Bold coffee as a digestive health issue...

Some of us have expressed our online frustrations over Starbucks' failure to have a bold coffee option available after the noon hour. It might seem like we're being picky, but the truth is we are far from alone in our complaints - see the chart above (click on the chart to see a larger version) - and for some coffee drinkers, the blend served is important to digestive health. Yesterday I was in Java City, a Starbucks competitor with shops all over the U.S. and in Asia, and one of their baristas explained to me that bold coffee has not only less acid but much less caffeine than the lighter brews. Most people will assume that just the opposite is true, that dark or bold equals heavy and strong...

You can do some quick research of your own. Using a search engine like Google, enter terms like Crohn's disease coffee caffeine; or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) coffee caffeine; or Colitis caffeine coffee. You'll find that for persons with these digestive conditions, minimizing their caffeine intake is important. Bold brewed coffee helps in this respect, and every little bit helps.

So, here's a kudos to Java City and Peet's, two of the coffee companies that make a point of offering at least one bold coffee blend choice whenever their shops' doors are open! As for Starbucks, we're still waiting - and waiting and waiting and waiting - for them to get with the program.

Note: The chart above represents issues raised at My Starbucks Idea. As of early November 2008, over 17,000 respondents had expressed their desire - their idea in action, if you will - to have "Bold Coffee (Served) All Day."

McDonald's Begins Its Shelling of Starbucks...

Thanks to Jolene for finding this and posting it on her blog site. I hope she doesn't mind this co-post, as this intriguing article - click on the orange link below to read it - should be published just about everywhere.

A few quick notes... I disagree with the columnist's conclusion here; I do believe that $100 million in advertising by the Golden Arches will hurt the Bucks. Also, I think they should have called their new shops McCoffee.

I further feel it's worth mentioning that Starbucks was once far ahead of its second and third-tier competitors - like Peets and Sacramento-based Java City - but it has now been caught and surpassed in terms of the "total customer experience." (That experience should include excellent service.) Perhaps more importantly, these competitors are now providing what many see as a better product, a better cup of bold coffee.

Note that Peets, for example, does not compete with the Bucks on price. A small cup of Peets coffee costs 15 cents more than it does at S-B. For those serious coffee drinkers who think they're getting a better brew for just three nickels, its a very small price to pay.

Selling coffee becomes diacritical for McDonald's - Los Angeles Times

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Photo: flickr (turtlemom4bacon)