Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture – Taylor Clark

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Starbucked looks at the growth and dominance of the Strabucks chain of coffee shops. It tells the story of the company from the start in Seattle, to them becoming the behemoth they are now.

The history of the company is interesting. The man behind it all, Howard Schultz is a driven individual determined to build the company from a single store to the thousands they now own.

I kind of got the impression that the author is a bit of a Starbucks fan. There is some criticism of their business practices, but he pretty much comes to the conclusion that all in all they’re not too bad.

The book also explains why Starbuck’s coffee isn’t the best tasting coffee out there. Basically, the implication is that they brew it so dark and bitter so that people will pay £4 for a 20oz cup of milk with some coffee in it. It has to be that bitter so you can actually taste it. The discussion of the economics of coffee gives a good background, and basically says you should buy the best coffee you can to improve the plight of coffee farmers. He discusses fair trade coffee and basically says it doesn’t really do anything for the farmers. I’m not sure I agree, but its point of view.

I think the last lines of the book sum it up. Starbucks make pretty ropey coffee, but if you’re in an airport where else are you going to go.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

  • http://www.stevestreeting.com Steve

    I used to love Starbucks, until I got my own espresso machine. Then I realised that it’s easier to make far better coffee yourself, for 1/50th of the price.

    These days I avoid them and pick out local coffee shops when I see them. It’s far more fun – sure, sometimes you get a duff one, but you sometimes find a gem. On balance, that’s better than guaranteed mediocrity.