Inquire+and+Explore+Matt

It seems that throughout history, when mankind develops an “answer” or “solution” to a problem, yet more questions or problems arise. Thus is the case with a fairly new but massively successful corporation, Starbucks. Starbucks is a brand of coffeehouses that exist in countries around the world, and is known to be the largest coffeehouse company in the world today. With Starbucks’ quick coffees, drive-through windows, and easy meeting places, one might have easily thought that many coffee connoisseurs’ and coffeehouse aficionados’ questions had been answered. However, these very people are now troubled by a new question: “Why do people drink Starbucks coffee?” Indeed, a deeper look at the company yields questions of roast quality, freshness, and brew method—all questions that resonate in the mind of a coffee connoisseur. Recently, Starbucks has come under scrutiny by other groups as well; labor groups in several countries, economists who see Starbucks as being anti-competitive, and hippies who are skeptical of the “fair trade” market. These are examples of controversies that can spring up with any corporation, but in this case, all parties are asking the same question. And after all, why do people drink Starbucks coffee?

The first and probably most popular answer to this question may not even be an answer—usually it’s offered as a sort of excuse or apology. The frequent Starbucks drinker will say something like, “The drive-through is convenient on my way to work” or “It’s just a quick pick-me-up in the morning.” And thus is most likely the main reason for Starbucks’ success—the convenience. Most stand-alone Starbucks locations offer a drive-through so that customers can get their coffee in a minute or two without even leaving their car. The coffeehouse aficionados object to way of thinking because the very idea of a coffeehouse means you allow the barista time to prepare your beverage and then you sit and enjoy your coffee in the social atmosphere. When people say that they like Starbucks for the convenience, they don’t realize that they are deconstructing a central element of coffeehouse culture—but it may not be their fault. Perhaps more people are drinking Starbucks coffee because the coffee culture is actually changing to favor convenience over such nostalgic tranquility.

The other frequently quoted argument is contradictory in its nature, because both sides will seem to argue the same point. A coffee connoisseur will whine, “Why do people drink Starbucks coffee, it’s so gross!” and a Starbucks fan will answer, “Because it’s so good!” and both will come to the conclusion that the other “just doesn’t know good coffee.” What does this mean? What is the truth? In a response to this very question on Yahoo! Answers, someone posted, “Starbucks is consistent. I can go to a Starbucks in NYC and in Richmond, VA and it’s the same coffee.” Although that answer is very much along the lines of the “it’s convenient” answer, there is an amount of validity that must be acknowledged. Starbucks is //everywhere//, and while most will agree that it’s not the best coffee that is available, you definitely know what to expect when you go into the shop and for most, that adds a few points to the taste factor. That being said, we must acknowledge that there is no good answer to our question if we are considering solely the taste of the coffee. This is of course a purely subjective opinion, but beyond that it seems that the “experience” and “convenience” of Starbucks has come to enhance and even replace the actual taste of the coffee for consumers.

Those who literally do believe that the coffee is “so good”—no matter their reasoning—are usually asked to define what they think “coffee” means. And there is validity in this argument as well. Again, it may not be the individual’s fault—“coffee” as a vocabulary word has been diluted by businesses like Starbucks who mainly sell sweet espresso drinks and blended ice drinks that sometimes don’t even have coffee in them. It’s very possible that the same people who believe that their “convenient” coffee is also “delicious” coffee are the same people who believe that their Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino actually has coffee in it (they’d be wrong). Indeed, it seems that Starbucks has introduced a new sort of analysis in the world of coffee: that the experience can be more important that what’s in the cup. Starbucks as a business seems to deliberately dance around the idea that their coffee is bad by supplying snacks, music, ambience and cleanliness in their establishments—and admittedly, it’s one of few businesses to do so. This does expose some problems for those who want to investigate why people drink the coffee, because the terminology and understanding of “coffee” and “Starbucks,” among other words, has become so distorted and culturally complex.

All things considered, maybe the question “Why do people drink Starbucks coffee?” is not even relevant—maybe we need to explore why people like Starbucks as a business, as a coffeehouse, as an entity… because it is rare that people admit to truly liking Starbucks’ “coffee,” the way a traditional coffee drinker understands the term. Therefore, the arguments against the actual coffee are mostly irrelevant, and we are left with Starbucks fans explaining why they //go// to Starbucks or why they enjoy //having// Starbucks in town, rather than why they drink the coffee (excepting, of course, the deceptive espresso drinks and Frappuccinos). Evaluating Starbucks as a café, the response stands that it is extremely convenient and easy to have around. I suppose that means that if you really are looking for good coffee (or anything other than convenience and consistency), you should probably look elsewhere.