Review: Pikes Place and Breakfast Blend

Please note: This is a coffee review, and will not be discussing Starbucks’ politics or its coffee shops at this time. Instead, we will be sampling what their core competencies are supposed to be, which is coffee.

I have chosen two roasts to prepare and review. There have been some technical changes to how I brew coffee: I have changed the grind size for a French press to 9 ½ on the Krups burr grinder, and for pour-over, the grind size is 4 ½. The dose is now six tablespoons for pour-over and seven for French press. Now that all the disclaimers are out of the way, please let’s look at the coffee.

Let us go ahead and press forward. In the French Press, Pikes Place was not to my liking; I got notes

of chemicals in it and the flavors were burnt. I could not get past the taste or aroma to notice this coffee’s mouthfeel or acidity. The breakfast blend has an aroma that is nutty and well-rounded. The mouthfeel is nice and light, and the acidity is non-existent. The notes I picked up are butter, nuts, and a finish of chocolate. Overall, the breakfast blend is quite enjoyable. The pour-over may have more hope for Pikes Place.

Brewed in a Chemex pour-over, Pikes place is not substantially different from the French press. Both

were just not what I hoped they would be, I passed it to my wife for her insight, and she agreed with my thoughts. The Breakfast blend, brewed in the pour-over, has the same notes as the French press but is more clinical in delivery. It mutes some of the notes, making it blander than the French press.

For my preference, I would pair the breakfast blend with Toaster Strudel or pancakes. Some roasted and salted peanuts or potato chips would be good if we wanted to take a different route. Cigar-wise, I would opt for a lighter shade, something not so heavy on the chocolate.

Starbucks has undoubtedly changed coffee forever, and that is impressive. This review surprised me. I expected to hate both of these coffees; instead, I found one I love and one that needs heavy revision. Let us go back to the opening of this review for a moment. Again all this review contains is comments on the coffee Starbucks makes, and that is all. Now back to the coffee. If you found a Starbucks blend you like, great, and so have I; if you hate everything remotely related to Starbucks, that is also fine. But as a member of the coffee team here at Leaf n Grain Society, someone was going to have to review it, and it might as well be me. Finally, some scores are in order.

Breakfast blend a 7/10

Pikes Place a 0/10.