Friday, April 8, 2011

I finally learn to appreciate Starbucks

There aren't a lot of Starbucks locations in Switzerland, but they occupy primo locations in the major cities. If you're walking out of a train station in a major Swiss city, plan to find a Starbucks occupying the corner of the nearest main square or tourist destination. Until now, I haven't found myself compelled to enter one. That changed today.

Overall, I wasn't a big Starbucks guy in the US. Generally, I found their coffee a bit over-roasted, maybe a little bitter in general. Not bad, but a little too forward for my taste. So, I would be more likely to stop by a Caribou, or Dunn Brothers, or even better, a local coffee shop. If I stopped at a coffee shop at all. I'm more of an at-home coffee brewer. Ten to twenty cents for a good cup of joe vs. two-plus dollars. So, here in Switzerland, I've been brewing at home, too.

Now, let me take you on a brief diversion. I would be remiss to neglect the fact that you can make excellent and easy espresso drinks here. Have any of you tried a Nespresso machine? We were fortunate to get one cheap from a home-bound expat. It's an incredible piece of equipment. If you want to make great espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, buy a Nespresso machine. It will set you back $300+, but after that you can have amazing espressos for fifty cents a cup.

The nifty Nespresso machine: provider of amazing
espresso-based drinks.
When I took this, I didn't know the artist would be featured. When
I'm rich and famous this "self-portrait" could fetch millions!

But, back to our regularly scheduled programming: Sometimes I want some good old American-style drip brewed coffee. Our first purchase in Switzerland was a 220V drip-style coffee machine for about $40. Ah, now we're ready for good, cheap, standard fare coffee in the home, right? Not so fast!!! Where are you going to get the beans? Well, the grocery store has a whole aisle of coffee. Okay, most of it is already ground, but they sell by the bean, too. Laura and I like to mix decaf and normal beans for a "half-caf" experience. That's the first problem. Coop doesn't seem to sell decaf coffee, but I find decaf beans at Migros. Okay, that problem is solved. Now, for the regular coffee beans. This is where we ran into the obstacle.

The Swiss simply don't like bold flavors (except in their cheese, which may be occasion for another post). Read the labels on Swiss coffees, and you'll find they all describe their "mild" and "soft" flavor.Even the espresso and ristretto blends are soft and mild. The Swiss seem to think that variety comes in the finish -- look at the foam/head on top of the coffee. Is it creamy? Never mind that coffee doesn't finish this way in a basket brew or "American" style coffee pot. Also, where are the fruit/floral flavors vs. the spicy vs. the earthy chocolates etc. I can't taste them. Maybe I don't have the same refined palate that the Swiss have. They don't like spicy food, either, which is why Old El Paso has developed an extra mild salsa for Swiss palates, the mild is just too spicy. Or, chocolate: most Swiss eat milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate with its bitter after-effects. The Swiss don't seem to like anything too obtrusive. No harshness, no bitterness, except in their cheese and the finish of their lager beers (another Jared "not-favorite").

So, I'd resigned myself to drinking soft, unobtrusive, non-confrontational, tasteless coffee in the morning. (Again, unless I want to make myself a yummy Nespresso!) Then, I was talking to our friend Simon the other afternoon about how you can't find anything but bland Swiss beans around here, and he asked me a ridiculously simple question, "Why don't you buy some beans at Starbucks?" Um, I really am an idiot. This had never even occurred to me before!

Today, I bought beans at the Starbucks in Vevey (and a $4+ tall small black coffee to go. Four dollars?!) and immediately drove home to brew a cuppa. And, I have to say, I am in heaven! Now, it's not that my previous quibbles with Starbucks roasting have changed. It still seems a bit burnt, forward, maybe even "in your face," but I'll take that over an overly-refined, subdued, soft-almost-to-the-point-of-disappearing flavor of the Swiss beans any day. Being a bit too assertive can be better than being overly non-offensive.

So, anyway, I'm extremely happy. Today, I had a real cup of coffee!

Evidence of my first Swiss visit to Starbucks. I'm digging the new branding.
Obviously, the new cup sleeves haven't made it here yet.

P.S.  If you're visiting us and want to make a friend for life, you may want to stick a pound of Peace Coffee Guatemalan Dark Roast in your carry-on....

1 comment:

  1. Can I mail you sone real coffee? Tell Laura I miss her. A lot. I hope you guys are well.
    Julie
    Sent from my iPad

    ReplyDelete