Costa lot - but is it worth it? (Costa Coffee)

Member Name: deathy

Product:	Costa Coffee
Date:	30/07/05 (2013 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Best Coffee, Good iced drinks, nice decor

Disadvantages: Expensive, Staff can be rubbish, Over stretched franchise devalues brand

First up, let's get one thing straight : Coasta serves my favourite coffee of all the high street brands. Stronger than the dishwater you get in Starbucks and tastier than the burnt wood chippings served in Coffee Republic or Neros. Maybe it's because Costa was a more European brand when it started, it's coffee is tronger and fuller than the rest. However, since Whitbread (?) took them over, things have not been the same.

But let's start with a general description and some of the good things.

Costa offers the usual range of coffees in the usual range of sizes. A good rangee of sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, biscuits, cakes and muffins is available. The cakes are sometimes a bit stale tasting and the muffins are pre-wrapped, so taste very mechanical : not a touch on the quality of Starbuck muffins. Also, their range of paninis, whilst generally broader in fillings than their rivals, are not as generous in amount or of as high quality ingrediants. On top of that you have a good range of cold drinks (the best range) including fizzy drinks, fruit drinks, water, kids drinks, and the iced coffee drinks. I think Costa make the best iced coffee drink (frappacino type drinks), with their mix being by far the thickest and creamiest in the high-street. The decor of the stores is generally nice but not usually as "plush" as a starbucks. Price wise, yes it's expensive, but I feel it is on a par with the competition.

I also like the fact you can buy the costa coffee beans in both normal and decaf to take home. A bag costs about £2, and will give you about 40 espresso measures, which is about £100+ of coffee from the shop.

So what about the bad stuff:

In recent years Costa seem to have embarked on a franchising programming. I've been in places like Brewster Bears, Pubs, Airports and so on where there is a coffee bar only, which has the word Costa above it. But the quality of the coffee in these places is dreadful. So come on Costa - get your act in gear - you're devaluing your brand with these untrained teenagers churning out brown yuck in a cup.

Also, the staff that Costa train seem inexperienced and less caring about coffee than in other places. Our local Costa is staffed by young persons for whom this is just a job. They shout and laugh and goose each other in front of customers. Not professional and when you've spent £20 for a family to sit down to have a coffee and a bite to eat, you expect a bit more professionalism.

Also, I cannot help feeling that since Whitbread took ownership of the chain, it's been commoditised. Things feel more mass produced and there's evidence of "efficiencies", such as the pre-wrapped muffins. If I wanted a pre-wrapped muffin, I could go to the supermarket. Generally, the coffee tastes great, but more and more it's clear that the staff don't understand or care about being a barrista, the company does not care about the staff and the customers are beginning to wise up.

In Summary

My idea of heaven would be a coffee from Costa, with a Mozerella and Sundried Tomato panini from Starbucks. How long this will remain the case... I fear for the future.

Summary: When it's good... it's very very good. When it's bad... it's terrible.