Starbucks Pike Place Roast BzzCmpaign
Bzz is a word of mouth advertising group. In its early days it was micro-progamming on the street in exchange for free products. But the concept worked so well that it has moved mainstream. Now they wish full disclosure to anyone you might influence as well as honesty in what you say.
Peffa and I immediately set about having a taste test. We've been working our way through a giant Folgers container for most of forever, so you could say we were eager to try something else for a change. My membership in the coffee-snob club has lapsed, so we looked to Mark for expert advice. (He named the brand after one sip.) Mark provided his own fresh brewed pot for a third data point, a ground-from-bean Italian blend. We served them all black.
We started with the Pike Place Roast, "with a smooth, round finish and subtle flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts, it's the perfect everyday coffee. Designed and roasted to be Starbucks smoothest coffee. Grown and sourced ethically and sustainably. Learn more at www.starbuckscoffeeathome.com"
Peffa inhaled his in record time and was happy about the caffeine content. Mark took one sip of mine, identified it as Starbucks and drank his own instead. We all agreed that you could tell that it was "good" coffee. Mark described it as tasting burnt. Peffa and I found it very strong and deep, which we both like. I think it has chocolate undertones which is a big plus for me. Even Mark agreed that it is as smooth as advertised. Peffa mentioned that he thought that people who used cream would like it because the flavor would survive.
In the middle, we tried Mark's Italian blend. It was excellent as his coffees always are. It was a nice counterpoint because it was very light, especially after the Pike.
We finished with the Caffe Verona, "a bold blend combining the juicy flavor of Latin America beans with the earthy aroma of Asia/Pacific coffee, and a bit of Italian Roast for added depth." While it labels itself 'Bold'(Mild/Medium/Bold/X-Bold) it is noticably less bold and deep than the Pike, while lots heavier than Mark's blend. Peffa said it demanded to be sweet, so he added brown sugar and liked it quite a lot. Mark liked it enough to take a serving. I like this one too. Again, I think the chocolate is noticable and desirable. (At SA I frequently mix hot chocolate and coffee in equal parts.) I have no clue what they mean by 'juicy' flavor. But it is even smoother than the Pike.
In short, it's all good. Both the Pike Place Roast and the Caffe Verona are strong, deep and smooth with a chocolate undertone. Pike has the emphasis on strong, while Verona is more chocolately.
Peffa and I immediately set about having a taste test. We've been working our way through a giant Folgers container for most of forever, so you could say we were eager to try something else for a change. My membership in the coffee-snob club has lapsed, so we looked to Mark for expert advice. (He named the brand after one sip.) Mark provided his own fresh brewed pot for a third data point, a ground-from-bean Italian blend. We served them all black.
We started with the Pike Place Roast, "with a smooth, round finish and subtle flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts, it's the perfect everyday coffee. Designed and roasted to be Starbucks smoothest coffee. Grown and sourced ethically and sustainably. Learn more at www.starbuckscoffeeathome.com"
Peffa inhaled his in record time and was happy about the caffeine content. Mark took one sip of mine, identified it as Starbucks and drank his own instead. We all agreed that you could tell that it was "good" coffee. Mark described it as tasting burnt. Peffa and I found it very strong and deep, which we both like. I think it has chocolate undertones which is a big plus for me. Even Mark agreed that it is as smooth as advertised. Peffa mentioned that he thought that people who used cream would like it because the flavor would survive.
In the middle, we tried Mark's Italian blend. It was excellent as his coffees always are. It was a nice counterpoint because it was very light, especially after the Pike.
We finished with the Caffe Verona, "a bold blend combining the juicy flavor of Latin America beans with the earthy aroma of Asia/Pacific coffee, and a bit of Italian Roast for added depth." While it labels itself 'Bold'(Mild/Medium/Bold/X-Bold) it is noticably less bold and deep than the Pike, while lots heavier than Mark's blend. Peffa said it demanded to be sweet, so he added brown sugar and liked it quite a lot. Mark liked it enough to take a serving. I like this one too. Again, I think the chocolate is noticable and desirable. (At SA I frequently mix hot chocolate and coffee in equal parts.) I have no clue what they mean by 'juicy' flavor. But it is even smoother than the Pike.
In short, it's all good. Both the Pike Place Roast and the Caffe Verona are strong, deep and smooth with a chocolate undertone. Pike has the emphasis on strong, while Verona is more chocolately.