Peets vs Starbucks

a little peeved. “Comparing Peet’s to Starbucks is like comparing Ruth’s Chris to the Sizzler,” he blogs. “If you consider yourself a Starbucks fan, you are to be considered someone who doesn’t know good coffee – and therefore, your opinion on anything related

c-p

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Peets vs Starbucks ~ Chris Pirillo

Hi Chris,

Thought you’d like to know where you’re quoted at:

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/13-1&fp=46b7e8c5676e4f85&ei=AtO3RuHVJo_CowKwze3HAQ&url=http%3A//www.sptimes.com/2007/08/06/Business/Still_buggy__Vista_on.shtml&cid=1118749126

Cheers…Tom

Sadly I didnt get to try the wonderment that is Peets. :(

Interesting fact (though I can’t remember where I read it): IN a blind taste test, McDonald’s coffee outranked both Starbucks and Peets! I know, I almost gagged too!

Carol

I never even HEARD of Peet’s until last Saturday when we went to a new shopping mall. Desperate for coffee, I saw the place and asked if they had a “mild” blend. No, it’s all dark-roast. That’s not my favorite, but I ordered their largest anyway…

It was delicious!

I used to think that there was little we agree on, but here you are gushing about Peets, the iPhone, and Apple design brilliance. Who are you and what have you done with Pirillo? Heh, see you Friday…

I would have to agree with you. I really like Peet’s, but I think of Starbucks as a good convenience. I love them when I’m on the road, or traveling somewhere that doesn’t have a lot of coffee shop choice. For example, when I was in Atlanta and I asked someone downtown where to get a decent cup of coffee and they referred me to Arby’s (”or you can go to Starbucks, but it’ll be $4 for a cup!”), I was very thankful for the Starbucks.

Ok Chris.. answer me this: Does Peets have a Java Chip Frappicino? If so, I’m in! ;-D I drink tea mostly, but I go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to get their Java Chip Frap or Extreme Frap. I love the cold sweet coffee drinks with chocolate. If Peets makes good ones, count me in! There’s one somewhere around here in Studio City or Sherman Oaks. I will try this Peets of which you mention.. and I will get back to you.

Stay Tuned…… ps: we’re all entitled to our own tastes in things.. in this case the Ultimate Coffee, and I’m happy you found your perfect one. :)

Blaugh…Starbucks. I have never had Peet’s before, but I know that just about anything is better than Starbucks, even good ‘ol Foldgers in your cup. Unless you like bland, bitter coffee, Starbuck sucks.

[...] Chris Pirillo loves his coffee, no doubt about it. But more specifically, Chris Pirillo loves his PEETS coffee! If you hand Chris any other kind of coffee, from any other place in the galaxy, he will throw a fit. He will scream, cry, yell, spit, shake all over! Ok, well maybe not THAT extreme. But let it be known.. do NOT try and convince Chris that any other coffee in the known free world is better than the sacred bean which is PEETS. [...]

Well, if you’re really into coffee, I suggest you take a taste of two of the best in the San Francisco Bay Area — much better than Peet’s although less well known (and I’ve been to the Peet’s mother ship in Berkeley in the past long before it became a chain).

The first is Henry’s House of Coffee http://www.coffeesf.com/. It’s a super micro-roaster in the “Avenues” of the Sunset district of San Francisco. I buy the whole beans of Bella Finca. Rich, complex and smooth. But not burned.

Also excellent is Graffeo Coffee http://www.graffeo.com/in North Beach. The dark roast is amazing Italian-style coffee.

DaviD m.

I typically meet with my team at the Starbucks by my house in Irvine, CA. I can’t for all Starbucks but mine is set up more like the Library in Long Beach than a normal Starbucks. They have lots of big over-sized chairs to sink into and relax. They have lots of seating outdoors. The staff aren’t just nice, they are also entertaining and make the experience fun.

If that wasn’t enough, the most amazing women I have ever seen in my life frequent this particular Starbucks. Persian, Asian, Indian, blondes, brunettes, and run the entire gamut of age from college to soccer mom. It’s like the international house of extremely hot women! Here’s the best part; they are usually reading, tapping away at a laptop, or just hanging out chatting with their hot friends. Yes, not only are these women attractive, they like to read and use computers… It’s what I would imagine heaven to be like.

So let’s review:
Comfortable atmosphere; strong feeling of coziness.
Lot’s of outdoor seating. Finding a table is never an issue.
Great staff. Friendly, outgoing, and seem to love being at work.
Sipping coffee while surrounded by beautiful women who appear to enjoy computers, coffee, and reading… oh my.

Does it really matter what the over-roasted coffee tastes like?

The only thing missing from my local Starbucks–the one thing that could make it even better–is if Julie were there. *sigh* Julie makes even perfect things a little bit better.

“If you consider yourself a Starbucks fan, you are to be considered someone who doesn’t know good coffee – and therefore, your opinion on anything related to coffee is completely null and void.”

Really? Making a blanket generalized statement like that makes me think your opinion on EVERYTHING is null and void.

I completely agree: Starbucks coffee is not only nothing special, it’s actually quite poor. Their barista’s care nothing about the quality of the product they are producing and instead focus on getting things done and keeping up with the corporate high-speed “cozy” coffee house. I wonder what her thoughts on a good dark-roasted shade grown organic French-press of coffee would be…

And she mentions that the environment is no good? I’ve never been to Peet’s, but obviously this woman should get out to some LOCAL cafe’s sometime because the fact of the matter is that the Starbucks ambiance is generic and rather lame in my opinion. But, like you said: don’t go to a place for the ambiance / environment: go for the coffe, thats what you came to get isn’t it?

if Starbucks is McDonalds, then peets is Carl’s Jr. You want to like it more because it’s a smaller chain, things look/sound nicer, and it’s got a distinctive flavor, but it’s still a public traded corporation, and just as mass-market as Starbucks.

On this side of the lake, we’ve got lots of great coffee shops, many of which roast their own beans, and all of which blow peet’s out of the water. Victrola, Vivace, Cafe Vita, Caffe Umbria, Zeitgeist, and Zoka are first that come to mind.

Right on, Chris. While I used to go to Starbuck’s waaaay back when it was just starting out, when I tasted my first cup of Peet’s while visiting a client in the Bay Area, I was a convert. I only drink basic coffee, but like to experiment with different varieties from around the world and Peet’s has it all over Starbucks in that respect. They are quality driven, not quantity. Major Dickason’s Blend rocks!

NO, you are not a “Starbucks fan” you are a “Starbucks addict” – how many people know that the reason they flock back to Starbucks is because of the South American drug that they add to their coffee beans???? This makes people ADDICTED to their coffee – which, frankly, is quite horrible!

Any idea why one of the two original partners split?? Now you know.

Peets is several levels above Starbucks. Just look at how recently the beans were roasted. Until a week ago there were no Peets within 10 miles. I found a “Coffee Bean and Tea Leaves” that makes really good Espresso 4 miles away. Now there is a Peets in the same shopping center so I will be able to compare them. In the meantime, I make my own using my cheapo Saeco Espresso machine. I mail order Peets and buy Coffee Bean beans locally, and hope to buy a real $1,500 (and up) single station Espresso machine some day.

Peets-vs-Starbucks and starbucks wins?! Good lord that is crazy.

Maybe in it’s hometown of Seattle Starbucks have not yet become bastardized, cheap, souless copies of the original, but here in LA Starbucks has put its efforts to have a store on every corner ahead of its desire to have each store put out a quality product.

The only complaint I ever have about Peets is that they are too few and far between here. Their coffee is of a totally different quality level than Starbucks, and they continue to nurture and participate in the efforts to educate consumers and protect growers.

Chris,

Sorry but I have to disagree with Starbucks being the McDonald’s of coffee. No way. What Howard Schultz did was bring Italian coffee taste & quality to the masses. Coming up with the “…One cup at a time…” book made more excited about Starbucks than ever before. Quality and consistency are very hard to come by nowadays and Starbucks, even McDonald’s, fit the bill.

On those rainy, lazy days, it would be good to venture an adventure in food and beverages. But people are and have always been creatures of habit, and Starbucks fits my habit.

Yeah, I’m a Starbucks fan. I love not only their coffee but the ambience and welcoming atmosphere you get. Most have a lot of electrical outlets to plug your dying notebook battery or free wi-fi. Smoking or non-smoking? Everywhere you go in the world, there’s always a Starbucks in the corner store. I get pleasure from the baristas’ conversations and the “home away from home” environment.

Sorry, you touched a sensitive part of me. Nothing personal–it’s just “coffee.”

Cheers!

Raffy

Scones are supposed to be dry, not like the “cupcake” like scones @ SB’s

I’ve discovered Peet’s quite by accident. I live in Houston, TX, but I am working on a project for a client in Portland, OR. There is a Peet’s right across the street from my office. As a side comment, it seems like you really have to search hard for a Starbucks here. They exist, but seem hidden.

Anyways, I now love Peet’s coffees (haven’t tried their coffee drinks). I always tend to like my coffee very strong (deep, dark roasts), and Peet’s does not disappoint. They even offer a decaf French Roast! After drinking Peets for a while now, all Starbucks coffee seems to have a similar taste.

Mr Pirillo himself turned me onto Peets.
Granted, I had to fly all the way across the country to try it, but I’ve never looked back.

Let your tastebuds feast on this:
Peets French Roast decaf is so good and full-bodied that people don’t know it’s decaf.

My grocery store has a Starbucks in it but fortunately they sell Peets beans.

Starbucks is for… well…. people who drink coffee for the ambience.

..the nerve of some people :)

Chris,

I’ve read your past comments about coffee as well as this current one and I can tell you that you don’t know much about coffee or coffee roasting. I’m been a home roaster for many years and have also toured a number of small and large roasting facilities including Cafe Vita in Seattle and the Starbucks roasting plant in Renton. I think you are exhibiting your “Bay Area Peets bias” in a big way. I’d also venture to bet that in a “blind” taste test you would have a great deal of difficulty telling me much about two similar coffee’s from Peets or Starbucks and you certainly would have great difficulty discerning which came from which.

Starbucks is NOT the McDonald’s of coffee and to say so, means you don’t know anythign about roasting or brewing coffee. Starbuck’s has the best buyers and roast masters that money can hire, and they have the state of the art in roasting equipment.

Big batch, small batch, roasted with love…yadda yadda yadda. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about buying the best green beans and roasting them to a profile created by skilled roast masters.

Now with that said and all being equal as Peets has fine buyers and roast masters….it’s all about freshness. As a home roaster who never brews a bean that’s more than 3 or 4 days old, I can tell you that neither Peets nor Starbucks is selling truly fresh coffee and that is where the real efficiando would recognize a difference. Coffee that was roasted a couple of weeks ago, no matter how you package, seal or store it, does not taste as good as FRESH roasted coffee. So head into your little Peets store and ask them when the beans were roasted. Better yet, why not get a satisfiying new hobby and start roasting your own coffee. The cost of entry is very cheap and you can start with a $14.99 hot air popcorn popper and some grean beans and work your way up. One of the best home roasting sites for information, beans and equipment is from the “bay area” and it’s located at http://www.sweetmarias.com

Because you live in Seattle, might I suggest you check out Cafe Vita on Capitol Hill in Seattle one of these days for a truly fine small roasting/cafe operation with FRESH beans to brew.

I too am a coffee snob…to the point of home roasting. Although I rarely visit P or S, the story is well known.

Many people don’t understand that Starbucks was started by two guys. They basically argued over quality of coffee/roasting vs making money. They split. The one who left, the one interested in quality roasting started…Peets! SO what does that say about Starbucks?

I so like their ‘Black tea, no water added, 2 equals’ though.

Right on, Chris. The flavor of Peet’s Major D is so far beyond the mass-market stuff of that other place it isn’t really much of a contest. And the ambience of the original Peet’s in Berkeley is waaaay good. But ambience aside, grinding my beans in the morning, popping the grind over a tablespoon of Penzey’s chunk cinnamon, then brewing the lot is pretty close to perfect for me.

If double-shot half-decaf fat-free stuff with a swirly pattern is what you’re after, sip on at *$$$, and welcome. If, however, you want coffee…

E.D.

While not a big Peets fan ( I like my coffee very dark but not burned), I refuse to buy coffee from Starbucks. For any Starbucks fans out there I have a few questions – Do you have any idea of what sort of coffee you’re drinking? Any idea where it was grown or even what species it is? As a wise man once said, Starbucks is not about coffee – it’s all about milk. Or is that recorded music?

WOW! There really are people out there who know enough about coffee to be selective and demanding. S’buck n’ S’Best do what they do (sell coffee), but a ‘coffe gourmand’ will not set foot in either of those places! Stay the course out there! Keep real coffe alive and well.
:^)

If you consider yourself a Peet’s fan, I consider you as someone who doesn’t understand good coffee. In my mind, your opinion on coffee is completely null and void. I have nothing against you personally, but you should try Caribou Coffee. Comparing Peet’s to Caribou is like comparing McDonalds to the Emeril’s Restaurant. They are not even in the same league.

http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=2455

Peets and Starbucks are terrible commercial rough sour coffees, IMHO, and this whole discussion needs to be rethought. Any little corner cafe in Italia — Genova, for instance, where I live, or Torino, or the heavenly places on the coast west of Roma or around Napoli — will make a cup of caffé that can transform your day. They’ve got no secret formulas, they just make it right. Good water, a mix of freshly-roasted beans — many throw 2 chocolate beans into the mix — it’s not rocket science. But they know exactly what they’re doing and they’re not out to make a million. My breakfast every morning sells a perfect cup of caffé for 70 cents. On my last trip to Starbucks, in Paris, 2 years ago, I almost spit up after tasting their nasty brew. It’s not strong, it’s just a bad concoction!

Hey – saw your tweet, try topix for branded retractable ethernet cables for giveaway at gnomex. They gave them away at the March Blogher in NYC and may have inventory to giveaway.

I live in San Francisco, a few blocks from Polk Street on which Starbuck’s and Peet’s stand two doors apart. This allows for an occasional armature sociology study as I stroll by: Peet’s Clientele – intense, concentrated, younger, zero fashion sense, many Mac users. Starbuck’s – older, somewhat better dressed, PCs and Blackberries abound. Take this all with a grain of salt (or lump of sugar). Personally, I enjoy the tea shop across the street.

When somebody mentions how much they love Starbucks it sends shivers down my spine… and not in a good way. However, I’m not a real fan of Peet’s either although it is a decent cuppa. Tony’s and Batdorf & Bronson’s in OlyWa are, by my taste, far superior. Both of them offer organic, fair trade certified and shade-grown coffees. http://www.tonyscoffee.com/, http://www.dancinggoats.com/Home_C277.cfm

Can’t disagree with the comment about Seattle’s Best, and Starbucks is mostly OK, although I take some exception to the consistency bit. Living here on the Big Island of Hawaii provides access to top quality Kona coffee at a reasonable price, and the local coffee shops that use it can give Starbucks a clinic on quality and taste, with consistency not far off. Efficiency and speed of service do leave something to be desired, but nobody’s in a big hurry here anyway. That being said, Seattle area is 2nd only to Vegas for where people here in the islands go on holiday. A good friend thinks Tully’s is superior to Starbucks, but I haven’t tried it yet. We strongly agree with the consensus that Seattle area is a great place to go if you have to go to the mainland, but not for the coffee. In any event after over 4 years here, we’re heading to the Olympic Peninsula as soon as we sell our house.

how many people know that the reason they flock back to Starbucks is because of the South American drug that they add to their coffee beans????

Holy smokes! They’ve added coca berries to the coffee beans!?! Hmmm, I suspect Bill Gates influence is somehow behind this… almost makes up for Vista.

As a coffee lover and coffee house addict, I agree with Chris that Peet’s offers a superior product (coffee and espresso. i generally dont try the iced stuff) and experience (service, ambience). And of course, the selection of teas at Peets is in a completely different league. However, Starbucks has some great stuff with the Sumatra and House blend.

I agree that Peets coffee is excellent, but I did not know that they actually had stores. I guess that is only on the west coast. A favorite of ours on the east coast is Mayorga (http://www.mayorgacoffee.com).

Writing from Africa, I left Seattle in ‘72. I only bought coffee beans from Starbucks @ Pike Place Market until I left. Usually it was Kona or Blue Mountain. I have never had better coffee. All coffee should be drunk black and unsweeten. All this Crapachino stuff displays a lack of taste buds. Our local coffee supplier, Colombo, sells good coffee. I gave the roaster some Starbucks Kona coffee beans many years ago which were black and oily. He said putting oil on coffee was illeagle in South Africa. Is American roasted coffee not pure coffee? In any event, I soldier on enjoying my locally roasted coffee from places like Costa Rica and Kenya, but I sure do miss my Starbucks.

Starbucks is not even in the game for a coffe lover. Try some Costa Rican Peaberry or Peruvian Organic from Gevalia.

There is a Starbucks a block from my home. I rarely go there. the coffee is alright, but I think the people are there for the ambiance that they think it exudes.

I’m not the coffee snob I once was….I live in Atlanta, its too hot to enjoy coffee the same way I enjoyed it when I was a Seattle resident…and I’ve moved onto the green tea bandwagon for the most part anyway AND, I’ve got two kids. Dunkin’ Donuts is more the fam’s speed on things, all walk away happy.

My cuz manages a coffee store in Indiana – hatin’ on Starbucks is part of her DNA – but she has said for ten years that Starbucks tastes burnt, because it is burnt – so the baristas can’t screw up a cuppa joe regardless of their tastes and talents.

All that said, I hit Starbucks regularly cuz they are in my office building. Hey, they are here. Why not?

Finally – Peets? Oh, they get it. WIth this store — and understanding what real ambiance is (not something they create, something they can add value to)…they sold me on ‘getting it’ a long time ago.

Great Peet’s Spot: http://www.peets.com/stores/store_locator.asp

Chris,

If you like the deep, rich roasted brews, you’ll like Bad Ass Coffee (http://www.badasscoffee.com). One of my favorites brews in town.

Chris, you’re entitled to your opinion, of course, but why don’t you allow the rest of us have one? Perhaps you’re just trying to stir the old coffee pot (ok, fine that’s normal for you..) but really, you aren’t the objective decision-maker for what cofee is the best.

Secondly, your beloved Peets wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Starbucks. As an avid coffee drinker, you must know that Starbucks used to own Peets right? You must also know that they used to refuse to serve coffee, they only sold the beans? Starbucks can’t be all that bad if they helped pave the way for your favorite coffee franchise…

Peet’s is one the finest coffees out there. The Major Dickenson blend is phenomenal, strong, flavorful, rich and fresh. Where Peet’s slips in my estimation is in espresso. Certified Italian roasted espresso is like non other on earth. But again this is an opinion and opinions are like rectums, everyone has one and most stink.

Chris,

My, my, my but aren’t we all of a sudden the master of our own domain! You debase Lisa (I believe) for daring to think Starbucks is better than Peet’s, how intolerant you have become. I am a bit of a coffee lover myself and I LOVE Starbucks. I was out in San Francisco and tried Peet’s from the “store”. I had tried it once before as a take home from World Market (Local chain) based on what I heard from Chris.

OK, Peet’s is good, but I think Starbucks is as good and you know what I am right! If I feel that Sizzler is better than Ruth Chris’ I am right there as well. Taste, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and I have little tolerance (I do not suffer fools well, to quote a movie I like) for those who seem to think their opinion should hold sway over the masses. You have a fairly popular web site (it was better before, but again that is a taste thing), but until you have your own restaurant and are noted to be the pre-eminent food critic I will suggest you keep your comments about food and coffee to one of personal likes and dislikes, not criticism of other’s tastes.

TB

To Milson,

Remember what I said about suffering fools…well come ON! Secret drug added to coffee to addict users, you have been reading far too much National Enquirer and STAR. Get a grip, conspiracy theory is fun in the movies, it is paranoia in real life.

TB

I was sad to see that we lost Jana to the dark green side.

For what it’s worth… I asked the Peet’s by me and they said they discard any beans that are over 1 week past their roasting date.

So I think it’s safe to assume that their beans are fresher than Starbucks.

Chris, you are too opinionated and do not seem to except the opinion of anyone who disagrees with you on ANYTHING as being valid. Your opinion on ANYTHING is null and void………

Woops………You don’t seem to accept the opinion of others…

Funny discussion. I hate Starbucks coffee too, and like Peet’s. I don’t really care much about all the globalization/gentrification issues. I just think Starbucks coffee tastes acrid. Also, they don’t seem to know how to foam milk properly (check out coffeegeek.com for reference.) Anyhoo, I started buying all my beans from a local roaster. Freshness does seem to make a huge difference.

@daryn: “if Starbucks is McDonalds, then peets is Carl’s Jr.”

No, if Starbucks is McDonalds, Peets is In-N-Out Burger, a small chain with a cult following and a reputation for high quality.

@Chuck Skinner: “I’d also venture to bet that in a blind taste test you would have a great deal of difficulty telling me much about two similar coffee’s from Peets or Starbucks.”

I doubt it, Cook’s Illustrated did a blind taste-test with some coffee geeks, and many noted Starbucks’ acidic, charred notes. To be fair, it was a polarizing tasting with some loving it and some hating it. I can definitely tell the difference.

@Robi: “Secondly, your beloved Peets wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Starbucks. As an avid coffee drinker, you must know that Starbucks used to own Peets right?”

That’s not quite right. You could actually argue that Starbucks would not have existed without Peet’s. Peet’s started before Starbucks, and was arguably the inspiration for Starbucks. Later, one of the original investors of Starbucks (Jerry Baldwin) led a group of investors that bought Peet’s, then later sold off their interest in Starbucks and operated Peet’s as a completely separate entity. Wikipedia rules!

Peet’s is good… Their espresso drinks are in a whole different league from Starbucks. On the other hand, they haven’t got a thing on Zoka (seattle) or Kahili (kirkland).

What if we don’t have Peets where I live? Does the fact that I am magnetically drawn to Starbucks make my opinion less? Maybe I’m just not a Gnomebean yet? ;-)

“As a home roaster who never brews a bean that’s more than 3 or 4 days old, I can tell you that neither Peets nor Starbucks is selling truly fresh coffee and that is where the real efficiando would recognize a difference.”
-Posted by “Chuck Skinner”

At Peet’s our coffee is delivered to our stores within 24 hours of roasting and sold or roasted within a week. Our green coffee is also the absolute best available on the market. We’ve been in the business longer than anyone else, so we have the longest relationships with the growers. We were the first company to sign an actual contract with a grower promising to purchase their coffee for 4 years. No one, I repeat, NO ONE has better coffee than us. And I’ll take the pepsi-funking-challenge on that.

Also, any good roast master will tell you that coffee should degas for about 24 hours post-roast before brewing.

I’ve read all the posts from August–including those of the Starbucks loving variety–and my opinion on it, as a professional who works and roasts in the specialty coffee business, who has spent years researching and reading about Starbucks is this: 1. Corporate bully worldwide (see numerous stories domestically and internationally on Starbucks doing everything it can to put small micro-roasters and family-owned businesses out of existence (and succeeded a number of times) because they don’t seem to want any alternatives in the specialty coffee world. This is not disputed in blogs all over the web and is based upon actual documentation of these things happening every year.
2. Incredible lack of social responsibility (only buying Fair Trade Coffee after MASSIVE public pressure and then bragging it sells the most (they buy the most out of physical necessity–not because they desire to do right by the coffee growers and farmers who make their company what it is).
3. They do not have the “best” coffee roasters money can buy–NOONE can claim that because roasting coffee is an artisan craft and is subject to various interpretations of what is “best” based on what consumers want in the marketplace. And that changes region to region, country to country.

Keep enjoying good coffee. At the end of the day, I guess there is room for anyone who wants to sell coffee because there will always be people willing to drink it. It’s subjective, like most things.

thanks for the chance to share.

I’m a newbie to this blog, but have to TOTALLY agree with Chris. My grandparents lived in the Bay Area so I spent a lot of time there growing up, working summers, etc. I now have four siblings all living in the area and continue to spend a lot of time there. I have Peets shipped to me because there is NO good coffee in Michigan, and there are lots of Starbucks. My brother introduced me to Peets when I was in high school, and I’ve not found better coffee anywhere in the US (and I travel a lot!).

I am very PROUD to say that I am a Peet’s employee in Portland Oregon and before I got hired I hadn’t heard about them. Everyday that I am at work, the people that come in say that our coffee is much better than Starbucks and they love the quaint atmosphere that we create, or rather, our customers create. One lady loved the fact that our baristas make your drink right in front of you. One of our regulars, Mo (we ask for our customers names when they order, to help us build relationships with them), likes to pour his own shot of espresso in his drinks…does Starbucks let you do this?

Peets also buys the best coffee beans in the market, paying two to three times what they’re worth to make sure that the sellers grow shade-grown, fair trade, organic beans. Also, our coffee roasters only roast the beans after a store places an order and less than 24 hours after roasting, the beans are on their way to the store. We have a wonderful array of single-origin and signature blends from all over the world. Come and order beans and we will weigh them, grind, and bag them for you. I heard from a customer that Starbucks doesn’t have the beans like that, they pre-bag them…not so fresh? The drinks are delicious and not-too-sweet. Frappuccinos were good when I was a teen but now I realize how much better the Freddos are as they are made from scratch. At Starbucks, the baristas cannot pull espresso shots as their machines are all automated, at Peets our baristas do all the work and are experts.

And what can I say about the tea? The aromatic excellent-tasting tea…We have all the regular teas such as Earl Grey with Lavender, or with Bergamot, English, Scottinsh, and Irish Breakfast, but we also boast special rare teas such as Jasmine Downy Pearls, Ancient Trees Pu-errh, and the upcoming Golden Monkey (not out yet, but I already got to taste). Golden Monkey is a specialty rare black tea made with malt and honey, a surprisingly different taste! We are always striving to become better and continually and enthusiastically educate our customers. I am always giving them free coffee and tea tastings or free coffee beans to try at home. It’s always about our customers and delivering the freshest product we can find.

To those who said we would not exist if it wasn’t for Starbucks, you’re IDIOTS who know NOTHING about Peets or Starbucks history. It’s actually the opposite. Our founder, Alfred Peet was an immigrant who was very dissappointed with American coffee and decided to use his family’s roasting techniques and secrets to begin a business that produced only the best coffee. Started in Berkely just a few blocks away from the college, he founded Peets. The two Starbucks founders became apprentices of an unselfish Alfred Peet who gladly taught them what he knew because he wanted people to taste good coffee. They then began Starbucks in Seattle and had an argument. One was still concerned about making coffee of the highest quality, the other saw market shares bursting and sought to make it the huge corporation it now is. The one concerned about quality split and went down to Peets to become a business partner with Alfred Peet. Our founder passed away this past August, leaving one of the original Starbucks owner as the major owner of Peets and so our quality standards continue. STARBUCKS DOES NOT OWN PEETS.

I always wondered what was so adictive about Starbucks Coffee…

I’m so hooked that I even built a giant LEGO brick logo that is hanging in my office!

http://brickplayer.com/blog/2008/01/23/starbucks-coffee-mosaic/

Starbucks coffee is overcooked, burnt and just plain nasty.But my issue is with one of the earlier posts on this topic which compares Starbucks/Peets as to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse/Sizzler.Two weeks ago I was taken to the Ruths in Pasadena, Ca as a holiday “treat”…the bill–which I was uncouth enough to sneaka look at–was over $100 per person and I’ve had a better steak at Denny’s for crying out loud! Sizzler’s $12.99 product would have run rings around this thing.Years back I ate at the Ruth’s up in SFO and it was first rate delish….maybe Ruth is following the business model of Starbucks.

been to 48 states tasted every coffee avail, 365 Wholefoods, pleasant moning buzz is the best coffee by fart

OK-

I Love Peet’s. I adore Peet’s. I would kill to live around the corner from a Peet’s and sip it every morning, noon and night. BUT – I live in Elkton, MD and the chance of living near a Peet’s is non-existent. So – in my universe of Elkton, MD – I would be thrilled with a cup of Starbuck’s coffee. Believe me – Starbucks is waaaay better than a local diner cup of Joe (usually weak and burned) any day of the week.

It’s easy to be a snob when you have a lot of choices – so for those of us that don’t – give us a break. Starbucks still brews a good cup of coffee (or double tall latte) ….

As for Ruth’s Chris vs. a Sizzler steak – I really doubt your Sizzler steak (and ambience) were of higher quality than Ruth’s Chris. Is Sizzler a better value? You bet… Better for families? Absolutely. Decent steak? Usually… I certainly agree that Ruth’s Chris isn’t what it used to be. It’s overpriced for the quality now…. But if your Sizzler is serving USDA Prime Beef – I need the location.

I love the analogy of Starbucks = McDonalds, Peet’s = In’N'Out Burger. Perfect. I love In’N'Out – but again I have to travel 3000 miles or so to get there. But every now and then – since I can’t get my n’N'Out- I just need a cheeseburger happy meal with a chocolate milkshake – usually after a night of too much drinking…

I like Peet’s, drink it regularly. There are equally good coffees out there, but hard to find. At my hospital, there is a “Douwe” coffee machine which makes a delicious expresso, strong enough to keep me awake at my keyboard. I can walk across the street and get a Peet’s expresso, and the only reason for choosing one over the other is the convenience (the Peet’s kiosk closes at 3 p.m. and is downstairs and across the street, rather than just down the hall.

In New York, we had excellent coffee at a small Greek diner in Brooklyn (Park Slope, 7th Avenue at the main drag that goes over the Brooklyn Bridge. They used beans roasted in Berkeley.) We also found that N.Y.C. cops and firefighters drink tutti-frutti coffee, usually hazelnut, and that most N.Y.C. coffee is slop (weak, and prepared by the counterperson, not by the drinker. On the plus side, is is only 50 cents a cup.). We also had excellent coffee at a combination hotel dining room/piano bar on Central Park South. Most coffee shops were pathetic, although expensive, but a few lunch places that catered to only a midmorning (10 to 2) crowd served excellent press pot coffee.

The Starbucks at the Forest Hills IRT/IND station had excellent dark roasted coffee available (more acid that Peet’s but quite tasty and certainly preferable to the 50 cent cup at the deli.) The worst Starbucks I ever had was in Danville, presumably expresso, weak, bitter, and much inferior to the local Buttercup diner, which kept two 100-cup percolators (regular and decaf) outside their store for joggers (honor system, take your coffee with you on your run, pay for the day or week next time you stop inside). The rest of the Starbucks I have drunk is forgettable, always acid, not good enough to go back, not bad enough to poor out. There is a lot to be said for coffee tourism, the occasional delights are so memorable, and the bad cups are so forgettable that the overall experiences are positive. Of course, if there had been a Peet’s available, I wouldn’t have bothered trying to local vendors.

Teddy Knight, a Peet’s fan since we used to get peanut butter, peanuts roasted and ground in the original coffee roaster/grinder, at Vine Street.

Wow, this article is hard to believe that there is any comparison between Peet’s and the BIG corporate Starbuck’s. Starbucks coffee is so burnt I can’t believe they have been in business as long as they have been. But that is all about being a major franchise… I really believe that people are catching on that the family owned business is much prefered than the franchise> I love Peet’s They just built a very nice store in the Monterey , ca. Wow it is so awesome!

Neither Peets nor Starbucks are best for coffee. Starbucks likes to sell the fancy expensive drinks. For reallly good espresso, I go to North Beach in San Francisco.
But I give Starbuck a huge head up over Peets because you can use their WiFi completely free if you have AT&T DSL at home. Peets makes you beg for a few hours at a time.

Neither Peets nor Starbucks are the best for espresso. But at least the WIFI is free at Starbucks for AT&T DSL customers.

We sold Peet’s coffee at our tea centric store in a Calif. mountain resort last year and it made up only 1.5% of
our sales. My new store in the So. California suburbs
sells Lavazza Italian coffee and it is about 30% of our
tea centric store sales. There apparently were no Peetniks
in the mountains. I had the worst chai latte of my life at
Peet’s and Starbucks chai latte (if I remember correctly from years ago) would rate about a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Both coffees are ‘harsh’ to me. I love the Italian coffee, so much more smooth and refined but delicious.

Peets is far better than the junk served at Charbucks. Charred, overpriced, and fraps, and latest albums from geriatric rock stars. Starbucks sucks. Period. Peets is for REAL coffee (only) drinkers–not the latest rock group record, not the frapps, or the dolce crappo, whatever, but for REAL deep roasted coffee drinkers who appreciate quality over USA nonsense showmanship.

C’mon Chris, I usually agree with you on most things, but being concerned with the cosyness of a cafe, is quite important.

Yes, sure, Starbucks does not have EXCELLENT COFFEE, but it does tend to focus on service. Most people aren’t concerned about the quality, or even the coffee itself, they are concerned about the environment and most importantly: service.

Let’s not bash Starbucks! TIM HORTONS FOR THE WIN!