coffee.

Unfortunately the barista I dealt with had no clue that Thanksgiving Blend was to be brewed until 5pm and reminded me that she "actually works for Starbucks" and told me blatantly that I was a disrespectful customer because of my DEMAND that she brew bold coffee (yes, I did demand it, because NO I don't want an Americano or a French Press).  She brewed up some Espresso Roast for me, but took the opportunity to remind me at how much coffee is wasted by doing that.

If the message hasn't gotten to ALL the Seattle stores -- "brew Thanksgiving Blend until 5 pm" -- I can't even imagine what other areas of the country are doing!

It was such a horrible experience that I thought about emailing the DM and ccing a few others, but I forgot to pick up his business card. I'm tempted to go back and get it!

I  read your post Melody. Sorry to hear that.

Just a quick thought....... I would love to "try" Thanksgiving" blend. But how can I do this? I can't and won't wander $tarbucks to $tarbucks looking for "Thanksgiving"........ so my point is, How does $tarbucks expect to sell any whole bean if the customers can't even try it? And that goes for any coffee. Many a Friday I would buy "whole bean" for the weekend based on what was brewing then.

I just don't get this marketing strategy.

And BTW........ I haven't seen a "sampling" at $tarbucks in a long, long time.

TB isn't brewing in Ohio. Therefore I can't try it.

I try before I buy.

Also, I haven't seen any sampling in company owned stores in a long time.

I LOVE THANKSGIVING BLEND.  

THIS IS WORTH GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY FOR!!!  THANK YOU.

2pm on a Saturday at a Starbucks in San Francisco.

I had a feta egg wrap (5 weight watcher points), chocoalate vivanno (4 pts) and thanksgiving blend drip.  Nice lunch, with fiber and protein =)

Is it time to buy Starbucks stock? :)

(If only your customers did not have to BEG for months just to make it happen!)

Art

:-D Thank You Matt :-D

mguiste ....... I am curious ........I have enjoyed following your posts about thankgiving blend ( which i love with a  the pumpkin loaf ) and the post about pike roast ..... I have one question that I would LOVE an answer to ............................ alot of people talk about haveing a BOLD option ......even you ......why are you not informing the people on here that pike place roast is BOLD ......now I know what it taste like ....... but I think the people should know that pike roast is a bold coffee ... brewed all day ..... so maybe  "a bold coffee" isn't what they really want ...but even you suggest in your post that pike is NOT bold .....just curious....other then that I really love you ideas ,, attitude .. and aproach ... thank you .....please let me know .....

Matthew, please let me know if I am giving the wrong answer here ... trishajoy was directing her post at you ...

I think that in some ways, many of us who are crying out for "bold" coffee are using that as a short-hand way of saying that we want a coffee with a more full-bodied and complex flavor profile characteristic of the history of Starbucks.

I don't see Pike Place Roast as "bold" because it doesn't fit the quintessential Starbucks flavor profile. It tastes watery to me.

Of course, coffee taste is very subjective. I'm often shocked as I watch the person before or after me in line order Pike Place Roast, and I'm just left scratching my head ...

Melody

Well ty very much Melody. .  That was a great answer .. I really apreciate it ....... I too love a nice cup of gold coast on a cold seattle morning....

fyi ..  I also love reading all your comments and posts melody sometimes when I leave "my" starbucks ( pacific place ..the ,other, across the street from Nordstroms )  I think of you because of the great experiance I have every time ......

thnx again.

trish

Thanks Matt, You rock.......... you didn't have to -but you did!!!! That's what makes your gesture great. And yeah it looks like you have to do everything!!!!!!!! Have a great Thanksgiving! Your friend, J. :-)

Ohh man I couldn't agree more with Breve! Thanks Matt!!

:-D