Starbucks

With less than 2 months until Christmas the red cups have landed at Starbucks. For me, nothing heralds retail's festive season quite like it. Whilst some stores may have had their Christmas trees up since summer Starbucks hold out on their festive beverage barrage until November, which is an almost acceptable period of time. To explain: Starbucks' paper take-out cups are normally white but once a year, to coincide with their Christmas 'menu' they use red ones. I am very susceptible to the power of packaging, & walking into my local branch this morning did make me feel rather Christmassy. Starbucks have 4 seasonal drinks this year: Gingerbread ...  Read the complete review

I love coffee and have regularly used coffee shops no matter where I am. I have even been known to nip into one when on holiday abroad, though not very often. Starbucks is an American coffee brand that started with its first shop in 1971 in Seattle and can now be found worldwide in most European cities and towns. The main feel of starbucks is the same wherever in the world you are. There is the instantly recognisable Starbucks sign/logo, the subduded lighting, the sofas and the normal chairs and tables usually covered in a green leatherette to match the green in the starbucks logo. Starbucks is obviously a coffee shop but they do do ...  Read the complete review

Starbucks is an American brand and can be found in pretty much any large city in Europe. In the City of London where I work, we have at least 3 Starbucks within 5 minute walk one from the other in the area around Liverpool Street and Moorgate. I use Starbucks for informal meetings with some clients, in particular the one on the back of Moorgate tube station. I normally have a cheese cake and some time something to drink. I fidn that they offer good value for time when you consider that they offer a nice surrounding. Service is normally fast, even when we order coffee or Cappuccino. They are probably not the cheapest option and actually ...  Read the complete review

Starbucks outlets are coffee shops in the same way that Mcdonalds outlets are 'restaurants' and Wetherspoons outlets are 'pubs', ie technically so but realistically speaking not so at all. Starbucks shops are utterly omnipresent in town centres everywhere nowadays, something which I find both worryingly oppressive and incredibly depressing. They are little ubiquitous centres of anti-culture masquerading as cosy meeting places, when in fact they represent the beginning of the end of all thought and life, everywhere, throughout the universe. Okay, so I'm exaggerating just a little there, but there is still something about Starbucks outlets that puts me on edge. ...  Read the complete review

People love their addictions, and coffee (like tea) is an addiction of epic porportions. I think we all agree though, that for every good batch of coffee there are 5 bad batches. You have to spend several pounds trying out different types before you come across one you feel is truly drinkable. Once you do find that elusive "good cup'o'joe" , you stick with it , right? This is why i'm so utterly mind-bogglingly confused about the phenomena that is , Starbucks. Every minute of every day people clunk down 3 to 5 pounds a cup for what is essentially...liquid burnt tar droppings. What's worse is that statement is not exaggerative. ...  Read the complete review