By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Do you think the Starbucks coffee in China is weaker than in the States?
Why do I always feel MORE sleepy after drinking a Starbucks here in China than in the States or Europe? Seriously, i never get the desired kick out of coffee here.
I drink espresso twice a day, when I am in the West, but in China I drink tea only.
I tried coffee in Anshan few times, and it was like 'having a bad day', however I am quite happy with Chinese 'hong cha' (home brew).
This is China. What do you expect? It's all about fake or imitation products. Everything! Just simple things..a cup of coffee..milk..meat..some strawberry cookies I recently bought..a complete rip-off..NO strawberry taste at all! :( South Korea is the same! I once bought a cocktail there..it was a joke..I could barely taste the alcohol. :( I once paid 4,500 Korean won for a cup of coffee. I expected a decent cup of coffee for that price. (around 4.00 USD at that time.) The waitress brought out a sache of instant coffee. :( I complained and the B**** gets a BAD ATTITUDE! TYPICAL RUDE CHINESE/KOREAN B****!!!!!! :( I could have paid 300 won at a local Family Mart for that! Fortunately, the female manager let me have as much instant coffee as I wanted. * As I recently read, Chinese women and I would add Korean will turn on a guy in a heartbeat!!! :(
Yo, Red! Do what your namesake does - me - and buy Yunnan coffee beans from a local trustworthy cafe (I get mine at a discount 'cause the owner is a friend of mine.*), take them home, grind them every morning in a Japanese coffee grinder (I've had mine for 4 years and it has not malfunctioned yet - unlike some cheap Chinese appliances that break after 6 months...), and make your own coffee at home. Some people like French press or Mr. Coffee machines. I like Melitta 2-cup cone filters or my Italian espresso coffee pot and I get some kick-ass java every day of the year.
If home brewing is not your style, then take a pass on Starbucks, the Maccers of the coffee world. Try some local Chinese cafes. They may pleasantly surprise you (or not) with better coffee and lower prices.
*For nice, oily espresso beans from Yunnan province, my buddy charges me 30 RMB for 500 grams. Beats buying the same coffee from the same province at a Starbucks in China for how much a cup? I don't know. I don't go to Starbucks. Here or in the States. A rip-off.
Red_Fox:
I am impressed with the coffee grown in Yunnan. The stuff my friend sells me is packaged as "Season Coffee" and the website is:
www. season-coffee.com.tw
I sent them an email some time ago to ask them about the origin of the beans and they replied immediately, telling me that the beans are from Yunnan. Good PR to reply to an email.
So, maybe they can tell you where you can buy their brand.
Oh no here comes the blame game again. Are you seriously trying to blame Starbucks for making you sleepy? That's ridiculous; Coffee can make you gain weight and that's probably why you are feeling so tired.
ambivalentmace:
the implication is the coffee is weak so the caffeine is not strong enough to keep you awake and not tired.
juestewang:
Not to mention that coffee is a well-known appetite suppressant and has very few calories if there is no cream or sugar added. Who told you coffee can make you gain wait?
It's not my impression there is a big difference. As far as I know Starbucks source their beans globally for global consumption so there shouldn't be much difference. Of course the person running a specific franchise might water down the wonderful drink to profit more.
i wonder if coffee loses strength with age , sending it from columbia to america and then to china would be a long path depending on what your order, the coffee from africa would take less time for travel. i noticed my dunkin donuts coffee seemed weaker after opening it a year after purchase, i brought six bags with me from america.
Looks like all the tea drinkers on this board are having a field day with downthumbing the answers to the coffee question. What do you guys have against coffee? Ha ha! 
By the way, did you know that Starbucks is investing heavily in the Yunnan province coffee-growing agroindustry? Google it.
icnif77:
Amazing, indeed! Such a trivial discussion attract so much negative vibe. Starbucks sucks! Rainman (Hoffman)!
ambivalentmace:
the coffee is grown on the side of mountains, unlike the tea grown in the valley were all the great soil contamination is piled up, i will stick with coffee, although some tea is grown on mountain sides also, how would i know the difference.
I don't know that I've ever felt that it isn't as strong, but I do think the milk they use changes the taste a bit. Especially with the frappaccinos and the cream they use. Coffee is my life-source, and I'm a big fan of Starbucks, so the change in taste took a little getting used to.
