Starbucks, June 29

[Tax Man]

From the Blue Mountains of Jamaica to Seattle
Jun 28, 2010

by Leslie W., senior green coffee specialist

Coffee in barrels? You may have thought barrels are for wine and coffee always comes in burlap bags. But no – it turns out that world-famous Jamaica Blue Mountain® coffee also travels in wooden barrels, and we’re delighted to see some land in our cupping room.


Right from the moment we opened those barrels, we knew this coffee is something special. The beans are a beautiful, slightly blue-green color. In the cup, this coffee is balanced with soft sweet citrus notes and a classic creamy milk chocolate finish. To carry the Jamaica Blue Mountain® name, the coffee must be grown in one of the island’s Blue Mountain parishes at altitudes of up to 5,000 feet. It is processed under strict quality control guidelines set forth by the Jamaica Coffee Board.


We purchased a small number of barrels and are eager to share this coffee with you. Starting June 29, you can find it our stores with the Clover™ brewing system. It’s a great coffee to experience through this brewing system, because it captures all the subtle nuances. I also like being able to share it one cup at a time with those of you who are curious to taste something truly unusual at Starbucks.


We have offered this coffee only a few times before in our history, and my first experience with it was as a customer. Being part of the team that brought this coffee back to our stores has been an exciting adventure. Jamaica Blue Mountain® reminds me of catching up with an old friend – it’s someone you are immediately comfortable with, but there are some new and unique discoveries to find out. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to discover something really special.

[Number Six]

I will look forward to trying it. I like good, preferably organically-grown, Fair Trade produced coffee. It's the new health food, who would have guessed. All those anti-oxidants help protect the consumer from free-radicals. Kind of like what the government is supposed to do. Quality tea does the same thing, but also has nutritional benefits that coffee does not. I like bancha or sencha green tea when I can get it, from Japan or China.

[Cathulhu]

I live in the Seattle area, where my coffee addiction is easily satiated. Number Six, have you tried Dragon Well green tea? It's my favorite green, and partly because I've been to the famous Dragon Well, an extremely pure water source and deeply treasured, in China.

Morning, after bad day and ER run; MUST HAVE CAFFIENE!!!

[Brandybuck]

I like my inorganic exploitive coffee!! It is indistinguishable from the other, but without the trendy price tag.

Organic = "I am afraid of science, ban chemistry!"
Fair Trade = "Only buy from rich farmers, not the poor ones"

[Tax Man]

I will look forward to trying it. I like good, preferably organically-grown, Fair Trade produced coffee. It's the new health food, who would have guessed. All those anti-oxidants help protect the consumer from free-radicals. Kind of like what the government is supposed to do. Quality tea does the same thing, but also has nutritional benefits that coffee does not. I like bancha or sencha green tea when I can get it, from Japan or China.

I have my own personal espresso machine in my office due to my caffeine addiction. It's a Nespresso, and I highly encourage you to try it. It's not that expensive.

For tea, I prefer gyukoro imperial grade green tea, or plain old assam black tea. I shop at teavana, which gets their tea straight from the tea farms. http://www.teavana.com

[Brandybuck]

I have my own personal espresso machine in my office due to my caffeine addiction.

I love those Nespresso machines! I fear the caffeine monster I would become if I had one at home.

[Number Six]

I would like to see Starbucks carry a line of teas equally strong as their coffees--fresh, french-pressed strong teas, green, regular teas, herbal, medicinal, etc.. I have been to some hardcore coffee shops that offer the loose teas, yerba mate, sencha, and herbal in a french press carafe. For some, quality tea is thoroughly palatable when coffee is not.

On the ethical concerns centered around farming and a living wage for farmers, one has but to look at the commodity exchanges to see how cheap coffee is as a raw material, and how the certified organic, biodynamic and fair trade practices are countering "the race to the bottom." One can over-emphasize the purity of the product and the process. Having worked on both organic and commericial farms, I prefer the former. The work is easier, the living situation more agreeable, the manager is generally less driven. The country would be vastly better if there were thousands more organic farms with subsidies paid, as in Canada, to make the operation more financially feasible, and young apprentices fully employed. I was quite impressed by the exhaustive record keeping of one organic farmer. The trend in the U.S. is toward hiring as many Jamaicans and other H2-A/H2-B imported farm workers. They are a lot easier to control and enter the work as competant farmers in their own right. Still, I would like to see some kind of mandate to get ex-cons, young unemployed people, and other able-bodied people filling these jobs.

[Tax Man]

I would like to see Starbucks carry a line of teas equally strong as their coffees--fresh, french-pressed strong teas, green, regular teas, herbal, medicinal, etc.. I have been to some hardcore coffee shops that offer the loose teas, yerba mate, sencha, and herbal in a french press carafe. For some, quality tea is thoroughly palatable when coffee is not.

On the ethical concerns centered around farming and a living wage for farmers, one has but to look at the commodity exchanges to see how cheap coffee is as a raw material, and how the certified organic, biodynamic and fair trade practices are countering "the race to the bottom." One can over-emphasize the purity of the product and the process. Having worked on both organic and commericial farms, I prefer the former. The work is easier, the living situation more agreeable, the manager is generally less driven. The country would be vastly better if there were thousands more organic farms with subsidies paid, as in Canada, to make the operation more financially feasible, and young apprentices fully employed. I was quite impressed by the exhaustive record keeping of one organic farmer. The trend in the U.S. is toward hiring as many Jamaicans and other H2-A/H2-B imported farm workers. They are a lot easier to control and enter the work as competant farmers in their own right. Still, I would like to see some kind of mandate to get ex-cons, young unemployed people, and other able-bodied people filling these jobs.

Unfortunately, Starbucks only carries the Tazo teas, which aren't bad, but not like the loose-leaf tea. I like iced black tea, and the Awake blend is kind of sharp (maybe its the dust and fannings), not like the smooth malty Assam or Golden Monkey from Teavana. Speaking of which, someone gave me a brick of tea and I haven't opened it yet. Thanks for remind me!

[Brandybuck]

On the ethical concerns centered around farming and a living wage for farmers, one has but to look at the commodity exchanges to see how cheap coffee is as a raw material, and how the certified organic, biodynamic and fair trade practices are countering "the race to the bottom."

My problem with "fair trade" is that it's a kick in the face to the poor farmers. Want to help the poor? Buy their products! But "fair" buyers refuse to do business with the poor. This practice shifts demand from the coffee produces by lower wage workers to that produced by higher wage workers. So who benefits? The higher wage workers!

Or to look at it another way, there are really two markets here. The high production low-wage market of exploitive/inorganic/coldhearted products, and the low production high-wage market of fair/organic/warmfuzzy products. The key here is that switching 100 acres of exploitive coffee to 100 acres of fair coffee REQUIRES layoffs. Demanding fair trade is to be demanding lower employment.