Community Chat

[IamDoodles]

Morning Joe is my absolute favorite.

[lovesrecess]

DH drinks Pikes when he cant find anything else since it is one of the few decafs that Starbucks sells.....his fave is decaf Sumatra but it is only online. If you like regular Sumatra, try the seattle mountain brand that Costco sells....DH says it is the best coffee he has had from any brand.

[NYC Susan]

I've been brewing Starbucks coffee at home for years. My favorite is French Roast. Italian Roast is good too.

I usually buy the larger bags when I can find them. I am addicted to Starbucks and love being able to have it at home!

[Campion]

On 11/5/2014 Cardamom said:

On 11/5/2014 Campion said:

I hate HATE Pike Roast. It's kind of strong (though I like strong coffee) and seems bitter, smokey and acidic. I love the Sumatra. Safeway possibly has it.

Haha. I wasn't going to say anything but I am having a cup now and I am not loving it. You're right it's bitter and says smooth on the bag. I was wondering if Safeway would let me exchange it? I'll look for Sumatra. I might have over looked it as I was looking for a medium roast.

I've found most grocery stores are very good about exchanges or returns (esp if you have a receipt.) They depend on the loyal repeat customer filling that cart up every week or so.

Pike Roast was supposed to cover the tastes of "most" Americans, but you either LOVE it or hate it. I find it's like "gas station" coffee, that is strong, bitter and acidic. But many people look for that in a coffee. It's why I don't like Columbian coffee. It's very acidic. It does have that wonderful aroma, that coffee smell that makes you stick your nose back in the bag. But I don't like the acidity.

My favorites of Starbucks are the seasonal blends. But grocery stores don't carry them and here's another secret; they sell the 8 oz package for not much less than you can get an entire pound. (I think I pay about 12 per pound, and it's 8 or 9 unless there is a sale, for the half pound.) What I do is order it online at the Starbucks store, wait for a sale (they have "x" percent off sometimes, or free shipping) and I use Ebates. I load up the freezer with whole beans of my fave blend (which is Tribute and not available year round, or I order Anniversary or Thanksgiving or Christmas Blend.) Then I grind enough for about a week in my Magic Bullet, which is an awesome coffee grinder. I grind right in a mug and put the cap on it and it's fine (I use the single milling blade.)

I think I save quite a bit this way, and only order a few times a year. And it's the only way to get certain decafs that the store doesn't carry--like Sumatran decaf. Our stores use the same darn distributor no matter what chain it is, so you can't get anything here out of the ordinary. Decaf breakfast blend only, for example.