I love coffee. But it has to be good coffee. Admittedly, i am partial to Starbucks and Caribou or really good local places that know what they are doing. (McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts think they make good coffee... but they don't. But that's a subject for a different time when I am really desperate for material.)
Decaffeinated coffee, however, is a laughable option, in my not-so-humble opinion. It's like non-alcoholic beer; what's the point? The buzz is part of the whole coffee experience. The rich, great taste of a freshly brewed cup of French Roast goes hand in hand with the expectation of a little speed buzz. That's why I can't see wasting money on decaf.
How much of a waste of money is decaf? Well, for Starbucks, it's around $400 million in less than a year. That's how much they expect to save by only making continually fresh pots of decaf until noon. Seems they have been keeping it on hand for those unclear on the concept day and night, only to pour most of it down the drain. So from now on, the company announced, only the real deal will be readily available after lunch. Sure, they'll make you some emasculated brew if you are willing to wait. Or, more likely, up-sell you to a decaf espresso drink.
Times are tough. Starbucks sales are slumping, and they are closing stores and pulling back in other ways too. In a lousy economy, $4 for a latte is more than some people can part with... and $400 million for ever-ready decaf is more than Starbucks can afford to waste.
My friend Evan must be devastated. He is a Starbucks junkie, but always drinks decaf. Never quite figured that out, but he's OK otherwise.
For the record, my first cup of the day is full-on, caffeinated. It's decaf from then on, or sleep becomes iffy. (In college, I could down Dunkin' at 11 p.m., no prob.) But Starbucks has been brewing BAD decaf for the last six months or so in an earlier cost-cutting move. Their "mild," Pikes Place brew, in both caff and decaff versions: What's the point?
After never having a good cup of Caribou for years, I now find their decaff decent. Maybe they responded to SBUX with a bolder brew.
Intelligentsia and Pete's are superior to Starbucks, but the former has gone to made-to-order decaffs, brewed in $10K machines for individual orders, that take 4-5 minutes.
In an economizing move: I got a single-cup brewer for home use, and it takes Starbucks and other cartridges. This way, I won't have to choose between coffee and food when I'm 90
Posted by: Evan | 28 January 2009 at 07:43 PM
Linked article: "will stop continuously brewing decaffeinated coffee after noon"
Your aticle: "That's how much they expect to save by only making continually fresh pots of decaf after noon."
I think you meant to say ..."until noon"?
Posted by: michelle meaders | 07 February 2009 at 03:41 PM
Yep, Michelle, you are correct. Thanks for the comment. I've fixed the mistake.
dw
Posted by: Dave Wilcox | 07 February 2009 at 04:33 PM