Not-even-a-real-review: Starbucks Sumatra

For quite some time I've been buying Verona beans at Starbucks (yeah, I know very mainstream of me and I really should support smaller, independent brands more..but..well...) and grinding them at home. I really like Verona and it's been a great go-to coffee for me in the mornings. Heck, it's even in my avatar photo.

Yesterday when out running errands I went in to get a pound of it and they were out...lazy as I am I decided to just pick something else up at the store and went with the Sumatra - which I have never had before.



Ground some beans up this morning and made my first cup. I really rather like it.

First thing that struck me was that there is no acidity at all - especially when compared to Verona.
If I would describe the flavor I'd say a bit on the dark and earthy side of things. It almost felt more 'mature' than Verona if that makes any sense.

Will it be replacing Verona for me? Probably not but I might actually mix it up from time to time and get a bag of this instead. A rather, to me, unique coffee flavor.

Anyone else have a coffee they like - that is available outside of your kitchen/local area (unless that area happens to be the SF bay)?

 

Try Kati Kati. It is great. Sumatra, Komodo, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Kati Kati are all great. Brezza was a temporary blend but it was great too. I still have a pound of it.

 

I really like Sumatra. Probably my favorite. There are some other brands that are at least as good as the Starbucks too. Peet's is one that's easy to find.

 

Yep. We have variety.

 

Very nice and - wow - I keep ONE pound of coffee at home at any time
I use the coffeevac containers (mocha body and cap) - and really like them a lot.

 

SF has such an incredible amount of small, independent coffee roasters that anyone living in the City should be required to show an out-of-town address if making a coffee purchases at national chains.
Starbucks has driven out two small roasters in our east bay area—which is unfortunate as these small roasters offered some unique varieties. I tend to avoid Starbucks as I tend to avoid McDonalds when craving a burger.
I am currently receiving a pound of Peet's Major Dickason's Blend (roasted the day before it arrives in my mailbox), which sells well in our household.

 

I know, I know... but sometimes I get hipster-overload when I go to places like Philz, Ritual and Blue Bottle.

I've actually heard good things about the Peet's MD blend - let me know how it is!

 

Robin works at Starbucks. We get a free pound a week.

 

I miss my south-bay buddy who works as a barista down there. I used to be able to just give him 'the nod' and there would be a grande coffee waiting for me on the house

 

Lol!
Welcome to Starbucks!

Smooth, full-bodied, chocolatey—similar to a good French-roast, but without any of the harshness nor bitterness one often associates with FRs.
Here's an older review: MajDickason

 

Thick plastic frames. Check
Facial hair. Check.
Tight t-shirt with imagery on it. Check.

Now, I can't see the skinny jeans and I'm expecting the hoodie to be next to him but yup, that's SF coffee shops for you

Sounds great actually.
Now, you may have convinced me...after this bag of Sumatra I may have to venture out amongst the hipster infested joints here, trying not to punch one, and get myself some non-attitude, local, independent coffee

I may go to Bello and pick some up. I've been there and they have an amazing variety of coffee beans.

 

Hang on, now. I've got thick black frames (not THAT thick; they were cheapest so I got them), and I have a mustache (no handlebars) but working on a goatee again. I'm 45 so I do not consider myself any type of hipster or other irony-based life form.

*sips $1 aisle generic Mexican instant coffee*

 

Not much of a coffee drinker, a few months ago my wife and I were in East San Jose. She wanted a coffee so we stopped at a strip mall.... It happen to be a Vietnamese cafe. Yikes! The stuff had me up All night. My wife loved it.

 

You should..hmm..go to a real Vietnamese coffee shop in San Jose one day.
They are...interesting

 

This is the story I tell whenever someone tells me to support my local coffee shop. Most people I tell it to, don't like this story.

I grew up drinking coffee. I've had it for as long as I can remember. My mom used to claim it was a Scandinavian thing, but I don't know about that. Growing up, whenever my family went to the waterfront, we'd stop at a place and we'd all get a special coffee. It was really nice treat, and a great childhood memory. During my teen years I went to that coffee place as often as I could. I brought friends there and introduced a lot of people to real coffee there. I grew up in Seattle, and that coffee place was Starbucks, the original Pike Place Market location. So, yes. Definitely support your local coffee shop. Maybe one day they will become an enormously successful shop that takes over the world and crushes the competition like my local coffee shop did. I love that I can now go anywhere in the world and enjoy my local coffee shop. I love that children all over the world might be having the same experience that I did growing up.

And then I duck as they swing their picket sign at me.

Verona's a good blend. Sumatra's one of my favorites of any roaster. Try Komodo Dragon for sure, and their Italian. Tear it up with their lesser appreciated Gold Coast or Yukon. Sulawesi was one of my previous favorite roasts, but I believe it's been discontinued. And of course, their Pike blend is a fave.

 

I am very familiar with them. Never been, but I know of them..

 

Wow, that's quite some story!
In many ways it reminded me of one of those "...and that little boy grew up to become the President"

Yes, there is a LOT of coffee being consumed in Scandinavia. 5 out of the top 6 coffee consuming countries in the world are in that area.
It's also common to have what is referred to as a 'little devil in your coffee' which basically is a small amount of vodka in the hot coffee.
Personally not a big fan of that

I'll have to be sure to try the Komodo Dragon. Of the ones you mentioned I've only tried the Pike and that one I didn't care much for. Just didn't like the flavor.

Thanks again for that great story.

 

A friend of mine is 2nd generation Vietnamese and has taken me to a few.
There is nothing too lewd going on (at least not that you can see). Basically men sitting around playing slot machines, playing card and smoking while young VERY scantily clad women walks serving you coffee

My friend let me in on 'the secret' which is to order one coffee - then you also get a free glass of cold tea.
Sip your coffee slowly but drink a lot of your tea so that the waitress often comes over to give you a refill

I actually rather like the coffee. It's very strong, has some condensed milk in it and is pretty sweet - but the flavor is good.

 

LOL Glad you appreciated it! In the late 90's Portland was all over the 'Support your local coffee shop' thing, going so far as to picket shops that were opening. When I moved to Las Vegas a few years after that, the same thing was going on, but in a much smaller, lamer way. I don't think Starbucks is the same quality that it was when buyers would go buy crops by hand and everything was roasted in the old Seattle roaster's. But I do think they are still a competent and consistent cup of coffee and that's saying a lot.

Locally, I like Stumptown Roasters, although that's now owned by a big corporation. Jim & Patty's is also a local favorite. They started a wildly successful local chain called Coffee People. They stretched themselves too far and ended up having to seel to Diedrich's Coffee, who ran them for awhile (terribly) and then sold out to Starbucks who mercifully closed down what was left of the brand locally. There's still an AeroMocha kiosk of there's at the airport here, but no other semblence remains. And Diedrich's still uses their brand name roasts Jet Fuel and Black TIger on some of their K-Cups, although the coffee in them is not the same at all. When Jim and Patty's non-compete clause ended they opened a single shop with all their old roasts and it's probably the best and the only truly indie coffee shop in Portland.