Starbucked

I recently became friends with an independent coffee shop owner, ([...]) The Bean Cup, and the owner worked at Starbucks for many of the early years out in California. I noticed immediately that the expresso was much richer and smoother and was amazed at the difference in flavor and even the smell of the brew. Chris started teaching me how to pour shots properly and the science behind the beans, the grind, the packing of the shot, the temperature of the water (and the steamed milk) - and how long the shots took to pour. I was amazed that I could see and taste such a difference. Truth be told, I still like 'Charbucks' and love the hustle and bustle of the stores as well as the blast of caffeine in a morning mocha that I can get. I simply enjoy The Bean Cup's brew rather much more. With all of that, this book was an amazing read from front to back and Taylor Clark is a great writer (I especially appreciated many of the insights and off remarks he put as footnotes throughout the book). At times I thought he took it easy on Starbucks. They have enough pull that they COULD change the industry, the pay of coffee farmers, etc. They simply choose not to because it's convenient to the bottom line. This is a great story any way you slice it, though. Howard sounds like someone I'd love to meet. No doubt that his passion and enthusiasm have driven Starbucks to where they are today. I am anxious to see where they go from here - with such an expensive product, it seems like the McCafe will be a shoe-in to dethrone a lot of Starbuck's sales. Great book. I consumed it a lot faster than my most recent reads!

"Starbucked" is a tremendous piece of journalism. It strikes just the right balance - serious but with a sharp sense of humor (it had me laughing outright in many places because Taylor Clark is wickedly funny), and neither pro- nor anti-Starbucks. Given Clark's street cred with alt-weekly Willamette Week, some might expect something bordering on a screed. But, as other writers point out here, it is a balanced, nuanced and simply finely researched piece of work. Most notably, Clark scores an interview with Howard Schultz. I think even Schultz (though he occasionally suffers, as co-workers note, from believing his own PR) would, however begrudgingly, admit that his company gets more than a fair shake from the author. For example, Clark puts to rest the fallacy that - like Wal-Mart - Starbucks puts Mom and Pop stores out of business. [Actually, sales in those stores rise when Starbucks drops anchor near-by.] He also notes of Schultz's genuineness on the issues of health insurance and stock options, noting that Schultz offered these to even part-time workers "as a matter of principle...[He] has always taken his employers' welfare seriously." Nothing in Clark's research refutes that statement. It's stated and accepted here as a fact. He also clarifies that Starbucks bears little responsibility for the drop in coffee bean prices, noting that the "Big Four" (Nestle, P & G, Philip Morris, Massimo Zanetti - owner of the Hills Bros. and MJB brands) "provide 60% of America's coffee supply" and roil the market by cutting their product with the low-quality, highly available robusta plant (incrementally substituting it for the Arabica that Starbucks and others use). Taylor Clark's excellent book reminds me Charles Fishman's equally compelling and balanced look at Wal-Mart (The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy). These are two works I can highly recommend without reservation.

When I moved up to the Seattle area in 1997, I was struck by the frenzied coffee culture. I was appalled to see one professional colleague chugging back several triple-shot espresso drinks a day. I wrote it off as a regional thing, but when I moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area two years later, I saw the same thing happening here. After encountering four Starbucks cafes within spitting distance of each other in downtown San Francisco, I began warning friends that Starbucks was an insidious cancer heading toward global domination. Friends were not equally alarmed. They just laughed politely. I found a kindred spirit in Taylor Clark, who also became worried when he noticed that three Starbucks stores had cropped up overnight in his small hometown of Ashland, Oregon. Unlike me, Clark turned his trepidation into investigation. The resultant tome is a well-researched, humorous, and educational account of Starbucks' history, economics, and culture. Starbucks is ubiquitous. They've managed to quietly turn a non-essential product into the second-most-traded physical commodity in the world. This is the story of the brilliant psychological techniques the company uses to endless expand, creating myriad new customers everywhere it goes while squeezing the maximum cash from each through outrageous price markups. As Clark explains, Starbucks' success is due in part to its sophisticated real estate machine, which ruthlessly grabs prime spots in all desirable (upscale) locales. The company's aim is to be inescapable, an unavoidable obstacle in your path. Starbucks is, of course, a huge dope pusher, addicting people to hyper-caffeinated products. Indeed, the world would come to a screeching halt if all of the Starbucks stores were suddenly closed one day; the millions of Starbucks customers would have massive headaches and be unable to think straight. Starbucks doesn't want to talk about the physically addictive aspect of its product. They'd rather talk about the community they create. And, complimentary to its real estate machine, the other key to Starbucks' success is the way that it has tapped into modern emotional earnings. As Clark discusses, Starbucks offers the disconnected a place to belong while remaining alone, in "a constantly exhausted, hyperprosperous society in search of emotional soothing." I guarantee that after reading this book, you'll notice more when you walk into a Starbucks, or simply drive down any street in almost any country. That includes Seoul, Korea, which houses the biggest Starbucks, or London, which has more Starbucks cafes than does New York, or even Saudi Arabia, which has an interesting relationship with the company. You'll have a greater appreciation of coffee dispensing as both theater and religion. This book presents a concise and informative history of the development of the modern coffee industry, from the importation of African slaves to grueling Brazilian coffee plantations (where their average life expecta

Clark's research, reporting, and writing are superb. You'll learn a number of things about Starbucks, coffees from around the world, and coffee drinks of all ilks that you never knew before. If you're looking for a book bashing Starbucks this is NOT it. It is, however, one of the most fair and balanced books I've read on any subject on which there is at least some disagreement. Clark will have you thinking critically about both sides of many issues, including the company's treatment of employees, coffee and your health, even cultural imperialism. This is a VERY interesting read.

Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali Starbucked is divided into two parts. The first part describes the rise of Starbucks. Clark briefly summarizes coffee drinking practices outside the United States and moves to Prescott's work on coffee at MIT in the 1920s. From there Clark outlines the changes in American coffee consumption. The main focus of the first part is rightly on Starbucks - especially after Howard Schultz took over the company, making it into the coffee juggernaut it has become. The second part focuses on the criticisms that are levied against Starbucks. Clark divides these into five main categories, which he lists as [pg. 145]: * Killing the character of neighborhoods and employing predatory tactics to take out locally owned coffeehouses. * Causing the suffering of millions of Third World coffee farmers by paying unfair prices for beans. * Peddling a product that is harmful to our health (and our delicate palates). * Exploiting its employees and crushing their attempts to unionize. * Homogenizing the planet and destroying cultural diversity by saturating the world with its stores. It is in this section that one would find the most contentious parts of the book. While Clark does address all of the categories above, and draws upon all the major criticisms leveled against Starbucks, to some readers he may come across as being pro-Starbucks. Other readers would contend that Clark is merely mapping the fault lines of the debate. Whatever the reader's stand, most would agree that Clark has outlined both sides of the debate. It was instructive for me to read the epilogue, titled "The Last Drop." It recounts Clark's personal encounter with Starbucks as it entered his home town and probably influenced his ambivalence towards the company. Starbucked does not purport to be a management book or a book on how to create a culture (as some books on Starbucks are). This book outlines its rise from a historical perspective and reports both sides of the ethical transgressions that Starbucks has been accused of. The journalistic writing style is crisp and flows well. Overall, it is well researched and well written. Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended for those who are passionate about Starbucks.