I found a small independent coffee shop today. I had their house blend espresso, and I did not enjoy it as much as Costa or Starbucks. Is this wrong? I feel I should still go there despite not liking the coffee, and it was also 20p more expensive.

I suppose it means I’m a pleberian really, doesn’t it?

Nope I like Starbucks, Pret and Nero. Not Costa though. Have had great coffee in small independants but can be hit or miss. At least with the others tend to know what I’m getting

You know what you are getting generally its OK coffee. Round us there is one great little coffee shop and a couple of crappy ones that look good

They’re your tastebuds,and you’re paying,drink what you like,guilt-free.

Nothing wrong with the big chain coffees or machines. The human operating them is the variable.

No shame, no shame in expresso’ing your opinion son, so you didn’t like the coffee, so what. At least you went in, made the effort, sometimes it’s too darn easy to pop on in to “S” or “C” or that Nero fella or indeedy Pret.
More to drinking coffee than just the taste yeah..

I don’t like the smell of the interiors of “S” or “C”, I think it’s those sodding griddle thingumybobs that always have fat dribbling out of them, and burned crumbs, just stinks the place out mannnnnnnn.

I reckon there’s more of a chance of getting a shite coffee from an indie than a chain. I wish this wasn’t true.

I like Starbucks coffee (I’m guessing because they roast the shif out of it) but the rest of the chains are a bit meh.

Not keen on Starbucks, as you seem to be only able to get a stupidly large tank of watery coffee, or a thimble-sized espresso. And I really, really hate the word “barista”, and blame them entirely for it.

Nice cookies, though.

Majority of the coffee serve by chains are pretty weak … drinkable but not worth that price.

I reckon there’s more of a chance of getting a shite coffee from an indie than a chain. I wish this wasn’t true.

That’s probably true: I find independents are good or bad, whereas the chains are consistently average. One thing I will say for them is that they made (some) of the independents raise their game.

Picky bastard!

Actually, that was a bit of a facetious post, but what with the Nandos thread and this experience I started thinking about what chains mean to us as customers.

What I really fancied was a caramel macchiato from Starbucks. I like them, they are sweet, coffee flavoured and delicious. I’m not a particularly stick-in-the-mud type person, my lifestyle is fairly irregular and I flit form one thing to another frequently, but I have been drinking caramel macs for years and still love them.

Perhaps it’s because an association has been formed in my brain. When I was a kid going for coffee was always a big treat, we didn’t do it very often. Now I have my own money I do it much more, and I think it’s all about comfort and association with happiness. If this is the case, then it would make sense that I want to go to chain outlets wherever I am.

Another more practical side is consistency. I know I quite like Starbucks’ espresso, but others is an unknown quantity. I’m now £1.60 down and I did not get satisfaction. Not a big deal in this case but if it’s £40 for a family meal it’s money and an evening gone to waste, if you wish to look at it that way.

More to drinking coffee than just the taste yeah..

Bang on.

Can I get a skinny lite vanilla latte to go FTW 😉

Molgrips,

Perhaps let the indie know in what way you were disappointed by your coffee? Where I worked there was only me could actually pull a shot of espresso (and I didn’t normally make the coffees!) The simple reason (similarly to pretty much every other shortcoming there) was that nobody had ever made any comment. I suspect those that knew the taste of real coffee ran away and we were left with customers who actually liked thin yet bitter coffee with scorched milk.

Then again, it does seem hard to give constructive criticism without the recipient getting very defensive of their (obviously flawed!) product/methods…

Surely if you can’t pull an espresso, you shouldn’t be working in a place selling coffee? Some people think that there is an art to pulling an espresso. It isn’t in any way difficult once you’ve been shown how.

I would rather have 3 bad coffees and 1 great one than 4 average coffees. Same with food really. My psyche allows me to treat poor meals as a positive experience; more valuable than a duplicate experience IMO.

Exactly.

But no complaints means those in charge see no problem and so do nothing to improve things…

Ideally they’d train everyone without that kind of prompt… maybe they thought real coffee would scare the natives?

Surely if you can’t pull an espresso, you shouldn’t be working in a place selling coffee?

I agree…there’s a spot that opened up near me around a year or so ago and I’ve been in there a few times for a coffee – I’m not trained in using a commercial coffee machine but I can see when they’re even preparing to make a coffee that it’s going to be horrible – not enough grounds, not tamped down properly. Too much water run through, etc etc etc…and I get a cup of coffee that looks like a strong tea. I’ve brought it back a few times for an extra shot but tbh, the extra shot just makes it a darker shade of muddy.

I’ve thought of emailing the owner a few times to say just how bad their coffee is but I can’t be bothered* tbh. They buy their coffee from a decent local roaster so should have been shown how to make a coffee, but no.

*I know I should be and I’m thinking maybe I might email a link to this thread and say “I’m referring to your café in this thread”. Should I?

EDIT:

maybe they thought real coffee would scare the natives?

Y’know, in the part of Bristol where I live, this could very well be true. 🙂

I’ve never really understood the idea that the normal human bean needs to have some kind of caffeinated beverage so desperately that there are chains of stores set up to provide this.

I have a cup of coffee when I get up, which aids in the poo delivery thing, then one in the mid morning when that girl who always makes coffee offers, then er… that’s it.

I really don’t get the whole barista, fancy coffee, soy latte, stuff. It’s just coffee to me.

Then again, I just have a shave too, with a disposable razor, which seems to suit me fine..

Tis far easier being a peasant.

human bean

I see what you did there. 😀

I really don’t get the whole barista, fancy coffee, soy latte, stuff. It’s just coffee to me.

Nah, me neither. I nearly always have an Americano, sometimes an Espresso if I’m feeling all continental and very occasionally, a mocha if I want to cheer myself up.

I confess that back in the early 90’s my mate had a GF who worked in a fancy Italian restaurant thta used to open early to sell fancy coffee to the shoppers in that Manchester.

I used to ask if they had any Nescafe instant…

Y’know, in the part of Bristol where I live, this could very well be true.

I think there is a Boston Tea Party in Bristol? Not been in that one but my sister works in the Salisbury one and they trained her properly. Always had great coffee there, but as it’s part of a chain I’m unsure if I’m allowed to go there 😕

I think there is a Boston Tea Party in Bristol?

The original one yes, on Park Street.

I think it either got taken over or a massive cash injection a few years ago because it is now a chain of around 4 or 5 cafes in Bristol and more further afield.

I still go to the one in Park Street for coffee – it’s still one of the best coffees in town, but the best (IMO) is from Baristas. By a long shot. And a very nice bike friendly owner too. 🙂

…but it’s still only coffee: We haven’t been carrying flasks of coffee around for the last 20 odd years, so why is it suddenly the done thing to have to have a cup of coffee on hand?

I build vans with barista machines in them The guy who originaly came to comission the machine said most of the customers dont know what they are drinking so dont worry. People just like to think there is an art to it but it’s just a bit of theatre to extract a premium price. I don’t have a clue what to do really but it’s drinkable and most people in this country prefer the milky (kids) coffee anyway.