Originally Posted By u/anxiousbarista At 2025-09-28 06:07:33 AM | Source


        • evasive_chimpanzee
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          2 months ago

          Consistency is king for giant food corporations. Roasting the hell out of beans drives off unique taste elements so beans from different harvests and locations can be blended together for the same taste every time.

          Also, Starbucks is based on Italian coffee culture where beans are practically carbonized, which also makes espresso easier to extract (more bang for your buck).

          • Aedis
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            2 months ago

            What I got from your post is “Italian coffee is crap” and that sounds preposterous to me.

            A good dark roast is hard to achieve without burning the beans. But also removes the disgusting acidic taste from the beans that medium and light roasts heretics have been trying to demand our respect for.

            • zalgotext@sh.itjust.works
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              2 months ago

              I don’t agree with the “Italian coffee is crap” sentiment, but I also don’t agree with the “light and medium roasts are disgusting” sentiment. So fuck you both, now let’s kiss

            • evasive_chimpanzee
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              2 months ago

              Different strokes for different folks! I’ve definitely had good dark roasts, but it is undeniable that the more you roast something, the more regional character it loses.

              Personally, I like acidity in beverages, and coffee is not very acidic at all compared to beer/wine/juice/etc.

          • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            I just made an espresso at home (we were gifted a tiny machine 20 years ago and I’ve cobbled it back together a few times as parts fail). Dark roasted Italian style espresso is a good treat once or twice a week in our house. I’ll only pay Starbucks for it when I need to use their shitter in an emergency.

            • evasive_chimpanzee
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              2 months ago

              There’s definitely a time and place for it! For something like an affogato or a milk drink, it works great.

            • evasive_chimpanzee
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              2 months ago

              As far as I know “burn” isn’t a scientific term, so it’s subjective. You wouldn’t say that someone burned a pizza if it had leopard spots on it if it’s pleasant to you.

              In my opinion, the definition of “burned food” could be “heat related changes that i find unpleasant”. That absolutely happens with coffee.

          • potoooooooo ✅️
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            2 months ago

            Haven’t been in years once I realized it wasn’t a mistake at one or two locations. It just tasted like shit everywhere.

      • Landless2029
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        2 months ago

        And they do it on purpose to decrease the weight of the beans so shipping is cheaper…

      • Kühlschrank
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        2 months ago

        I’m one of the weirdos that actually likes their burnt taste. Still don’t go there anymore tho

    • protist@mander.xyz
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      2 months ago

      It really does suck. There are independent coffee shops in almost every town. Go there instead

      • potoooooooo ✅️
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        2 months ago

        Or make your own. Every thrift store has a cheap espresso maker and it probably works.

  • panda_abyss@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    Doesn’t he all also fly the corporate jet ti the office instead of just living near by

    I am already boycotting them.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Same guy who shuttered the Chipotle corporate office in Denver and moved it to Newport Beach, laying off hundreds of people so he wouldn’t have to commute. Real standup guy.

  • Blaster M
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    2 months ago

    Guess I’ll continue not getting Starbucks coffe as I haven’t for years

    • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot
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      2 months ago

      I used to like their hot chocolate, but they took that off the menu around COVID.

  • Phegan
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    2 months ago

    Been here for years. Once they started union busting, I was out

  • jaschen306@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    I have boycott Starbucks for 3 years now. In Taiwan, some malls will only have a single coffee shop and it’s Starbucks. I rather just get a boba tea instead of giving money to that evil corp.

    • Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Taiwan Starbucks is entirely owned and operated by Uni-president Enterprise Corp. It was part of a deal where Starbucks, the parent corp acquired half of ownership in mainland China Starbucks while giving up all Taiwan ownership.

      Over here, Luckin seems more popular than Starbucks, for similar, slightly better quality and slightly worse atmosphere.

  • Beesbeesbees
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    2 months ago

    Only people I know who drink Starbucks are already maga and won’t care. Most people I know just drink (gag) Dunkin. Theres no reasoning, it’s New England.

    • Goodtoknow@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      Do Americans no longer have independent coffee shops and restaurants?? Is it all chains down there now?

      • Beesbeesbees
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        2 months ago

        Where I am we had one for about 6 months. There are a couple of shops, yes, but they are a drive. Dunkin has a store every mile.

      • PriorityMotif
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        2 months ago

        There is but they’re considered more of a sit down place. Big chains are successful because they have drivethru at convenient (expensive) locations.

      • BlackVenom
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        2 months ago

        Most do - even small towns do.

        Starbucks is convenient and that’s what they do.

        Small stores don’t usually have an app, have too few workers so it takes 5-15min to make the coffee or worse after whatever line.

        If they ever figure out they can buy a whole ass bag of coffee and a dripper for the cost of 3-5 Starbucks and drink for a month… They’d still go to Starbucks.

  • Jaysyn
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    2 months ago

    I’ve boycotted Starbucks almost my entire life.

    • Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz
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      2 months ago

      Outside of Japan and China, I have never had coffee from a random cafe that wasn’t both cheaper and higher quality than Starbucks. That’s not to say Starbucks is good in China and Japan, just outside of Osaka, the average quality is not great in those countries.

      • tetris11@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        McDonalds coffee is legit better and far cheaper. I know I’m promoting one big corp over another, but it’s true

          • bobzer@lemmy.zip
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            2 months ago

            If you pick a random place in Osaka it’ll be just as “mid” as a random place in Tokyo.

            • Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz
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              2 months ago

              What no average food in Osaka is the best in Japan.

              I know this because that’s what I did every day for like 2 months in Osaka.

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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      2 months ago

      Well at least it’s subtle. It’s only about three times the size of someone’s house.

  • Dohnuthut
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    2 months ago

    This is one I was already boycotting, but not because of their practices, it’s because their coffee is terrible. I’d rather get some from the gas station.

    • activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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      2 months ago

      That’s not a boycott. That’s the normal market working as designed. If you love the coffee but refuse to patronise them, then you are boycotting.

    • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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      2 months ago

      Yeah I honestly don’t get why anyone would choose Starbucks over anywhere else. The beans are badly burnt, the prices sky high and the company itself is scummy. Seriously go anywhere else. Good coffee is so easy to get these days

  • Alloi
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    2 months ago

    btw this is the signal that a company is failing. it will eventually completely crumble and be picked apart by other businesses.

    • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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      2 months ago

      Ehhh, 900 jobs in the scheme of a company in the S&P 500 isn’t necessarily very many. Those are usually companies with 10s of thousands of employees.

      Actually they list on their website that there’s over 18k locations in the US and Canada, so assuming 10 positions per storefront (likely an underestimate) that’s only 90 locations being closed. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that they see a similar amount of churn every year of locations opening and closing, with the difference being that these are locations being deliberately closed as a step in brand strategy

  • tea@lemmy.today
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    2 months ago

    Has the Target boycott been successful? I haven’t heard them backtrack on their DEI programs, right?

      • tea@lemmy.today
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        2 months ago

        Yeah, the impetus behind the boycott was that they got rid of their DEI programs in a move that was designed to boot lick the new administration.

  • the_beach_lasagna
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    2 months ago

    The Starbucks CEO also has one of the highest carbon footprints out of any Fortune 500 and S&P 500 CEO as well given his private jet travel from the Los Angeles area to Seattle. He could have rented out his SoCal home and brought a nice house in Mercer Island to avoid all of this, but instead he chooses his private jet super commute. Bold of them to remove plastic straws and replace them with paper straws.

    Fortunately as someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest, I have plenty of more ethical alternatives for coffee shops and cafes so I don’t have to give any money to an oligarch. It is a little sad to see the Seattle Reserve Roastery go since that place is everyone’s go-to in the dark and rainy Seattle winters, but Starbucks sort of did them to themselves! Fk corporate greed and fk Brian Nichols!