Zagat ranks Starbucks as no. 1 coffee

The newest Zagat ratings are out, and Starbucks ended up with the Number 1 Best Coffee ranking in the Fast Food and Quick Refreshment category and the No. 1 Most Popular Quick Refreshment Chain overall. Its competitors included Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, just to name a few of the 28 establishments that also fill that category.

Zagat’s ratings are not done by food professionals, but are compiled from user-submitted reviews of the restaurants and eateries that they regularly (or irregularly, if they’re bad) visit. This makes the Zagat reviews significant because they offer companies some insight into how the consumers are enjoying their products.

Starbucks in Paris

When I first went to Starbucks  in Paris, I felt a little bit guilty that I was bypassing several local cafes that had a more “authentic” feel to them. When I read David Lebovitz’s comments about how bad French coffee is, any remaining guilt quickly passed. Starbucks in Paris is great because the bathrooms are usally clean and easy to access, the cafes are air conditioned and, unlike regular cafes, you aren’t charged more if you stay and linger instead of taking your cafe to-go. Plus, it’s nice to be able to order a french press or a big Americano without getting strange looks.

Price-wise, the drinks are a little bit more expensive than it is in the US (mostly because the Euro is stronger than the dollar), but the food comes out to about the same price points. I also thought that the food and pastries were better overseas. It seemed like there was a lot more variety and, while I do like the classic coffee cake here, I don’t think I can argue with things like this gorgeous chocolate-covered donut or the Starbucks Fusion desserts created by pastry chef Michalak.

Leonidas White Chocolate Caramel Blended

I’ve been a big fan of the Southern California Leonidas Cafes for  some time now. They not only have excellent, fresh Belgian chocolates, but they have coffee drinks (mostly with chocolate), too! My summer favorite is the blended White Chocolate Caramel Coffee drink. Unlike other white chocolate drinks, like the ones at Starbucks, this one isn’t too sweet at all and has the same creamy, milky flavor that you find in a really good white chocolate – complete with notes of vanilla. The caramel increases the sweetness of the drink slightly, but it also adds a buttery richness. That said, the drink is very smooth and light. It’s easy to drink a big one, as they’re much less filling than similar drinks at some other coffee houses.

No new summer drinks from Starbucks?

Starbucks rolled out new menu boards and signs (which are very nice, by the way) to launch their summer promotions this week, but unlike last summer and the summer before, the “new” menu doesn’t include any new drinks. Probably due to cost cutting somewhere down the line, Starbucks has opted to promote Caramel Frappuccinos and Iced Coffee as their two big summer beverages this year. Both these drinks are good – and you can get the iced coffee sweetened or with mild added to it if you’re not the black coffee drinking type – but it’s a bit of a let down for some customers who look forward to trying something new. They have to wait until the next promo period comes around to see if any new drinks make the cut then.

If you want a new Starbucks drink right now, consider heading over to a Barnes and Noble Cafe Starbucks instead. The one I checked out this week was offering Mocha Mint Chip Frappuccinos (which have been available at the regular ‘bucks before) and Mocha Toffee Chip Frappuccinos.

Starbucks launches breakfast pairings

Starting this week, Starbucks is rolling out a new value-inspired concept for breakfast: breakfast pairings. Essentially, these pairings are all food plus beverage combinations that give you a discount over the price of the two items purchased separately. The combinations include:

• Tall Caffè Latte paired with:
  - Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal, 100% whole grain goodness made-to-order with three conveniently portioned toppings, including dried fruit, nut medley and brown sugar; or
  - Reduced-Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake, a moist buttery cake with a cinnamon swirl center topped with a cinnamon crumble.
• Tall Fresh Brewed Coffee paired with:
  - NEW Artisan Bacon Sandwich, a flavorful bakery-style sandwich made with a parmesan egg frittata, smoked bacon slices, and Gouda cheese on a perfectly-baked hand-shaped artisan roll; or
  - NEW Artisan Ham Sandwich, a delightful combination made with a parmesan egg frittata, three slices of Black Forest ham, and mild cheddar on a perfectly-baked hand-shaped artisan roll; or
  - Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, a tasty teaming of sausage, egg and mild cheddar on an English muffin; or
  - Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich, lighter option featuring reduced-fat turkey bacon, cholesterol-free egg, and reduced-fat aged white cheddar on a multi-grain English muffin.

Each of the pairings is just $3.95, and you could end up saving as much as $1.25 on an order by picking the combination over separates. Not a bad deal. If you want a mocha, or vanilla latte, or something instead of a plain latte, you’ll just be charged extra for the addition of syrup to the breakast pairing. You won’t have to miss out on the deal entirely.