Has the froth finally blown off the coffee for Starbucks? Let's hope so. After announcing plans to close 600 coffee shops in America, Starbucks has rapidly shut 75 per cent of its outlets in Australia. Where good taste failed, the credit crunch has prevailed. It may have taken a world recession to finally halt the Starbucks juggernaut in its tracks, but it has not happened a moment too soon.
Never in the history of High Street consumerism has such an underwhelming product been so overhyped. For despite its global ubiquity - over 4,500 outlets in more than 47 countries - Starbucks coffees are awful. Their beans are roasted too high, leading to bitter, weak espressos and tasteless lattes. No wonder customers are encouraged to add sugar and squirts of hideous flavoured syrups. Any regrets that people have lost their Starbucks jobs is ameliorated by the fact that millions will no longer waste their money on this ludicrously priced muck. Don't forget the most expensive ingredient in a Starbucks cappuccino is the milk, not the coffee. It's a racket that has gone on for too long.
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