"Why does Starbucks suck so bad now? For nearly 24 years I spent more money with Starbucks than dining out. Outspending fast food to 2 star Michelin I spent an average of over $5,000.00/yr at Starbucks. Now I’ve deleted my account, uninstalled apps, tossed my Starbucks mugs, French press, and assorted paraphernalia, and no longer consume anything made by their inept staff. They are not baristas and you will not find young workers who give 2 cents about making safe coffee to consume. Since I don’t have a burr grinder I had been begrudgingly purchasing whole bean to grind on site. Do you think they can get this right? No, Starbucks doesn’t keep much whole bean these days. Must be because they claim to be a coffee house. You should play the lottery if you manage to find a bag of coffee in a Starbucks! I returned 2 bags at the Blue Angel location only to bring the third to the Rave location (the only polite staff in 50miles with a “coffee manager” to get it ground correctly. I made a mistake ever returning to this location (nine mile/pine forest known amongst Starbucks staff as the worst by reputation in Pensacola and bought Italian roast since their were only garbage blonde mixes. I relaxed a little as the woman was around my age (47 and imagined she must be a manager since she was dressed casual attire (no uniforms which seems to be acceptable at all Starbucks now , and I asked for espresso ground. This location is the darkest location I’ve ever visited and after inspecting the grind it seemed okay despite the fact she just folded it over once and I had to correct it. Of course now that I’ve put it into a better container and tossed the bag I found on my first attempt it was way too fine. I tried 6 times to measure and/or weigh the coffee and tamped at varying amounts trying to get any liquid to come from the machine. On the fourth try, though I thought I had purged the system enough, I was burned by steam, hot grounds and coffee exploding from the machine. I do not have a cheap $200-$300 machine and I’ve been making espresso longer than most of your staff has walked the earth. It’s become apparent I need to invest in a burr grinder and find another company to buy whole beans from. I find myself with a shortened shelf life (terminal diagnosis and went from being a successful artist to a cripple in poverty. Coffee and cigars are my simple pleasures. I can no longer afford cigars and honestly shouldn’t be spending money on “high end” coffee, but they made my life enjoyable for an hour of each day. A reprieve from the pain and suffering of my mind and body failing me. If only there was a Dietrich’s in Pensacola."
