Hidden Messages in the Packaging? Green Coffee Loading Pit? Things you might’ve missed. 

Maybe you’re new to reading this little site? Maybe you’ve missed a few things? I want to recommend a few of my favorites for your lazy Sunday, fall day. Grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte and enjoy:

The Green Coffee Loading Pit at the Roastery

You should read this article if you really love the fine nuances of coffee education. This article touches an element of quality control at the Roastery that is usually unseen or unknown.

I wrote this story about one year ago, in October 2015, and it’s still a valuable coffee education piece.

The Untold Caffè Verona Story: Just add whiskey

I can’t recommend this article strongly enough. So few partners know the real story of how Caffè Verona came to be. Contrary to what you’ve been told in the past, Caffè Verona did not start out as a great coffee to go with chocolate. It’s true. This coffee does pair nicely with chocolate. But if you want the real story, you have to add whiskey.

I wrote the Caffè Verona story in February this year, and consider it now to be one of the best on this site.

Howard Schultz Answers Customer Questions.

This article dates back to 2011. That was an amazing year in the world of Starbucks. So much happened as the company celebrated their 30th anniversary. For me, it was a great time because I got invited to sooo many events that year! I did so many things with Starbucks!

This particular event was part of the many things that happened in 2011. That was the year that Onward was published, and this event was part of the book promotion. I tried to record some of Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz’s answers as customers threw questions at him. Here’s your chance to listen to him field uncensored, random customer questions.

Finding the Hidden Messages in the Whole Bean Coffee.

Did you know that there are clues in the Starbucks whole bean packaging, each with a special meaning?

The Starbucks whole bean packaging has been through many design changes over the years. I remember when the packaging was a paper bag with a sticker on it. Each sticker was a colorful depiction of the coffee inside. The coffee packaging went through a major overhaul in 2013, and in 2014 I gave you a look at some of the signs and symbols on the core Starbucks coffee packaging.

The Magic of Aged Sumatra.

This little unofficial Starbucks website was born in September 2009. One of the first things I ever wrote was this story: The Magic of Aged Sumatra. It represents that from the beginning, I wanted to learn more about coffee.

Lots of people have stumbled upon it as they want to know a little bit more about aged Sumatra.

The Refill Policy

The refill policy is the number one Google search leading people to this site. The problem is that partners often say “no” to things that should be a refill. (You CAN switch beverages). And the other side of the same coin is that customers don’t understand the “same store visit” portion of the refill policy. I don’t believe in arguments at the register over the refill policy. It only leads to disappointed customers, and baristas (who for many, many reasons) who go into barista-sheriff mode. Starbucks tries to create “enthusiastically satisfied customers.” The refill policy arguments don’t lead to that.

Personally, I rarely take advantage of the generous Starbucks refill policy: The reason for this is that the overwhelming majority of my Starbucks purchases are “to go.” Statistically, most of the Starbucks business is “to go.” I can honestly say, there is a part of me that would understand if Starbucks one day just completely eliminated the refill policy: It creates a lot of confusion.

10 Ways Starbucks Could Improve.

I stand by what I wrote in that article. I wrote “10 Ways Starbucks Could Improve,” in May 2015. It ended up being one of my more controversial articles. I recognize that I wrote things in that article that will anger many. I don’t care. Without the “Starbucks Experience” it’s just a place of beverages, ingredients, and cups – something that any retailer can mimic. Starbucks has differentiated themselves for decades not by their fancy stores, rather because of the Starbucks experience. Starbucks’ own research shows that the majority of customers return for the customer connection.

And if you want other StarbucksMelody.com productions, click onto these sites!

For more Starbucks fun (presented by others, not StarbucksMelody), try these sites:

StarbucksOrnament.com (For the hardcore Starbucks ornaments collector)

The Modern Barista.com