Starbucks Promoting Free Pikes Peak Roast Coffee

On Tuesday, April 8^th Starbucks launched its newest brew, "Pikes Peak Roast" by giving away free 8 ounce (what Starbucks calls the "short" size). From 12pm Eastern Time (9am Pacific Time), Starbucks hosted a simultaneous coast-to-coast taste test of the new "Pikes Peak Roast." The taste test is Starbucks way of "showcasing our new quality standards for freshness - freshly roasted, hand-scooped, freshly ground and brewed with shorter hold times," according to a press release.

Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, said of the new blend, "Pike Place Roast takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of transforming the in-store experience by restoring the connection our customers have with our coffee."

I find it interesting that the CEO of Starbucks wants to restore the connection with customers and Starbucks coffee. For many years now, I have felt no connection with Starbucks or the "lifestyle" the brand promises. The stores are just high-volume, get in and get out fast operations. I never felt a connection with others while at Starbucks. No connection with the staff (Baristas as Starbucks calls them), nor with the crowd in the stores. That's why I've been going to my neighborhood's non-chain coffee house, The Coffee House of Thornton Park.

Although The Coffee House of Thornton Park is just one block from a Starbucks, it always seems to have an equal number of customers, if not more. So, how could a small, independent fare as well as a large, corporate backed coffee store? The answer is simple, they connect with their customers. The husband and wife team that own The Coffee House of Thornton Park know my name. They know what I like to order. They know what I might like and suggest new items. They get me and they connect with me. Whenever I visit, I feel that I'm visiting old friends and not some cookie-cutter store that's promising me a "lifestyle" one cup at a time.

The first time I visited The Coffee House of Thornton Park I felt welcome. The owners Rigo and wife, Audrey, made conversation. They asked if I was new to the neighborhood, to which I replied I was. They immediately suggested some other local favorites spots that I might want to check out (and no, Starbucks was not on their list of recommendations). They then suggested some of their coffees, and I settled on the house blend, which is a rich, smooth Panamanian coffee.

Now, I'm not saying that the Baristas at Starbucks are unfriendly, it's just I don't feel any connection with them. Even though I used to go almost daily to the same location, I don't think they recognized me, which means they never knew what I liked and couldn't make it for me without asking or recommend something else I might enjoy. So, while the Starbucks CEO says that the Pikes Peak Blend will help in "...restoring the connection our customers have with our coffee," how about restoring the connection Starbucks had with their customers? I'd take that any day over a new coffee blend. Until that happens, you can find me at my local, independent coffee house.

Starbucks (April 7, 2008). "The Proof is in the Cup: Starbucks Launches Historic New Pike Place Roast, ". Press release. Retrieved on 4-8-2008.