Impress Me With Your Espresso, Starbucks!
I was curious to experience Starbucks’ espresso since their big shutdown yesterday for their espresso barista retraining. I walked in and said, “Impress me with your espresso!” I asked the barista if he’d attended the training last night, and he said, “No; that was just a retaining, anyway.” More like a publicity stunt, I’ll bet.
But I’m game! So I ordered a solo espresso. I tried it black but didn’t like it, so I added half a packet of Sugar in the Raw. I liked it pretty well with the brown sugar. I pretty much gulped it down in the traditional way after carefully composing this shot (I’m still working on composing compelling, iconic images that tell the story). I can’t say I really love the taste it left in my mouth, but it is still lingering now, 10 minutes later.
Do I think gulping shots of espresso is the future of “The Starbucks Experience”? I hope not. I’d rather continue to spend 15 minutes sipping on an iced venti soy latte; in fact, I think I’ll order one now. But I’d better make it a grande! (Buzz buzz buzz… 
March 15th, 2008 at 7:32 am
The espresso is important even if you have it in a latte. A crappy shot will leave the latte less than impressive. I typically order an iced quad shot and then sweeten and lighten it. For me the espresso at Starbucks is above par. I worked there in the past. They have tremendous training. The interesting thing is that most stores have automatic machines that require little from the barista these days.
Hope your buzz was a good one!