Okay, I’ve long known that Starbucks espresso sucks. Even moreso now that they all use automatic espresso makers, so there’s absolutely no skill involved in making the crap they call a shot of espresso. But even back when they used semi-automatic makers it tended to be a thing of horror.
But how can their beans themselves be sooooo bad??
Backstory: We ran out of espresso beans in the QtM household. :eek:
The Mrs. was sent out to procure an emergency supply until we could visit our usual coffee roaster, Colectivo (a maker of superior espresso and a fine roaster). She was encouraged to make sure she did NOT get Starbucks beans (out of general principle) but after visiting the two nearest stores, came back with a 1 lb bag of Starbucks espresso roast.
Mildly disappointed, I figured I could make something decent out of it.
And when I opened the bag, I was surprised. Dark, oily, a very, VERY rich coffee aroma. I thought “Aha! They use bad machines/techniques on good beans. I can work with this!”
So I set to grinding the proper amount. And oddly, it took more volume of Starbucks beans to produce the needed amount of ground espresso. The grind was a bit stickier too. No matter, I brewed a shot in my Rancilio Silvia, got what looked like the perfect amount in the perfect time, with a rich, tiger-striped crema. Looking good, I thought.
Then I tasted it. <<shudder>>. The bitterest brew I’ve ever consumed in my life, even including at 3 AM during my internship. Repeat attempts, varying temperature, tamp, and volume did not improve it one iota. A ristretto was even more distressing. The Mrs. said her cappuccinos were undrinkable, despite copious sugar and flavorings.
An emergency trip last night got us 5 lbs of Colectivo Toro espresso roast, and now things are returning to normal.
So how can such good looking/smelling beans be soooo bad? What is Starbucks trying to prove?