Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks Coffee

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Posted 2011-11-14 by Teddy Presnedifollow
Starbucks introduced me to the world of brewed coffee. When I visited Australia in 2007 one of the first things I wanted to do was visit the local Starbucks at Penrith. I grew up drinking instant coffee and with people who couldn't taste the difference between brewed and instant. There are still people I know who I can't convince to buy coffee that's more than one dollar. But that's beside the point.



When I came back in 2011, it was then natural for me to expect that when I visited Penrith Plaza, I would be able to buy my coffee and have my obligatory picture taken with cup in hand. Imagine my surprise when I found out that instead of expanding there are actually only a handful Starbucks in Sydney and that the Penrith branch was one of those that got axed. A quick Google search informed me that in 2008 massive closures happened and a few theories explained why this was so.

In the Philippines, Starbucks is still a big thing. Since we really didn't have a coffee culture like Melbourne, and yes that's a big understatement, there were still some people who complained about the quality of coffee that Starbucks produced. It wasn't that Australian's are simply patriotic; the theory is that Starbucks failed because it thought it would succeed by simply transplanting its stores from the US and expect the same success. Another theory was that Starbucks basically served bad coffee and the people knew better.

However, in spite of all the negativity and the criticisms I heard, I was still happy that when I went down at the Town Hall train station, I found a Starbucks. I ordered my favourite cup, a Tall Extra Hot White Chocolate Mocha. It tasted almost exactly like what I drank in the Philippines. Yes, the coffee did taste a bit too sweet. And yes, you could hardly taste the coffee amidst the milk and sweeteners. The store also didn't have the aroma of coffee that usually envelopes me once I step in a cafe. But for some weird reason, when I sat down at one of the available couches in the corner, I felt at home. I felt relaxed.

So maybe it's no longer about the coffee. Maybe it's not about Starbucks being my "third place." Maybe it's just about this irony of feeling at home because an American multinational corporation happened to replicate an experience I had back home, here in Sydney 3944 miles away.

There are still 7 Starbucks stores in the Sydney CBD. Head to their website to find one closest to you.

#cafes
#coffee
%wnsydney
135697 - 2023-06-13 11:48:59

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