Starbucks Robot: Coffee Barista of the Future?

On a recent Christmas holiday stay at Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee I saw something interesting: a Starbucks coffee-serving robot!

The Opryland resort does have a couple of traditional Starbucks coffee shops with human baristas.  I paid over $4 for a venti dark roast.  At a "normal" Starbucks back home in Iowa, a venti at Starbucks costs about $2.50.

Walking around on the convention center side of the resort one night, I stumbled upon the Starbucks coffee robot I mentioned.  You swipe your credit card for payment, select your coffee, and then the machine grinds the beans and brews a cup.  There is no human server involved, and you can get a fresh cup of coffee 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from a fully-automated coffee vending machine.

Starbucks Coffee Robot

Starbucks Coffee Robot, Close-up

For someone like me who orders a simple black coffee, dealing with the Starbucks robot instead of standing in line behind people ordering complex drinks from the human baristas might be a better way to go.

For one thing, the orders are simpler from the robot since the drink selection is limited so the line would move faster.  The limited selection of drinks doesn't matter to me since I order black coffee anyway.

Another benefit of ordering coffee from the robot is that the beans are ground right when the coffee is brewed.  I am not sure how often the beans are ground at the standard Starbucks with human operators, but I know they do not grind the beans right before brewing.  They have bins of ground coffee around.  So for me, seeing the beans ground just before brewing is an advantage.

Also, I noticed that my venti dark roast that was served by a human barista was dispensed from a tank.  I am sure it was brewed recently, but I don't really know how fresh it was.  With the robot, you always get a fresh brew since it is brewed when you order it.

What would you think of getting your coffee served at Starbucks by a robot instead of a human?  I could imagine that Starbucks could set up some of these machines in the store to help make lines go faster for people who just want coffee.



Copyright © 2018 Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Custom Coffee- Blend Your Own Coffee

Make Your Own Custom Coffee Blends

1) Blend Hot Coffee To Make A Custom Coffee Blend

Blend Hot Coffee To Make Your Custom Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The first time I realized that you could blend hot coffee was years ago at a small coffee shop.  I ordered a large coffee, expecting to get a house blend that was a medium roast.

The barista asked if I wanted a light roast or a dark roast- those were the only options.  I didn't pick one of those choices, instead I said I was looking for a medium roast.

The barista said, "no problem, I can make you one."  She proceeded to fill a cup 1/2 full of light roast and then topped it off with dark roast.  I was a little surprised, but gave it a try and it was pretty good.

The coffee was not really a medium roast, since it contained no medium roast coffee.  It was a mixture of the dark, smokey flavor of a dark roast and the lighter, citrus flavor of a light roast.  This was interesting- as simple as it seems, I never thought to mix hot coffee to make my own blend.

A variation of this is Cafe Americano, which is prepared by blending a shot of espresso with hot water to make a cup of coffee.  Sometimes I get a decaf made this way.  It is always fresh and always good.  Also, you don't have to wait for an entire pot to brew.

Lately, when I get coffee at the coffee shop at work, I make a blend of 3/4 cup of Seattle's Best Level 3 decaf and 1/4 cup of Level 4 which is a dark roast.  At this coffee shop, you pump your own coffee, so it is easy to try different hot coffee blends.

2) Blend Coffee Beans Or Coffee Grounds To Make Your Own Coffee Flavor

Another way to make your own coffee blend is to mix coffee grounds or coffee beans to get the coffee flavor you want.  My Mom blends Butternut coffee grounds with a couple other brands in a certain proportion.  When she lived out of state for a few years, she could not get Butternut at the local stores, so she would buy large quantities of it when she came back to visit.  This was the only way she could keep her blend the same, just how she likes it.

Blend Light Roast, Medium Roast, and Dark Roast Beans to Make Your Custom Coffee Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Some people like to blend other flavors into their coffee grounds, such as chickory to make New Orleans style coffee.  My sister-in-law likes flavors like hazelnut flavored coffee.  Flavored coffee has flavoring added into the grounds or beans.  To me, flavored coffee tastes like chemicals and is hard to drink at all.  I once gave her a perfectly good bag of expensive coffee grounds because they were butterscotch flavored and I didn't notice this when I bought it.

I blend different coffee beans together sometimes, usually when I only have a few coffee beans left in a bag.  I have made some really good tasting blends.  My favorites are mostly medium roast with some dark roast beans mixed in.

Another popular blend is to mix regular coffee with decaf coffee.  A mix of half regular coffee and half decaf is known as "half caff" coffee.

Blend Coffee Beans or Coffee Grounds to Make a Custom Coffee Blend
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Recommended Reading
Here is my article on coffee terms- learn more about coffee terms such as Cafe Americano.

Learn about coffee alternatives and coffee substitutes that have less caffeine than coffee.  There are many options for low caffeine or caffeine free coffee beyond decaf or half-caff!

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Intelligentsia Coffee

Intelligentsia Coffee

I had a day off this summer and was walking around downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa after dropping my son off at an activity.  I saw a sign in a storefront that made me stop and study it.  Signs that mention coffee sometimes have this effect on me.  I had heard of Intelligentsia Coffee before and decided to investigate.

Intelligentsia Coffee Store Window Sign
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The Intelligentsia Coffee sign was in the window of The Early Bird, an independent coffee shop on 2nd Street near the Paramount Theater.  The store was clean and bright.  It was a week day, and regulars were ordering sandwiches and afternoon coffee.  The late lunch crowd was mostly lawyers and bankers.  Intelligentsia coffee was proudly offered and I couldn’t resist trying some.

Intelligentsia Coffee at local coffee shop
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The price for a 20 oz cup of Intelligentsia coffee was $2 even.  Unfortunately it was afternoon, so I limited myself to decaf.  The decaf offering was Intelligentsia Librarian's Blend.  The flavor had citrus notes, a bit sour, bright, with a spectrum of flavor on the light side.  This roast is not smoky at all, at least compared with my typical dark roast selections.  I liked this roast more and more the more I drank it walking around downtown.  It’s a really good light roast with lots of bright flavor.  This light roast reminded me that coffee is a fruit product made from the seeds of coffee cherries.  I drank it black- it would be good with a bit of honey.  I decided to walk back to the coffee shop and check on how refills work...

Cup of Intelligentsia Coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I asked the friendly barista about refills- she said “go for it”.  I’m liking this place even more now!  I refilled with Decaf Librarian’s Blend, adding honey this time.  I’ll try to visit sometime in the morning to try Intelligentsia dark roast.  Based on the popularity of Intelligentsia coffee, I have high expectations.

Where to Find Intelligentsia Coffee

Intelligentsia Fresh Roasted Coffee
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Here are the best places to find Intelligentsia coffee:

Local coffee shop.  If you’re lucky like I was, you can find a local coffee shop that serves Intelligentsia coffee.  Coffee shops can order coffee, and apparently signs, from Intelligentsia.  Try searching the web for Intelligentsia coffee and the name of your city to see if any local coffee shops are brewing Intelligentsia.

Intelligentsia coffee bars in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.  If you live in one of these cities, you can go straight to the source.  Intelligentsia was founded in Chicago and has retail shops in Los Angeles and New York as well.

Order Intelligentsia coffee to make at home.  You can order bags of Intelligentsia whole bean and ground coffee from amazon.com:

• El Diablo Dark Roast
• House Blend
• Black Cat Espresso
• Black Cat Classic Blend
• Organic French Roast
• Decaf Black Cat Espresso

The Intelligentsia website offers more varieties including seasonal varieties and also provides a coffee subscription service.  You can sign up for automatic shipments of your selected coffee at specified intervals.  You can have them ship a bag of coffee every week if you want.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

How Does the New York City Soda Ban Affect Coffee?

Why do I Care about the Soda Ban in NYC?

I have never been to New York City, and I don’t drink soda.  So why do I care about the soda ban in NYC?  The ban affects coffee, and that’s something I care about…

Will the NYC Soda Ban Affect Coffee?

The soda ban in New York City, which goes into effect on Tuesday March 12, 2013, bans the sale of soda in servings of over 16 ounces.  This applies only to “regular” soda and not diet soda.  Coffee over 16 ounces is also impacted by the regulation if sugar is added.  It is then a sweetened beverage like soda and is regulated.  Most coffee shops and fast food restaurants will comply with the regulation by having customers add their own sugar and flavoring to coffee over 16 ounces.  Others may limit adding a certain number of packets to the coffee based on the size of the coffee.

NYC Soda Ban will Affect Coffee over 16 oz with Sugar Added
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

What will this mean for coffee drinkers and their morning routine?  I see 3 likely ways coffee drinkers will deal with this starting Tuesday morning:

1. If coffee drinkers want the convenience of having the barista add their sugar, they could order a smaller size- 16 oz or less.  I would anticipate few coffee drinkers would take this approach.  If you are used to drinking a 20 oz or 24 oz coffee, a smaller size simply will not do.    However some people will probably switch to either drinking one smaller coffee, or simply ordering 2 small coffees with the amount of sugar they like added.
2. Another approach would be to order the same size coffee as usual, but drink it black instead of adding sugar.  Again, unlikely for most people.  If you are used to cream and sugar, it would be hard to suddenly switch to drinking black coffee.  I imagine some people may end up learning to drink black coffee.
3. So that leaves option 3- add your own sugar at the coffee shop.  This will be somewhat inconvenient.  You’ll have to stop at a self-serve counter, take the lid off of your coffee, add sugar, stir, and put the lid back on.  Chances are there will be long lines in the mornings and frustration will run high at the sugar counter when supplies run out, etc. 

Will the NYC Soda Ban Lead to Less Sugar Consumption?

Overall, I think most people will end up drinking the same amount of coffee with the same amount of sugar, at least at first.  The new regulation will call attention to the health effects of consuming too much sugar.  That combined with the new inconvenience of getting sugar in your coffee may lead to less consumption of sugar in coffee over time.

Giant Soda- You wont get one of these in NYC
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Really the soda ban has minimal affect on the sugar supply in NYC- sugar will still be cheap and plentiful after the ban.  You can add it to drinks yourself, order multiple smaller drinks, or bring larger drinks from elsewhere.   The ban will have more of an impact on the demand for sugar in NYC.  If it is inconvenient to get large sugary drinks, people will find more convenient alternatives over time.

The soda ban in NYC reminds me of the smoking ban that went into effect here in Iowa a few years ago.  Smoking was banned in restaurants and bars.  Of course smokers and bar owners complained about this law, but it went into effect.  Smoking has also been banned at outdoor events such as football and baseball games.  I wondered how this would go over, but the smoking ban is effective- I haven’t seen it violated.

The smoking ban was enacted for health and safety reasons to protect employees at places like restaurants.  Does the government have the authority to regulate portion size of food products?  One example of government regulation of consumption is in the area of energy efficiency.  Automakers must maintain minimum fuel efficiency for vehicles across their fleet.  Light bulbs must meet energy efficiency standards and will likely lead to the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs in 2020.  So the government has a history of regulating the consumption of legal products for the good of the public.

It will be interesting to see:

1. Will the soda ban changes sugar consumption in NYC?  
2. Will public health improve in NYC after the ban is enacted?

I think sugar consumption in NYC will be reduced somewhat within a few months.  If public health does improve in NYC after the soda ban, I may see you at the sugar counter loading up your coffee in a few years…

Postscript

The New York City soda ban of 2013 was called off at the last minute.  A court decision did not allow the ban to proceed as planned.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal