No, that be because it actually is crap. I don’t really give one whit about their success or not, I just know that they produce over roasted burnt coffee. It’s popular because it has percieved value. i.e It’s supposed to be good, therefore it is.
Now, if they would better educate their employees and start producing a better quality cup, life would be good. It gets tiresome not being able to find a decent cup of coffee away from home.
Yeah, Starbucks totally burns their beans–it’s easy to get used to for me, but when I go home and drink the French Market coffee that my parents have shipped from New Orleans (talk about coffee snobs!) it makes me wonder why I drink Starbucks at all.
I agree with a lot of other posters that your problem might not be solved with coffee. When I was in school, I was sitting around a lot, eating a bunch, and felt tired ALL the frickin’ time. It was like I couldn’t get enough sleep. Now I walk home from work (about a mile), try to get excercise regularly, and do my best to eat healthier, and I just feel so much more alert and awake. It’s amazing how much better I feel. So, you might find some new caffeinated things you like from this thread, but I would suggest trying to get out more. You sound like you’re well on your way–good luck!
If you’re beat all the time, then getting hooked on coffee is probably not the best way to solve the problem. Maybe you should see a doctor first.
Since you’re looking for advice, I’ll move this to IMHO.
Um - no. Sit down and let me tell you my experence w/ starbucks and how I know it’s crap.
I had a job up in Rochester NY and actually had to travel to sites from uttica to buffalo. Not finding any place that has good quality coffee I decided to get on the NYST one exit out of my way so I would pass a rest area with what I thought was a dunkin donuts.
I was supprized to find out it was a starbucks and I was thinking that I’m in luck - a good coffee place. I got the cup and it was ok and did have a burnt taste to it. As I got 1/2 way through the cup I noticed that it was getting worse fast.
(I not sayign there are not good coffee places there - just I don’t know where they were -cya)
OK so I was very dissapointed w/ them but have tryed them 3x more with the same results.
I can honsetly say that starbucks is crap.
Also I have noticed that green mountain roasters house blend is very simular to starbucks - so much so that I pass it up in favor of their columbian supremo.
Here’s my advice. I’m a big coffee lover and recently quit (for the third or fourth time). I had a major coffee jones and it wasn’t easy to quit, but I tapered off gradually and finally quit the habit.
Now I have the same issue as you, feeling fatigued frequently while at work. This is how I dealt with it without coffee:
I found a nicely secluded spot at work, in the basement, under the stairs. It’s a safe place to take a nap. During my morning and afternoon 15-minute breaks, instead of ingesting caffeine or nicotine, I treat myself to a lovely power nap. It’s been scientifically proven that sleep during the day helps you to work better. (Try telling that to your boss, yeah right…) Also I get an hour for lunch, but it only takes me a half hour to eat lunch, the other half hour spent in a delicious power nap lying on the back seat of my car. This is incomparably better than caffeine.
But if you really have to have caffeine, have you considered tea?
If you’re going to caffeinate, caffeinate. This stuff is hardcore.
I’ll chime in as someone who actually likes Starbucks. Yes, I still consider myself a coffee snob. I like everything from silky smooth to burnt and Starbucks is great in the completely burnt department.
If you don’t like Starbucks’ taste, then you don’t like it. There’s nothing to debate here, we just disagree. Though I can say that if you “hate” coffee, then Starbucks probably isn’t good to start with. It’s way too bitter.
My favorite coffee is something called David’s Blend http://www.hawaiicoffee.net/blends.htm
which is very smooth and extremely popular here in town.
Out of work, feeling tired all the time, sleeping too much but still tired?
That’s called “bleah”, and caffeine don’t cure it. You may be beginning another mild depression.
I’d recommend doing something to get a little lift-up out of your “bleah”. Go for a long walk, get a hobby, DO something. If you do a little more you’ll most likely find you get more energy. You seem aware that your body probably needs more water and more fruit and vegetables. So - why not give them a whirl?
I have been to the land of “bleah” and to the land of depression, so I know the lie of the land.
If the “bleah” won’t shift, or if you really can’t bring yourself to do much, go and see the doctor and get different medication.
Black coffee is an acquired taste for the most part.
I acquired it years ago by being in too much of a hurry to get to my early morning lectures. No time to stir, man!
Also, I worked at a coffee shop for a few years, when they were pretty uncommon. At first I was dazzled with mocha latte’s and other frothy conncoctions. By the time I left the job the only thing I liked was a straight shot of espresso and a bottle of water in the morning. Started the day just fine.
At home we used to get Jamaican Blue Mountain straight from the islands. Picked up by a friend who went there to stock up on other pleasurable vegetation. There is no better black coffee, period.
That supply has dried up, so to speak. And I can’t find an affordable replacement, only blends. Lately I’ve been enjoying Kona from the Bad Ass Coffee Company in Hawaii, shipped via friends, made in a french press. Straight up. Never after 2pm on a weekday.
Of course, I’ve been known to drink whatever coffee is on hand. In the Navy we had “Ricky’s Rocket Fuel”, a lukewarm blend of chocolate milk and cafeteria coffee, guzzled in mere seconds. Also, truck stops across America suite me just fine at 3 am. on a driving break.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably start with some 7-Eleven coffee, heavy cream, light sugar or flavored creamer.
Chronic fatigue or “bleah” can originate from a wide variety of etiologies, and here on the SDMB we can’t really diagnose accurately what your specific problem is. It might be the result of depression, as Tansu suggests, but it might not. It could be the result of poor diet, or a chronic liver disorder (as it is in my case), or poor sleep patterns, or maybe some other cause. I still maintain that napping during the day, if you can manage it, will help your brain and body, and be far healthier for you, than caffeine in any form. Of course, this method of attending to your physical health can be hazardous to your economic health, if anyone catches you sleeping at the workplace and you get instantly canned. :eek: