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  • 4 weeks later...

There was this one place i used to go to all the time in Vancouver when i was there, it was called Brewed Awakenings. Ang cute di ba? It was right next to a Barnes and Noble so ideal yung spot na yun.

 

Over here i like going to this one place in Tagaytay called Bag o' Beans, it's so comfy and cozy with freshly baked bread and freshly brewed coffee, the perfect after dinner date place. Then there's Figaro and UCC and this small place in BF Paranaque who's name i forgot.

 

The ultimate fallback, though, is still Starbucks.

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  • 3 weeks later...

IMHO - Starbucks is my favorite choice for numerous reasons. But, before I explain why I have to admit when I first began drinking coffee at a young age I loved the smell but not the taste. Slowly, I progressed from instant coffee to McDonalds Coffee and then to Second Cup which is a coffee franchise in Vancouver. My coffee drinking progressed somewhat similarly to how someone progresses when they drink wine. You start off with the lighter and younger wines which are usually a little less expensive and they you progress to the older and fuller bodied wines which usually cost a little more.

 

I was always a little apprehensive about Starbucks initially because I usually shy away from what is popular. I worked in a hotel that served Starbucks Coffee and slowly I was introduced to Starbucks coffee, Espresso and about the company. I was very impressed at how strict and committed they were to quality. We had next to no standards with our coffee in the hotel until Starbucks came in. They would make us follow their standard of discarding brewed coffee after 1 hour along with many other standards. At first I questioned their standards and wondered if anyone would even notice and to my surprise many do. Of course over time and with people's knowledge about coffee grew the more people appreciated it.

 

Well today, I mostly drink Starbucks coffee now and I find the other competitors okay as well but why I prefer Starbucks over the rest is their corporate social responsibility and commitment to quality. I also believe they give the best value for your money as well. I sound like a Starbucks advertisement but Starbucks really gives back to their community and they are very committed to quality. Many of the other competitors also do this but in many instances only after following Starbucks.

 

I like to base my decision not only on quality but on value for money. Next time you got to a coffee shop take a look at the quality of the service, drinks, furniture, cups, condiments etc. they use. You might argue that this is not important but hey you actually are paying for it. Starbucks coffee prices are on the premium end and so are the rest of the coffee chains. But are they giving you value for money?

 

Again taste is subjective to each individual but quality is usually quantitative. So if some one likes instant coffee over fresh brewed coffee then that is what they prefer and you can't argue about that. But, you can argue that it may not be better in terms quality.

 

So, next time you go to a coffee shop take a look at the coffee they brew. Is it fresh? Do they discard it after one hour or so? Take a look at their Espresso. Are they trained to make a good espresso? Are they using fresh milk or using UHT milk (yes there is a difference). Is there any quality control in place? Do you see them discarding any old product or are they measuring when producing coffee?

 

Anyhow I don't mean to influence your decision because that is your right but I only want to help you make a more informed decision.

 

What I like best is there is a lot of competition and this means we the consumer wins in the end and for the coffee shops, only the best will survive.

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