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It used to be Caribou Coffee, but it changed to a Peets. I vaguely recall there was some sort of connection between Peets and Starbucks, but my question is whats good there?
Any recommendations on what kind of roasts or coffees they do good? And what's to avoid?
The relationship between Peet's and Starbucks is that early on in Starbuck's history, Alfred Peet taught the founders (pre-Schultz) how to roast his style of coffee.
Peet's roasts darker than Caribou typically did, at least with Caribou's better single origin coffees. I'm not a fan as I really dislike tasting carbony roastiness in my coffee. Same reason I dislike Starbucks. But a lot of people think that's what coffee should taste like, so try it for yourself and make your own opinion.
I like their tea, esp. the Scottish Breakfast and Russian Caravan. Everytime I'm in California on business, I'll stop by Peet's in the morning for my caffeine fix and sometimes grab a scone too. Better than Starbucks in my opinion.
Back in the early 1990s, I had a regular mail-order delivery from Peets (from a paper catalogue, not online...!) I'd get a 50/50 mix of Sumatra and Italian roast; I like dark roast coffee and back then it was hard to find elsewhere.
Never been in one of their stores but now Krogers and Meijers (Midwest grocery chains) both carry Peets. I usually get the Major Dickason's blend. It makes a fine cuppa if you like strong, dark coffee.
The relationship between Peet's and Starbucks is that early on in Starbuck's history, Alfred Peet taught the founders (pre-Schultz) how to roast his style of coffee.
Peets is older than Starbucks, yes, but the story isn't quite right. For the first three years of operations the original Starbucks in Seattle bought their coffee from Peet's in San Francisco. But later they copied their own roasting style from a local cult favorite, Pegasus coffee, which developed the dark "City Roast" style that is now Starbuck's signature. Coffee afficianados identify it as a "second crack plus" roast that is not quite as dark as a Vienna Roast.
Anybody else around besides me that remembers when Starbucks was not as dark roasted as it is today?
My personal favorite, when I lived in Seattle, was Stewart Brothers Coffee, later SBC, later Seattle's Best Coffee, later gobbled up by Starbucks as a secondary brand. They had a dark roast that was just a skosh less than Starbucks, which I really liked.
Now I get a dark Ka'u blend from a coffee farm down the road, and it's even better than Kona.
Interersting about the San Franscisco connection. The first specialty coffee I ever had was at a coffee shop in Berkley...back in 1984! I think it was a latte, and was served in this tall glass (which come to think of it is an odd way of serving coffee). It was a memorable drink, had a good rich flavor that has been hard to find. There is a place here in Dayton called Press that comes close. But otherwise hard to find. I wonder if this was a Peets store?
Thanks for the intel. I will try their coffee. I was at that Caribou once before and wasnt too impressed.
My personal favorite, when I lived in Seattle, was Stewart Brothers Coffee, later SBC, later Seattle's Best Coffee, later gobbled up by Starbucks as a secondary brand. .
Peets is older than Starbucks, yes, but the story isn't quite right. For the first three years of operations the original Starbucks in Seattle bought their coffee from Peet's in San Francisco. But later they copied their own roasting style from a local cult favorite, Pegasus coffee, which developed the dark "City Roast" style that is now Starbuck's signature. Coffee afficianados identify it as a "second crack plus" roast that is not quite as dark as a Vienna Roast.
Anybody else around besides me that remembers when Starbucks was not as dark roasted as it is today?
My personal favorite, when I lived in Seattle, was Stewart Brothers Coffee, later SBC, later Seattle's Best Coffee, later gobbled up by Starbucks as a secondary brand. They had a dark roast that was just a skosh less than Starbucks, which I really liked.
Now I get a dark Ka'u blend from a coffee farm down the road, and it's even better than Kona.
FWIW, I'm a coffee roaster. "City Roast" and "dark" are diametrically opposed concepts. A "City" roast is one that's ejected from the roaster at a medium brown color, generally well before second crack occurs.
The progress of a roast: Yellow, Cinnamon, City, City+, Full City, Full City+, Vienna, French/Italian (these are often interchangeable), Spanish (aka "cinders"). Both Peets and Starbucks live mostly in the space between full city and vienna, which is much, much darker than a city roast, and which has distinct roast notes that overpower the natural flavors of the beans.
Thanks for the intel on the roast progression....what would be the roast on German coffee like Tschibo and Jacobs, or on Turkish coffee?
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