<p>Krispy Kreme doughnuts, warm and fresh > Dunkin Donuts any day.</p>
<p>eeww to both
I used to like Winchells there was one right next to the hair salon where I worked and as the lowly apprentice it was my job to open the shop and get the coffee going and pick up the doughnuts for breakfast.
I am not a big breakfast pastry fan- I would sooner eat a pine cone than a krispy kreme, but I have been known to eat a whole [Le Fournil]( <a href=“http://le-fournil.com/_wsn/page12.html”>http://le-fournil.com/_wsn/page12.html</a> ) orange croissant from PCC- I don’t know what I would do if I actually had a fresh one ;)</p>
<p>[also smoother than Starbucks](<a href=“http://www.caffedarte.com/page.aspx”>http://www.caffedarte.com/page.aspx</a>)</p>
<p>Starbucks coffee may be great for those who really want a lot of cream and sugar in their coffee. I like coffee - black. Starbucks is all but undrinkable. The beans are roasted to the point of being burnt. I’ll buy coffee almost anywhere rather than at Starbucks. And please no more hazelnut, mocca, vanilla beans and cinnamon.</p>
<p>Krispy Kreme donuts taste good when you eat them, but I find they have a weird chemical aftertaste which I think is from powdered sugar. (I often find the same taste in poor quality commercial frosted cakes.) While DD donuts aren’t quite as melting initially, they don’t have that aftertaste. Which is why I’m glad DD is not around here. I miss Winchell’s.</p>
<p>There is nothing like a good donut with all the major food groups: refined white flour, salt, sugar, and grease. Krispy Kreme donuts do seem to have a strange after taste, but they more than make up for that with all the extra salt and grease.</p>
<p>I like going to Starbucks because I find any coffee without copious amounts of cream and sugar undrinkable. So obviously, I have a different perspective than most of the posts in this thread. I not only like lattes, I publicly admit it. :-)</p>
<p>I don’t understand the backlash against Starbucks in today’s society. From an employee’s perspective, they offer wonderful benefits - health insurance even for part-timers, generous 401(k) matches, participation in a discounted stock purchase plan, and some type of tuition reimbursement plan. (Don’t know the details). For comparison, let’s use my mother and sister’s business, a small insurance agency with less than 20 employees. (I know completely different industry but I am familiar with the details of said agency. The purpose of this discussion would be big box vs. mom and pop business) Do they (insurance agency) offer any health insurance? Sure - just pay for it yourself. 401(k) match - not on your life. It is a privately held corporation, so there are no stock purchase opportunities. They pay their new hires $10/hour, with the opportunity to increase your pay every 6 months if they feel that you have earned it. There are no objective standards about this qualification. Amazingly, they have a couple of employees who have been with them over 20 years. I have suggested (as their CPA) that they let these employess purchase some stock in the company or even <em>give</em> them some stock, but have had no success with that suggestion. Why those employees have stayed, making less than $50,000 per year with no retirement beyond their own self funded 401(k) is beyond me. Folks like that make small businesses very happy. Most employees work for the business less than 5 years. Huh, fancy that.</p>
<p>I guess that I have a very different take on small businesses. I am a CPA and most of the work that I do is for high net worth individuals who own their own businesses. Most are not putting their money back in to their staff, it goes into their own bank accounts. If their staff had any idea what goes on outside the scope of the operational side of the business, they would be sick. I just don’t see the mom and pop business model being that great for employees, or for society.</p>
<p>I too find starbucks coffee undrinkable as straight black coffee. And if I have to have Starbucks-I always complain loudly enough that other patrons hear and certainly the server. I also ask for another cup for ice to cool and dilute the charcoal.</p>
<p>If my taste cells are correct, their coffee was not as burnt, 20 years ago. Water makes a big difference in the taste and to compensate for the different waters, they may, perhaps, IMO, purposely burn the coffee to get a more uniform flavor thought the nation/world.</p>
<p>I think they burn the coffee so it holds up to a lot of dilution with milk products and sugar.</p>
<p>You may be right, edad, which is why I don’t care for it: I always drink my coffee black.</p>
<p>Starbucks isn’t really all that good…I do enjoy their caramel apple cider and vanilla frapuccinos, however. The snacks are delicious as well. It’s not a good thing when the worst thing about a coffeeshop is the coffee!</p>
<p>Starbucks has tried (and has been successful) in getting their coffee to taste the same no matter where you buy it. The reason that they “over roast” the beans is so that it will taste the same everwhere. Some have acquired a taste for this, others think it is bitter (or burnt) tasting. Either way, it does appear to be consistent. The same holds true for a McDonald’s hamburger. Even if it is bad, folks still find comfort in a familiar taste, and they will continue to buy it!</p>
<p>Caribou to Honor Voided Starbucks Coupons </p>
<p><a href=“http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=2385275&page=1[/url]”>http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=2385275&page=1</a></p>