Starbucks Posts First Quarterly Loss in 15 Years
Starbucks just posted a 3Q loss — its first quarterly net loss in more than 15 years.
What’s to blame? Several things:
- The company is in the middle of closing about 600 under-performing stores.
- The company has also announced plans to cut about 1,000 office jobs (7% of the entire workforce).
- U.S. consumers have stopped spending a much on gourmet coffees.
- Similarly, UK spending has decreased, and growth in Canada has slowed.
- Competition from chains like Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s, which have introduced their own gourmet coffee lines.
- Dairy prices have risen.
It’s all (likely) temporary, though.
In the meanwhile, they’re looking to the future: Sorbettos, Vivannos, a new line of of healthy foods (featuring whole grains and lean protein), and a new emphasis on the (recently re-launched) “Starbucks Card.”
CoffeeFool
CoffeeFool says:
Nearly all of the coffee out there is stale. The good news is that stale coffee is drinkable if you’ve never had truly fresh coffee. The bad news is that once you’ve tasted truly fresh coffee, you’ll be forever hooked. It will make you giddy every time you go to make a pot. Tingle right down to your toes. Reverberate around your head like a funky aura. That’s because coffee, just a few days out of the roaster, is nature’s most flavorful drink – more complex than even wine – containing well over 900 flavor compounds to dance on your taste buds. But after a few weeks, you’d be lucky to see half that number.
How do you know if coffee is stale? Simple test: If it’s bitter or flat, it’s too late. Coffee is actually known by connoisseurs as a ’sweet’ beverage. But shush… you’re not supposed to know that. And who doesn’t want you to know? Coffee companies who make their living on convenience. And yes, believing that freshness is as simple as ‘burping’ air out of a coffee container, is convenient. Truly fresh coffee is a pain because you have to order it frequently.
I don’t know if I believe all that, I like the bitterness of coffee. But if you want to find out if it’s as good as he says, you can use code ‘coffeefool’ on your 1st order to save 20%.
What do you think? Should coffee be bitter?
Spotting Tourists In Italian Coffee Shops
When I’m traveling, I do try not to wave my camera and map around, or fumble too much with the change or the language. Here’s a lovely local color piece from Gimme Some Art on visiting Italian coffeeshops, and spotting the visitors.
Just as many Americans eagerly anticipate that first aromatic sip of modified or straight espresso, (not “x-presso”!), in some recognizable form, the Italians elevate the whole pleasurable experience to the next plane, right before your eyes.
As we stood in line to order four cappuccinos and two twisty-thing pastries, my wife said:
“I’ll get us a table,” which there were plenty of. Seeing the bakery nearly packed with standing or leaning customers, I figured they weren’t sitting at tables because the vaporetto (Venice’s water commuter busses) , would soon be arriving and these well-heeled business folks wanted to be “out th’ door” the nanosecond it arrived…just like back home.
“No!” my friend said.
Find out why by reading the rest at Gimme’ some ART!…: How to spot a tourist in a cappuccino bakery.
Spotting Tourists In Italian Coffee Shops
When I’m traveling, I do try not to wave my camera and map around, or fumble too much with the change or the language. Here’s a lovely local color piece from Gimme Some Art on visiting Italian coffeeshops, and spotting the visitors.
Just as many Americans eagerly anticipate that first aromatic sip of modified or straight espresso, (not “x-presso”!), in some recognizable form, the Italians elevate the whole pleasurable experience to the next plane, right before your eyes.
As we stood in line to order four cappuccinos and two twisty-thing pastries, my wife said:
“I’ll get us a table,” which there were plenty of. Seeing the bakery nearly packed with standing or leaning customers, I figured they weren’t sitting at tables because the vaporetto (Venice’s water commuter busses) , would soon be arriving and these well-heeled business folks wanted to be “out th’ door” the nanosecond it arrived…just like back home.
“No!” my friend said.
Find out why by reading the rest at Gimme’ some ART!…: How to spot a tourist in a cappuccino bakery.
Coffee on our skin
For the coffee lovers out there,do you know that coffee is good for your skin?? Nowadays,you can ind coffee grounds as an ingredient in a number of scrubs and body wraps that are offered at spas and sold at cosmetic retailers. There is even a plethora of recipes that will show you how to make your own beauty products using coffee at home. So why has this morning ritual become such a hot commodity for the skin care community?
The truth is that coffee is actually good for your skin for a number of reasons. First, caffeine has been proven to increase blood flow, which can be extremely beneficial in the topical treatment of cellulite. By improving circulation to the areas where cellulite occurs, you can facilitate the breakdown and removal of this unsightly cottage cheese condition. Women in South America who use this ingredient in skin creams have found that caffeine can also temporarily give a plumping and smoothing effect to skin. Caffeine can also act as a vasorestrictor – meaning that it can tighten and shrink blood vessels. This process can effectively diminish the appearance of varicose veins. The research is in and it shows that the caffeine that is found in coffee will do more than simply wake you up; it will revive your dull-looking skin as well.
There are a lot you can do with coffee grounds as well.
- Keep a small amount of grounds available to rub over your hands when you want to rid them of odors like garlic or fish.
- Mix the grounds with a bit of olive oil, and smear it over your cellulite regions. Wrap the area with plastic wrap, and leave on for a few minutes. Remove the plastic, and shower off, and you will enjoy glowing skin with a reduced appearance of that nasty cellulite.
- By combining a bit of those grounds with a egg white, you can create an effective exfoliation treatment that will leave your skin its absolute softest.
Isn’t it amazing? We can have our cup of coffee and wear it on our skin as well.
Where In The World Is The Most Expensive Cup of Coffee?
At $10.83 for a cup of black coffee, Moscow reigns as the most expensive city in the world to get a cup of coffee. Wow. Makes me appreciate my local Starbucks (YEA btw–it’s not closing!) even more.
Paris looks like it is in second place with the average price for a cup of coffee being about $6.77, while in Athens the coffee will cost you around $6.62.
Where are the deals for a cup of coffee? Try South America or Africa. At $2.03 per cup in Buenos Aires and $2.36 in Johannesburg, you can enjoy a second cup. And New York is not bad at all, the Big Apple offers quite the deal on a cup of coffee at about $3.75.
But the best deal of all? Probably right in our very own kitchen!
Studies Showed Health benefits of Coffee
Coffee drinkers often are concern that their delicious java is too much of a good thing that it must be bad for you. After all it tastes great and really peps you up .Well,it certainly is surprising when something that was once considered questionable for your health turns out to have health benefits.Sure,caffeine is bad but when taken “in moderation”,there is a lot of good news that coffee brings…
- Diabetes.Heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as light drinkers or nondrinkers. Coffee may contain chemicals that lower blood sugar. A coffee habit may also increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help keep diabetes at bay. The coffee anti-oxidants that are believed to be responsible are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. Coffee is also thought to help promote the delivery of insulin to the tissues. When this happens efficiently the insulin resistance is less likely, which is a major risk factor for diabetes.
- Gallstones.Certain compounds in coffee appear to help prevent bile from crystallizing which causes gallstones.
- Parkinson’s Disease.Caffeine may cut the risk of Parkinson’s disease by increasing the supplies of the brain chemical dopamine in men.However,research says,coffee seems to protect men, but not women, against Parkinson’s disease. One possible explanation for the sex difference may be that estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized, and estrogen captures those enzymes.
- Cancer. Coffee might have anti-cancer properties. Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast, and rectal cancers.
- Blood pressure. Results from long-term studies are showing that coffee may not increase the risk for high blood pressure over time, as previously thought. Study findings for other cardiovascular effects are a mixed bag.
As a java-lover,you can take a cup of comfort by knowing that moderate coffee drinking does seem to have more benefits than drawbacks.
Music and the Coffee House
I don’t know about everyone else, but the coffee house is the quintessential venue for good live music. Whether it be a full four piece jazz quartet, or just a singer/songwriter with their guitar, a coffee house is just not complete without live music. You hear me out there coffee house owners!
However, I have had more than my share of bad experiences with coffee houses and live music. For example, I went to a coffee house in downtown Salt Lake City one time while visiting family and to my delight there was a young woman setting tuning her guitar and getting ready to sing. I sat in a table, not too close to get spat on, but close enough to see every expression of her face and get the whole experience and just sat like a child staring at Christmas presents under the tree waiting to open them. Let me tell you the next expression that was displayed across my face was the same expression that a child gets when they open said presents to find a years supply of underwear and socks.
The young woman slowly settled herself on the stool, took a deep breath and said, “This is a song I wrote when my boyfriend died”. Ok, I thought to myself, this should be poignant and heartfelt, so I gave it a chance. She slowly started to play back and forth two chords…over and over again…and over and over again…and over and over again…as she groaned some sort of lifeless melody made up of maybe 3 notes. After 6 minutes of agony the song came to an end. However, my relief was short lived as she opened her mouth again to let us know that the next song was about her dog dieing, and the next one about a stain on her favorite shirt, and the next one about her cat dieing, and the next one about her car accident, and the next one a reprise of the dead dog song…she stated the dog was hit by a car, I think the dog ran out in front of a car to end the screeching racket coming out of its masters mouth.
So second lesson to coffee shop owners…music is important, but audition your acts before giving them free reign of the stage.
A Cup of Coffee
My day isn’t complete without a cup of coffee. In fact it’s not just a cup but many cups. Hehehehe! I am a coffee addict. I never felt relaxed wihtout drinking coffee or any caffeinated drinks. Maybe that’s the reason why I was shocked when I tried the “Death by Caffeine” post of one author here. It was an eyeopener for all the coffee addicts just like me to start to minimize drinking of coffee and other drinks that are not healthy. JUst the usual saying, a cup of coffee won’t hurt but too much of everything could kill.
My Mocha frappuccino
I always start my day with a coffee. Instant sachet or with a cream were my cup of taste.Eventhough I don’t eat anything for breakfast, by having a coffee to start my day I’m already solved. During breaktime, I always have one cup to drink. I am a coffee addict.
If I’m out and at the mall, I always go to Starbucks to buy my mocha frapuccino with hazelnut syrup venti. It feels heaven with just a first sip. I really love this flavor.The mixtures of different coffee beans,mocha,milk and syrup completed the great taste. Combine with oroe cheesecake or waffle with whip cream made my day perfect.
Nowadays, the usual outdoor activity of teens and young professionals is going to coffee shop.It is much cheaper compared to bars and restaurants. The coffee shop is the perfect place to hang around because of its coziness.The music is relaxing. The crowd is safe as the security manages really well.
We can see coffeee shops everywhere. It’s like a fad. Many people were like a fan.Everbody knows their brand and they have thier own favorites.Just like me, I love mocha frappucino in Starbucks.It’s like a love at first sight at start.
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