Starbucks Wins! (Crap.)

by James Simpkins

I moved to Connecticut’s Farmington River Valley about two and a half years ago and am still looking for a good cup of coffee. Check that—an amazing cup of coffee. Spare me the Dunkin’ Donuts angle; I’m tired, and their coffee couldn’t hold a candle to what I’m talking about. Here, go to this website so you’ll have a frame of reference. Honestly, Equator Coffee is the best cup o’ joe I’ve ever had, which is backed up by them winning Roaster of the Year for 2009 in Roast Magazine to add to their growing list of accolades. To top it off, they all drive hybrids or bio-diesel, recycle everything, compost their waste, just purchased their own farm in Panama where they are sustainably growing coffee with Panamanians at the helm, AND they are owned by women.

How’s that Dunkin’ Donuts tastin’ about now?

This upper echelon of coffee is what's missing in my locale. And while it may sound over the top for some of you, once you try it, you will at least appreciate the gross difference between what Equator and DD are selling--it's like finding out your butter is margarine.

About once a month my wife and I have five pounds of Equator coffee shipped in from California, always waiting longer than we would like for it to arrive…as a matter of fact, we have some due in this week. But it’s worth it. Waking up able to enjoy even the anticipation of coffee makes me smile. However, it runs out, and we don’t always order more in time. Herein lies the problem: When I am not able to be a spoiled coffee brat, I am in a small personal hell. Reason being, there is—to my knowledge—NO beautiful coffee in the Farmington River Valley. Hence, Starbucks wins my business nearly every time.

I’m sure you are reading this saying that you know a place, and maybe you do, but I have driven long distances and sat in ridiculously bad traffic and all hours of the day and aside from going to New Haven for Blue State Coffee (which is pretty delicious), I’ve been hosed.

Here’s what I think is going on:  Coffee, for most, is a very profitable endeavor. The cost of brewing a cup of mediocre coffee and putting it in a paper cup is, all things considered, cheap. New England’s ubiquitous cup of pre-ground schlock is usually put out by a company called Omar, out of Newington, CT. While they may sell whole-bean coffee, and maybe it’s ok, you are more likely to find their offerings in gas stations, and places like LaSalle Market in Collinsville, and UCONN. They are primarily making money off of wholesale accounts that have zero interest in making great coffee, only making cheap coffee, though to be fair, if you visit the LaSalle website, it does play The Grateful Dead while you peruse their offerings. Another coffee shop that will capitalize on your addiction is Caffeine’s Café in Unionville, CT. These guys used to be in a yellow house on Route 4W in Farmington, and have recently moved into a strip mall near the Stop & Shop—actually, a pretty good move aside from the strip mall. However, the friendly faces in the café cover up the mediocre coffee and some outrageous pricing. Don’t ask me why, but I paid $8, I repeat, $8! for two medium red-eyes two days ago. (a red-eye is a shot of espresso is poured into a cup of brewed coffee)

Just to see if it was we who were out of touch, my wife and I repeated our order at Starbucks yesterday and the bill came to $4.50. Hence the title of this article—for overall quality and price, Starbucks wins. And I couldn’t be more upset about that.

I suppose my main beef with the local coffee people is this: On everyone’s website they are selling “the finest coffees in the world” or something like that. But, for example, if Omar can afford to sell its finest “single-origin” (read: all the beans are from the same place) coffees at about half the price of a boutique coffee company like Equator, maybe we should either question the origin, or, question the “finest”. It’s not as if all coffee beans are created equal; I know that even Equator turns down the best beans in the world as they sell for more then $90/lb. green (i.e. raw and unroasted). So what can we say about the “finest” coffee in the world that is brewed at a strip mall in Unionville? How about, “It’s overpriced.”

So James, why don’t you open up a coffee shop and stop bitching about these other folks? I’m thinking about it. But first, graduate school is calling, and my Equator Estates has not yet shown up. I’m off to UCONN for a cup of Omar just like the rest of you.

Comments

[Dan]

I am a fan of Equator too. It was when arrived at Philadelphia when it was introduced to me.

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thanks for this! it was very informative. I'm doing a bit of an independant study on coffee companies and found this very helpful.

[Vladimir]

What about Jojo's? They're right on Pratt Street in Hartford, and I think I've spotted an outpost in New Haven too (Chapel, if memory serves).

They roast beans on site, and will take the time to tell you how to get the best cuppa' from those beans. They pull a pretty good shot of espresso too. I haven't explored it as much, but it seems like the tea selection is nicely chosen as well.

[Meg]

Amen to that. I was shocked also at the lack of independent coffee stores and lack of good coffee when I moved from California. Now I order my coffee right from the farmers who grow and roast it in Kona. The internet does not have the ambiance of a great coffee shop, but it seems to have better coffee.