Do people in Arizona not drink as much coffee as other states ? (Phoenix: sales, houses)

[grmi66]

Used to live in Boise and they had an article in the paper about how there was one coffee shop for every 500 residents there. Almost as bad as being in Portland or Seattle where there does seem to be one Starbucks surrounded by 3 independent shops. Now that I've been back in Phoenix a few months it does seem like there are fewer places other than Starbucks to grab a coffee.

The other thing I have noticed is the lack of true craft beers in the stores. Used to shop Albertsons in Idaho because they had a pretty decent selection of craft beers for a grocery store. But in Arizona the Albertsons store I go to has a very small selection of craft beers. Same with Fry's, Sprouts and other grocery stores. Now if I want a decent selection I have to drive 20 minutes to BevMo or Total Wine and really stock up. Those two stores have more beer than I can drink my way through, but the downside is that I have to make a special trip out of my way to go there.

Guess that is what makes every part of the country unique in what you can or can't find for food or drink.

[Xica_da_Silva]

Maybe it depends on what part of the valley you live in? I'm close to downtown and just checked my GPS. No less than 13 Starbucks within a 2 miles radius...while that includes the grocery stores, it still seems like plenty! In addition to that, we've got a good number of mom-n-pop cafes and the ubiquitous donut shops.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Used to live in Boise and they had an article in the paper about how there was one coffee shop for every 500 residents there. Almost as bad as being in Portland or Seattle where there does seem to be one Starbucks surrounded by 3 independent shops. Now that I've been back in Phoenix a few months it does seem like there are fewer places other than Starbucks to grab a coffee.

The other thing I have noticed is the lack of true craft beers in the stores. Used to shop Albertsons in Idaho because they had a pretty decent selection of craft beers for a grocery store. But in Arizona the Albertsons store I go to has a very small selection of craft beers. Same with Fry's, Sprouts and other grocery stores. Now if I want a decent selection I have to drive 20 minutes to BevMo or Total Wine and really stock up. Those two stores have more beer than I can drink my way through, but the downside is that I have to make a special trip out of my way to go there.

Guess that is what makes every part of the country unique in what you can or can't find for food or drink.

Check out Whole Foods Market in Chandler (Huge selection with a tasting/tap bar) . Fry's and Safeway have improved their craft brew lineup but will always lack compared to what Bevmo and Total Wine have. AJ's fine food has a good lineup as well. Don't forget Papago Brewing, World of Beers, Yardhouse, Ground Control, and Angels Trumpet Ale House. The Phoenix area gets a lot of good craft brews.

[Howard Roark]

Funny question! I worked on 44th st. between Thomas and Indian School. On Thomas and 44th there is a Starbucks. On Indian School and 44th there is a Starbucks. Across from that Starbucks is an Einstein's Bagels, which also has coffee. Even on the hottest days with a tummy full of Pei Wei hot lunch we'd stop by Starbucks and get hot brewed coffee and bring it back to the office. My cubicle was underneath an A/C vent and it would tend to be cold, even in the summer. I would bring a sweatshirt sometimes. And that's when I drank my hot coffee on a typical August afternoon in Phoenix.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Xica_da_Silva

Maybe it depends on what part of the valley you live in? I'm close to downtown and just checked my GPS. No less than 13 Starbucks within a 2 miles radius...while that includes the grocery stores, it still seems like plenty! In addition to that, we've got a good number of mom-n-pop cafes and the ubiquitous donut shops.

I've never been able to identify the substance that Starbuck's sells, but I can assure you it isn't "coffee"..

When Tim Horton's crosses the Missisippi, then you'll know what coffee is..

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

I've never been able to identify the substance that Starbuck's sells, but I can assure you it isn't "coffee"..

When Tim Horton's crosses the Missisippi, then you'll know what coffee is..

Is that Tim Horton's from Canada that serves GOOD coffee? Or is that the MEDIOCRE US version that has polluted most of the cities in Ohio with its awful coffee and its frozen doughnuts? There is a MAJOR difference.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by Howard Roark

Funny question! I worked on 44th st. between Thomas and Indian School. On Thomas and 44th there is a Starbucks. On Indian School and 44th there is a Starbucks. Across from that Starbucks is an Einstein's Bagels, which also has coffee. Even on the hottest days with a tummy full of Pei Wei hot lunch we'd stop by Starbucks and get hot brewed coffee and bring it back to the office. My cubicle was underneath an A/C vent and it would tend to be cold, even in the summer. I would bring a sweatshirt sometimes. And that's when I drank my hot coffee on a typical August afternoon in Phoenix.

If you have to use bagel and donut shops or 7/11 as examples of coffee shops you're not understanding how it is in other places. There are stand alone coffee shops (many of them drive through) all over the place that sell mainly coffee drinks and very little else. Some other states/cities you'd pass three other coffee shops going between the two starbucks you mentioned above.

When I lived in Oregon there was a parking lot that had three different drive-thru coffee shops less than 100 yards from one another and they all were busy.

[bluegrey]

Maybe that explains the sky high taxes and unemployment in Oregon.

[grmi66]

Few years back I read a book about the creation of Starbucks and how they make their coffee. If you truly like coffee, Starbucks is not a coffee shop. The "coffee" that they sell is primarily used as a flavor for their other drinks. That's why it always has that burnt taste. It's the only way they could figure out how to get the coffee flavor to come through the chocolate and whipped cream drinks Starbucks sells.

There is a chain popping up around town called Dutch Brothers. It's a drive-through and for a chain I thought their coffee was really good. Just make sure you tell them to add a few ice cubes. Their coffee is just this side of molten lava when they get done brewing it.

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by grmi66

Few years back I read a book about the creation of Starbucks and how they make their coffee. If you truly like coffee, Starbucks is not a coffee shop. The "coffee" that they sell is primarily used as a flavor for their other drinks. That's why it always has that burnt taste. It's the only way they could figure out how to get the coffee flavor to come through the chocolate and whipped cream drinks Starbucks sells.

There is a chain popping up around town called Dutch Brothers. It's a drive-through and for a chain I thought their coffee was really good. Just make sure you tell them to add a few ice cubes. Their coffee is just this side of molten lava when they get done brewing it.

Dutch Bros is huge in Oregon and one of the coffee shops I was talking about in my above post. Was not aware they were in the valley. Dutch Bros has great coffee and beats starbucks by a mile.