Yes. Coffee is as susceptible to terroir as wine and can vary season to season. So lots of companies mix up their beans from different farms and over-roast them (reducing the caffeine in the process) in order to get a consistent flavor. And when I say “consistent” I mean they all effectively taste the same. I buy “medium roast” coffee from Costco from time to time. I’ve bought it from several different labels and the beans all taste the same. So I just took to mixing it all up into my “here’s what I’m drinking because I can’t spend more on good coffee now” bin. Which is clear. Before mixing it up it all looks the same as well. Hell, it might all actually just be the same coffee being sold under different labels!
Also burnt coffee is bitter and drives people to add flavor shots, etc to it. Which Starbuck’s likes because that’s where the money is.
To be fair: a company or small business can make a conscious decision to make a certain product with a certain property that might be not the most profitable due to principles.
Yes. Coffee is as susceptible to terroir as wine and can vary season to season. So lots of companies mix up their beans from different farms and over-roast them (reducing the caffeine in the process) in order to get a consistent flavor. And when I say “consistent” I mean they all effectively taste the same. I buy “medium roast” coffee from Costco from time to time. I’ve bought it from several different labels and the beans all taste the same. So I just took to mixing it all up into my “here’s what I’m drinking because I can’t spend more on good coffee now” bin. Which is clear. Before mixing it up it all looks the same as well. Hell, it might all actually just be the same coffee being sold under different labels!
Also burnt coffee is bitter and drives people to add flavor shots, etc to it. Which Starbuck’s likes because that’s where the money is.
Makes me wish producers were in the game to sell good products rather than to sell as much as they can of anything they think will make a profit.
Yeah, people forget the point of capitalism isn’t to satisfy the consumer. It’s to maximize returns to the current owners.
If they can do that with good products, they will. If they can make more money with a shitty product, the that’s what’s on the menu
To be fair: a company or small business can make a conscious decision to make a certain product with a certain property that might be not the most profitable due to principles.
But yes, almost none do.