[Here’s the Starbucks Challenge FAQ and the google map!]
Starbucks says it’ll French-press a cup of fair trade coffee for any customer who specifically asks for a fair trade cup. During previous Challenges, Starbucks admitted it hasn’t quite lived up to this policy and promised to work on fixing its “break down in customer service.”
So during the month of May 2006, we’re asking activists to go visit their local Starbucks and see how easy it is to get a cup of fair trade coffee.
The Challenge
1) Visit your local Starbucks this month and ask: “Could I get a cup of fair trade coffee?”
2) Tell us what happened next. Ideally, the barista should immediately offer you a French-pressed cup of Cafe Estima — Starbucks’ only fair trade certified blend.
3) If your barista gives you a blank look, and you’re feeling courageous, try asking specifically for a French-press of the Cafe Estima blend. If the barista says it’ll cost you extra, say that HQ told you that you should be able to pay just for the size you asked for. And as always, be nice to the baristas :)
BLOGGERS: simply blog about what happened and tag it with “starbuckschallenge” (all one word) on del.icio.us (put the Starbucks location in the “extended” description). We’ll pull all articles into a feed. If you do not know about del.icio.us, then just email either City Hippy or green LA girl.
NON-BLOGGERS: tell us what happened by writing a comment on either City Hippy or green LA girl, or send an email to City Hippy or green LA girl, and we’ll do the rest.
Win a prize!
On June 1, City Hippy and green LA girl will award prizes: 1 to the person who takes the most challenges, 1 to the person with the most interesting, entertaining, educational, insightful, or funny report.
The prizes? An enviro-friendly, reusable, and chic workplace dish set (right, a $39 value!) will go to the person who takes the most challenges. A 2 lb bag of fair trade coffee from Just Coffee will go to the person with the most interesting report.
Challenge results
On June 1, City Hippy and green LA girl will contact Starbucks, either commending them on their progress on barista education efforts about fair trade, or asking them to, um, work on that.
Have a fair trade day.
City Hippy and green LA girl
Some fun stuff –
- The original Starbucks Challenge launch post, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5.
- The Starbucks Challenge FAQ.
- Starbucks Challenge’s del.icio.us feed.
- Starbucks Challenge’s Google Map.
Update, 5/1/06: A “People’s choice award” winner will receive an eco-friendly Fan Belt, courtesy of BTC Elements!
Update, 5/10/06: Take milk in your Starbucks coffee? Watch out for cow pus.
Update 5/17/06: About Starbucks’ CAFE practices — Why internally developed programs just don’t measure up to fair trade certification.
Update, 5/27/06: 5 days until prizes! Plus, an update about a week of protest against Starbucks, organized by the Organic Consumers Association.
Update, 6/4/06: Awards for Starbucks Challenge 4.0 go to Snooble and Vibes Watch! And don’t forget to vote for the People’s Choice Award! Also — Starbucks is now sending free fair trade coffee with local newspapers, in an attempt to green its image –
Update, 6/11/06: The biggest coffee chain in the US is Starbucks, of course, with 8,000 stores. But the 2nd biggest, Caribou Coffee, has just 322 stores. Wow.
Update, 6/13/06: Fair trade coffee’s hit the big screen, and Starbucks isn’t happy about it. In fact, the mermaid threw a PR party to try and counteract the bad press it’s getting via the film.
Update, 6/16/06: The Starbucks gets coverage in UK’s Corporate Watch :)
Update, 6/19/06: The Starbucks Week of Action, initiated by the OCA and Food and Water Watch, is underway!
Update, 6/27/06: Starbucks is being sued for labor issues, again. This time, it has to do with allegedly not following Cali’s labor laws.
Update, 7/5/06: The activist efforts to get Starbucks to act responsibly is nothing new — It’s a near-decade long effort.
FEED (del.icio.us/starbuckschallenge):
May 1st, 2006 at 11:58 am
I did it! I walked across the street, feeling rather guilty, determined to ask for a cup of fair trade and be insistant about it. The barista tried to pour me a regular medium coffee, but I asked again politely for fair trade and she huffed that she didn’t have any ready. I told her I didn’t mind waiting and it was settled. I gave them fair tip and out came the french press and a bag of Cafe Estima was opened. I only got a few dirty glares that turned into smiles as I waited for 5 minutes. I mentioned that I was only trying to save the world and they seemed to understand.
International Place
1735 N Lynn St, Ste 020
Arlington, Virginia 22209
703-465-7425
May 1st, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Went to the Starbucks at Forbes and Craig in Pittsburgh this morning, and they were brewing Estima as the coffee of the day. The cashier/barista was wearing those crazy cat-eye contact lenses that really freak you out.
Obviously, challenge successful.
May 2nd, 2006 at 7:06 am
Bravo! it’s finally out…the challenge. I’ll mention it in my blog to spread the words. Unfortunately, there’s no Sbx in Antibes or Nice or Cannes up to this point (it’s a good thing, really) so I can’t participate in that way :-| But I support all challengers here and for you two: Al and Siel :-) Good luck everyone…we’ll see how this pull out.
May 2nd, 2006 at 12:10 pm
I don’t drink coffee myself, and I’m not sure if fair trade coffee is available in Starbucks here in the Philippines, but this challenge makes me want to drop by a Starbucks and just ask if they have fair trade available. ^_^
May 2nd, 2006 at 6:20 pm
i dont see the point of such a test - i guess on a world-scale level - the fair gade idea makes sense - but honestly - i may be making some presumptions and some prejudices here, but honestly, isnt the whole ‘love earth’ thing a joke? no matter what you, your friends, your friends friends, their friends, etc, do, you will NEVER STOP INDUSTRIALIZATION! you will NEVER stop pollution - why not get something better to do with your time?
again i have just seen about 4 minutes of your collective life - and it seems you are big into saving the earth - hey its a noble cause - but so is saving inflation in ethiopia, you might say - well hey, i have friends doing that - fine, then save the poor polar bears, my point here is - why, honestly, do you people care so much about the world - believe me i am the first to admit i am ignorant on the worlds issues, my question to you is - where do you find the time to be active in world affairs, and still have time to be productive in your microcosm of a world - believe me i think the macrocosm is important - but i just dont have the time/energy to put forth a college try to get something done - in my opinion, the more time you spend trying - the less your doing for the world - because your being less productive to your microcosm. Please feel free to email me some thoughts - as i would really like to hear your views
May 2nd, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Please don’t do this during a rush. It’s incredibly obnoxious to baristas to make french presses for customers while there is a line of a dozen people.
-Starbucks Barista
May 6th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Thanks Devlin and Jim! I added your challenges to the feed :) And thanks to Maya and Lynn for the support :)
jerry — I think it’s a positive thing that people dare look outside the myopic microcosms of self-absorbed lives to actually try and change the system. Things do change, though it’s especially hard to see that if one chooses to remain self-admittedly ignorant about the world around them.
Tom — As noted in the post itself, we encourage people to be kind to baristas. If it helps, most people find it hard to ask for a french-press period cuz they don’t wanna make extra work for the baristas — let alone ask for a french-press with a dozen people lined up behind them.
May 6th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
If someone came to our shop and asked for a french press, I would be more than happy. There is something about serving great coffee from a press. It really does not take that long to serve one either.
Take Stumptown Coffee in Portland — they only serve french press.
..great coffee should not be rushed but enjoyed..
..be bold
May 6th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
In reply to “you will NEVER STOP INDUSTRIALIZATION!” - who said that was the goal? Time machines require flux capacitors and I think most people in industrialized society enjoy access to things like electricity anyway.
As for “you will NEVER stop pollution”, does that mean there should be no regulations attempting to limit it? Should it be legal to dump toxic or nuclear waste on city streets and sidewalks? Why not? We’ll never stop pollution.
We’ll never stop violence either, so why not legalize murder? Many bad things can’t be ended. That doesn’t mean people should stop trying to discourage those bad acts, and limit the damage they cause. The fact that there will always be some pollution makes limiting it all the more important.
May 6th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
Cool idea! (And I’m a Starbucks barista myself: say what you will about their fair trade practices- though I think they’re doing a fairly good job for such a freaking large corporation- but they treat their employees really well.) I really appreciate the fact that you emphasize being nice to the baristas. Nothing turns people off to an idea quite like sanctimonious, self-righteous attitudes. We get enough of those from our regular customers.
May 7th, 2006 at 12:12 am
I’m a brand new (literally) Barista, and I’ve already learned that ALL of Starbuck’s coffee is Fair Trade, however, it can take YEARS for coffee to be CERTIFIED fair trade, and only a select few are at the moment. Therefore, when they offer you whatever is brewing regularly that day, that ARE offering you fair trade coffee.
However, no matter what coffee you’d like, any Barista should ALWAYS agree to make it for you french press style if you specifically ask for it. I don’t know what the cost is for an entire french press worth vs. one cup, but it’s something that’s offered, and you shouldn’t be turned down.
May 7th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Hey Noelle,
Glad to hear you are a new barista. Were you trained that all SBUX coffee is Fair Trade? If so, can you tell me which store you work for?
I wanted to correct a statement that you made. Not all of SBUX coffee is Fair Trade Certified. SBUX purchased 11.5 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified coffee last year making them the largest purchaser of Fair Trade coffee in North America. And currently, the only 100% Fair Trade Certified blend in SBUX is Cafe Estima. Fair Trade is used in their other blends, but is not 100% hence can not be labeled as such.
Also, it is important to know that as the Fair Trade Certification criteria is today it is impossible for SBUX to offer 100% Fair Trade. SBUX purchases coffee from family farms who are too large or choose not be be a part of the Fair Trade system. It would not be socially responsible for SBUX to turn their backs on these farmers.
So it is important to note (as many of the smaller roasters will attest to) even if the coffee is not Fair Trade Certified, it does not mean it was sourced in an unethical way. It is important to know how the coffee was source. Transparency is the key. SBUX paid an average of $1.28 for all their coffee (FT is $1.26). I know people will argue that $1.28 is an average, but when over 300 million pounds of coffee was purchased, statistically, the range can not be that wide.
So when you do offer whatever coffee is currently brewing at SBUX, unless it is Cafe Estima, it is not Fair Trade Certified. But do feel confident that it was sourced ethically as SBUX moves toward third-party verified (Rainforest Alliance is one of the verifiers) coffee sourcing guidelines, C.A.F.E. Practices, which was develop with Conservation International.
Hope this clarifies any misinformation, and please let whoever trained you know this information as well.
Thanks!
May 7th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Hey Starbucks peeps — Thanks for your thoughts and input. Like CMH says, Cafe Estima’s the only fair trade CERTIFIED blend. But I also want to clarify that not all of Starbucks’ coffee is sourced ethically. This is something Starbucks admits itself: “It is unequivocally our goal that all of our coffee is fairly traded, but we are not there yet.”
When I ran into Cindy Hoots — a CSR dept. person at Starbucks — she said that they’d recently sent out a memo to stores, telling them to stop saying that all of Starbucks’ coffee is fair trade or fairly traded. It seems evident, though, that misinformation’s tough to eradicate quickly in a v. large company :(
I’d also like to point out that — while Starbucks does pay $1.28 for its coffee, a lot of that moolah goes to middlemen. The point of fair trade is that $1.26 goes to farmer co-ops, NOT middlemen. You can see how it’s a lil misleading to be proud of paying middlemen well, when it’s the coffee farmers that’re the ones not being compensated fairly under traditional trade channels.
And while it CAN take years for some coffee co-ops to get fair trade certified, the complaint has been that it can take 2-3 years to get this certification. Starbucks has been in the system 6 years now — meaning that the current low % of total fair trade coffee Starbucks does has little to do with the time it takes to get certified.
Is Starbucks moving in the right direction with getting more certified coffee, etc.? I hope so, and, when I’m feeling optimistic, think so. But I do think that it’ll take customers asking about it — and employees getting the real story of where Starbucks is currently — to encourage that process :)
May 7th, 2006 at 8:47 pm
“But I also want to clarify that not all of Starbucks’ coffee is sourced ethically”…Just curious, what is your definition of ethical sourcing? Is only fair trade coffee ethical purchasing? While sbux admits that it has more work to do, long before this challenge ever came about and prior to being targeted by ft activists it is my understanding that sbux was already paying higher prices for its coffee. Even if it is not fair trade coffee aren’t they at least ethical in their sourcing? Just curious…
May 8th, 2006 at 1:17 am
jerry, I dont think the idea is to stop industrialization, at least it certainly is not mine, but I think it is important to keep ethical products in the minds of big corporations. Corporations like to hit people with “we are only providing the products our customers want”. If enough people dont ask for something they will stop selling it, as I found over the weekend.
Before I ever heard of the Starbucks Challenge I read an article in the Guardian entitled Coffee Trail that follows coffee from the growers in Ethopia to Waterloo station in London. It’s worth a read to see how coffee prices impact people.
May 8th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Hey Declan — Thanks for the link :)
james — Considering that even Starbucks itself has said that not all of its coffee’s sourced ethically, I think it’s safe to say that not all of Starbucks’ coffee is sourced ethically.
No — I do not think that ONLY fair trade certified coffee’s ethically produced coffee, as there are some limits to what coffee can be certified as fair trade. That said, I’ve found that most companies that complain loudly about these limitations (i.e. Starbucks) are simply using them as excuses for not changing their business practices — or changing them with discernable speed — to make them more ethical.
May 8th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
This is site is awesome. As a barista, I have the weirdest mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I kinda resent being tested, but its nice to hear you encourage people to be nice about it.
On the other, I really appreciate that rather than just criticizing Starbucks like the jerk at ihatestarbucks.com, you guys are doing something to help us improve. I mean, we’re kinda here to stay (if for nothing more than the hotspots), so I hope we’re doing the best we can. I also really appreciate the depth to which many of you are aware of the issues, and that you’ve taken the time to get in touch with the csr rep. Thanks.
On another note, have you tried the Organic Shade Grown Mexico? Although its not fair trade certified, its grown on a bio-reserve in a rain forest, proving rain forests don’t have to be destroyed for temporary economic gains. (Not trying to advertise, just suggesting in case you want to mix it up sometime).
Hope I pass,
Liz
May 8th, 2006 at 11:43 pm
Your response to my question was more enlightening than anything. If you follow the link, “starbucks admits itself”, they don’t say, “we buy coffee unethically”, like you are insinuating. They say, “But, the reality is that we do not have that confidence for 100% of our purchases, including some purchases of Fair Trade Certifiedâ„¢ coffee.” I just find it interesting that you are using a quote by sbux saying that they still have more to do to say that what they do is, admittedly, unethical. Unethical is your term. Using the word unethical seems to imply that they are intentionally doing something destructive when it seems that they are trying to do good work even though it can be improved. I just think there’s a difference and I’m not sure you do.
May 9th, 2006 at 10:09 am
While I am excited about the challenge, as a barista, I would appreciate if you specified official Starbucks stores. Barnes and Nobles, airports, etc, are not official; they’re more the red-headed stepchild to Starbucks, and they do what they please, sometimes making people hate the entire company for their lack of procedure.
May 9th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
Hey Em — I’ve specified that in the FAQ — It’s the 4th question, I believe :) And if people take the challenge at those stepchildren places, I do email them / comment on their blog letting them know that, you know, those are stepchildren :)
james: Please read a few lines up from where you took the quote. There, you’ll see that Starbucks wrote: “But I also want to clarify that not all of Starbucks’ coffee is sourced ethically.” It seems you’re reading a different part of the letter and insisting I misquoted Starbucks, when I’ve simply cut and pasted a direct quote.
Liz — I’ll try to try the shade grown soon — Thanks for the info and the recommendation :) Do you work around here? If so, maybe I can drop by and say hello :)
May 10th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
I read a few lines up, like you suggested and it reads, “It is unequivocally our goal that all of our coffee is fairly traded, but we are not there yet.” The point I’m trying to make is that I don’t think this statement is the same as saying, “we are unethical in our sourcing” as you suggest. I think it is an interesting nuance that you are trying to turn an admission of imperfection into an admission of guilt. I think it probably hampers honest dialogue if starbucks can’t highlight opportunities for improvement without “admitting that they are unethical”. It sets up a no win situation for them. So instead of entering into a dialogue that could potentially be a win-win for both sides, there is no incentive for them to even engage. And then nothing changes.
May 11th, 2006 at 11:12 am
What I wrote, and I quote, was “But I also want to clarify that not all of Starbucks’ coffee is sourced ethically,” to show that what CMH had written — “do feel confident that it was sourced ethically” was not quite accurate.
And, to give Starbucks due credit, I followed it up with “Is Starbucks moving in the right direction with getting more certified coffee, etc.? I hope so, and, when I’m feeling optimistic, think so.”
If you see that as my creating a no-win situation, then we’ll have to agree to disagree.
May 11th, 2006 at 11:23 am
Stopped at Starbucks in Portland, Oregon at 15350 SW Sequoia Pkwy. I asked “I’m wondering if you can brew me a cup of fair-trade coffee?” The barista immediatly replied “Of course, but it will take at least 4 minutes.” Couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a delicious cup of brew.
May 11th, 2006 at 11:33 am
Yey! Thanks for joining in, Beth :)
May 15th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
I have to agree with james. I read the entire Starbucks letter you linked to, and Starbucks NEVER said they sourced coffee unethically. That is your interpretation of a company claiming that they are not perfect and have more work to do.
I know you like to use the “middleman” argument, but, actually, according to TransFair USA, about 70-80% of the $1.26 goes to the farmer. With the average of $1.28 Starbucks paid last year whether to coop managers, mills or exporters, approximatley the same percentage went to the farmer. As you know, Starbucks is including transparency requirements in their contracts with these “middlemen”. Last year, 93% of their coffee contracts included an economic transparency clause requesting
documentation of payments made to various participants in the supply chain. I think that is pretty darn good for a company that size. What other multi-national has that type of transparency?
And I feel it is a bit unfair to insinuate that all these so-called “middlemen” are corrupt and ripping off the farmers. A generalization like that is pretty toxic and unmerited. I have met some millers who service hundreds of producers, and they have paid above the market price plus built free health clinics and schools for the farmers supplying the mill. Of course, there are some dishonest people in the coffee industry just like there are dishonest people in all fields. The key is to discover who is being dishonest and cease doing business with them.
This is the power Starbucks has. They can say to the exporters and millers, “clean up your business or we will stop purchasing coffee from you.” And these people will listen. This is why the transparency requirements are so vital.
I have been reading the posted results of the Starbucks Challenge so far, and it looks as if Starbucks is doing a good job. At least much better than your last challenge. I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned how well the baristas have been doing. Looks like Starbucks may have taken your critism to heart. It just took a bit longer to implement…but I think they told you that would be the case.
CMH
May 15th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
CHM — I didn’t say Starbucks admitted, word for word, to “sourcing their coffee unethically.” I simply quoted Starbucks saying that not all of their coffee’s sourced ethically, as of yet. Most people, I think, would take the former to mean the latter — but for the benefit of you and james (who, by the way, is a troll that previously called Starbucks fascist just to get attention) I’ve tried to differentiate between the two.
I’m already well aware of the fact that Starbucks has been trying very hard to portray fair trade co-ops as corrupt. But fair trade co-ops are by rule democratically organized. This means that co-op members can choose to, say, put some of the co-op’s earnings towards creating a community school or hospital instead of distributing all earnings to individual farmers. If a farmer votes to put his/her funds towards a community hospital, in lieu of getting a bigger personal check — Is that really some sign of corruption at the co-op level, as you seem to be suggesting?
It’s also pretty funny that you’re trying to stand up for middlemen — called “coyotes” in the coffee industry — in an attempt to defend Starbucks’ practices. I’ve personally lived in Kenya for 10 years, and have recently listened to coffee farmers from Uganda speak about the prevelance of coyotes in the coffee industry — well-known for ripping off coffee farmers. Yet you try to claim that coyotes are unfairly marginalized. I too would like to believe that some go against the grain, but seriously, c’mon now.
And we both know that Starbucks’ transparancy clauses don’t actually require that farmers get paid fair prices — just that coyotes report their practices.
Agan, I’d like to reiterate that when I’m feeling hopeful, I do think that Starbucks is taking a step in the right direction. But as an activist, I think I’m well within my right to point out how far Starbucks has come, and how much further Starbucks has to go.
May 27th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
My friend went into Starbucks the today (Vons-Del Mar #2119). I made sure that she would ask for a Fair Trade iced coffee. She was planning to get a decaf iced coffee and became disappointed to learn Sbux doesn’t do FT decaf. But I told her to go ahead and order it anyways. She said 3 of the 4 baristas had no idea what it was. This is a store that I went to a few months ago and ordered a small Cafe Estima and they tried charging me for a large because thats how much the French Press makes.
My friend was further disappointed to learn that her capuccino could not come with fair trade coffee.
May 29th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Viraf — You rock for bringing this Starbucks around. Okay, it’s just 1 of 4 baristas, but still…
May 30th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
Viraf- Cappuccino is made with espresso, not coffee. They also have a specific blend for iced coffee, because certain coffees taste gross iced, particularly the Latin American blends, of which Estima is one.
They shouldn’t, however, have charged you for more coffee than you ordered in the French Press.
June 5th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
I agree with Tom. I am an Ex-Starbucks employee, and just want to let you all know how amazingly hard it can be working there. I work in finance at a bank, and yet working at their front counter was sometimes a more nerve-wracking experience than my current job.
Kudos to you all for trying to encourage more fair trade sales, but I must insist you treat these people with dignity. I often found “green” people the hardest to deal with, since they felt hostile towards the company already, and felt the need to take it out on me.
Just remember to say please. That, more than anything, is what matters.
I’m heading out for some fair trade beans now…
June 5th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Matt — I agree — which is why we say to the challengers in our Challenge post: “And as always, be nice to the baristas :)”
Sorry to hear that in yr experience, it’s been the enviro-conscious who’ve given baristas a hard time :( In my experience, I’m usually overly grateful when I actually get a fair trade cup :P
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:25 am
Although the Challenge is officially over - I tried asking for Fair Trade today at one of the K St locations in DC. I was met with total blankness/confusion by the first two employees at the phrase Fair Trade and finally was answered by a third who just said, “No, no Fair Trade.” Maybe the Cafe Estima blend will meet greater success…
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:43 am
And yet I keep getting Starbucks people writing me to say they’ve pretty much fixed the problem :(
Thanks for trying though :) If you have the time, you might try it again, specifying Cafe Estima if all baristas seem at a loss — again…
September 11th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
Great Challenge!
Is that Cafe Estima organic, btw?
And to come of the other commenters, it’s not THAT horribly tough to get fair trade coffee! The students at Brown took it upon themselves to get ONLY fair trade coffee served at all the zillion Brown-owned eating establishments. It’s great! If they can do it, surely Starbucks with all its corporate might can, too.
cheers,
ml
September 13th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
No, it sure isn’t. Starbucks doesn’t have any blends that’re both fair trade and organic certified –
It’s great to hear re: the stuff that’s gone down at Brown. Damn — I guess that freedom from course requirements really works for student social activism!
September 29th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Starbucks at Robertson and Venice Blvd said they didn’t have any Fair trade in stock, hadn’t in a while, and weren’t sure if they would ever get any of the fair trade blend anymore :(
The following day I was in the same area, and stopped by Noah’s Bagel’s (next door to Starbucks), and when I asked if they had any fair trade coffee, I just got a blank stare from the girl, she had no idea what “Fair Trade” meant.
October 1st, 2006 at 5:28 pm
What an awesome idea! Will try…. even though I haven’t been to a SBUX in a really long time.
October 3rd, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Thanks Sarah! I added your challenge to the list :) Kim — will wait to hear from you –
January 14th, 2007 at 3:08 am
Has anyone tried it at the Starbcks in Guantanamo Bay?
After a hard day’s work, those torturers are surely looking to balance out their karma by buying Fair Trade, right?
Or maybe not. Maybe Starbucks are supporting the cromes against humanity at Guantanamo in the same way they support crimes against humanity via the WTO.
They don’t deserve your money. Stop helping them with their PR.
April 14th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
So … this challenge is nearly a year old and I just heard of it. What was the end result? Are there any new challenges? What about Starbucks outside the United States? Do you know if Canada has the same press-pot policy?
Cheers!
April 18th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
The challenge still stands! Certainly, patronize yr indie coffee shop whenever possible. But if you find yourself with no option but Starbucks — or if you’re near one and had a few mins to spare — try the challenge and report back!