Starbucks doesn't really serve coffee. The standing joke is that you can get anything but a proper coffee. While the chain makes its money on syrup flavoured coffees, it does make black coffee too!
This opinion is for Edinburgh!
The big attraction of Starbucks is that they have sofas ... Read review
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Advantages: Friendly, warm and sweet IN EDINBURGH Disadvantages: Not coffee as we know it
Starbucks doesn't really serve coffee. The standing joke is that you can get anything but a proper coffee. While the chain makes its money on syrup flavoured coffees, it does make black coffee too!
This opinion is for Edinburgh!
The big attraction of Starbucks is that they have sofas and quishy chairs. Last time I counted there were six in Edinburgh, and probably more have been opened in the time it takes me to write ... ...who yet remain Starbucks virgins, this is a chain of coffee shops (started in Settle and now worldwide). Coffee comes in Tall, Grande and Vente. It comes in all varieties of milk, including soya. You can eat in or take away. But people really go there to get pudding in a cup.
Starbucks offers coffees with a range of syrups from seasonal ones like gingerbread, to the standards such as hazlenut and vanilla. Basically its a pick and ... more
Starbucks doesn't really serve coffee. The standing joke is that you can get anything but a proper coffee. While the chain makes its money on syrup flavoured coffees, it does make black coffee too!
This opinion is for Edinburgh!
The big attraction of Starbucks is that they have sofas and quishy chairs. Last time I counted there were six in Edinburgh, and probably more have been opened in the time it takes me to write this review.
For those of you who yet remain Starbucks virgins, this is a chain of coffee shops (started in Settle and now worldwide). Coffee comes in Tall, Grande and Vente. It comes in all varieties of milk, including soya. You can eat in or take away. But people really go there to get pudding in a cup.
Starbucks offers coffees with a range of syrups from seasonal ones like gingerbread, to the standards such as hazlenut and vanilla. Basically its a pick and mix affair. One of my friend's favourite is double tall hazlenut latte no whip, which translates as a small coffee with a shot of hazlenut syrup, two shots of expresso and no whipped cream on the top. It does take a bit of time to learn the lingo, but you can while away many an hour trying out permutations, and getting caffeine highs. They do also serve coffee blends of the day or week, designed to be drunk black.
So what is the coffee really like? The test of a good bean, as any coffee snob knows, is the machiatto. DONT try it at a Starbucks, it is vile.
The chain also stocks a range of cakes and sandwiches. These include vegetarian options, and they are currently doing a deal on any tall hot drink and slice of cake after 2pm for £2.60. I can't say I am particularly enamoured of the food. The cakes, with the exception of the over-sweet carrot cake, are oily. There are also muffins and hard biscuits. Sandwich and panni fillings are mostly for the omnivore and very high in calories.
On the plus side, all the branches I have visited have always been very friendly, and have always happily succumbed to baby's bright blue eyes, and given him a giant mug or jug of hot water to heat his bottle. So, obviously they are child friendly. They are also student friendly, and don't mind if you sit with one cup of coffee for several hours, which means they can get quite busy. There are also always free papers and magazines to read.
My verdict - don't go there for coffee or food. Do go there for a comfortable seat, a long chat and pudding in a cup. Prices for coffee start around £1.60 and go up depending on extras, size and topping. Sandwiches are around the £3 mark for eat-in.
Advantages: Chai Latte, nostlagia Disadvantages: a bit expensive, stigma of being a big chain
***Review of Starbucks Chai Tea Latte***
If memory serves it was my best friend at the time, Hilary, who introduced me to Chai. She said they served it in all the cafes in New England, even the small town corner ones. But it was Starbucks she chose to take me to for my initiation. I've since been told by my flatmate Munira that 'Chai' is just the Indian word for tea, of which there are a myriad of varieties, but the Chai I was introduced to and ... ...milky concoction served at Starbucks and other large chain coffee shops the world over as Chai Tea Latte. As anyone who has ever been to a Starbucks knows you can get your drink of choice in three sizes, tall (small), grande (medium) or venti (large). I always opt for venti when indulging in a Chai as the price difference between sizes is something like 20p with a venti going for about £2.70 and so I opt for the largest since I'm paying a ridiculous ...
kjane2006 19.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Starbucks
Advantages: atmosphere, service, next to the passport office Disadvantages: small
I love Starbucks, and this is a classic of its type.
The coffee and food is good but it is packed at lunchtime. The best time to go is at breakfast time, it opens at 7.00. Then you can sink into a big comfy chair with a long coffee and a muffin, read the paper and soak up the ambience. The staff are nice and can recognise an instant regular from a hundred paces. Worth a detour and very, very close to the passport office.
The coffee speaks for itself. ...
Advantages: Competitive priced Coffee Disadvantages: Taste and Priced not as good as Caffee Nero
Starbucks is a well known, almost global coffee brand. This chain of coffee shops are fully company owned. The price of coffee per metric tonne is approximately £883 a tonne. So for coffee shop stores there is a very high profit margin to be made.
I was travelling on my way to Crawley and as i was in London Victoria i noticed a burger type van advertising Starbucks. I thought to myself i have been to Starbucks before lets see how they fare.
Firstly i was not impressed with the service here. There were 2 staff in the van, no customers in the queue, and dispite this it took me 2 minutes to get served.
I noticed the bin they were using was full up with some plastic rubbish. Certainly not inviting for regular customers or great first impressions here.
The display of my coffee money was in a take away Starbucks plastic cup ...
costas1234 09.01.2008 (31.03.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Starbucks (London)
I've been addicted to Starbucks for years. I worship Starbucks. Starbucks is the very example of everything I love about city living. I first discovered this international shrine to coffee in Canada (Vancouver, to be precise - the city of 1,000,000 Starbucks stores. (Well, nearly)). The first time I walked into a Starbucks I was bowled over by the extensive range of coffees. While this seems to be most people's complaint about the store ("I just want a *plain* coffee - what's a plain coffee?" "Well madam, that depends on how you like your coffee - would you like a latte or an americano or a cappuccino, or maybe a chocolatey mocha, or possibly just an espresso, and would you like flavoured syrup and/or whipped cream with that?"), I love experimenting with my coffee and this was like a dream come true. Admittedly, it took me half an hour ...
louiseypees 11.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Starbucks, Leeds
Advantages: Comfy, excellent service, fantastic choice of drinks and snacks. seasonal drinks are amazing. Disadvantages: can be crowded and busy if you go at the wrong time, e.g. saturday afternoons!
Don't you hate it when it gets to winter time and you find that Christmas has crept up on you yet again this year? It seems to start earlier each year! You always seem to find yourself cold, stressed, laden with bags and frequenting large queues outside department stores and you just feel like screaming "Bahhh Humbug!' to anyone who's near you.
Well I have eventually found the ideal cure to what I call 'The Christmas Crisis'. When you just want to give up and go home and think 'oh forget that last present, i'll get him some socks instead'. Instead of abandoning ship and sludging home in your winter boots deflated and stressed, I urge you to find a Starbucks! There is truly nothing more satisfying than collapsing into one of their cosy leather couches with a caramel latter and a 'too-good-to-be-allowed' piece of cake. I guarantee you ...
