Gloria Jeans vs Starbucks

One-a-day

It all depends on your benchmark for acceptable coffee doesn't it . Ever tried sitting in a foxhole (dug by you and your mate)in the middle of Holsworthy range sleep deprived and freezing looking out for the enemy 24/7 and only having ration pack instant coffee to drink out of your aluminium cups canteen with sweetend condensed milk (the only bonus being you can pour about 500 mills and many sugars into it) Thats just one of many coffee's over the last 13 years part time. So to come out and say they are both crap amuses me unless you can back it up with really knowing what crap is. Posted by: andybud Posted on: Jan 22nd, 2006, 10:49pm They are both crap. It amazes me that anyone would go to one of these places for a coffee. They make a mockery of what coffee is all about. So master don't leave us all in suspense enlighten us as to what it's all about.

nunu

Making a mockery of coffee is having a cafe with on-site roasting, and having a guy dressed up in clown garb roasting and playing barista. The place's motto: "Even a clown can do it!" This idea is patent pending, so don't steal it. If found stealing the idea, I'll sick the clown on you.

One-a-day

Are McDonalds going to roast onsite? Will ronald have to wear a hair net. 😉

andybud

[quote]It all depends on your benchmark for acceptable coffee doesn't it . Ever tried sitting in a foxhole (dug by you and your mate)in the middle of Holsworthy range sleep deprived and freezing looking out for the enemy 24/7 and only having ration pack instant coffee to drink out of your aluminium cups canteen with sweetend condensed milk

[deleted]

Gentlemen....please! What I think One-A-Day is trying to say is "it's all relative". 🙂

Lukey

I probably would but first let me try and understand what the hell you are going on about!

made sense to me! hang on, we are talking about foxholes arent we? 😉

nunu

Fire in the hole! Cover your vector soldier!

One-a-day

Yes Livetolearn hit it right on the head "its all relative" Imo I think unless you have hit rock bottom and seen whats at the bottom of the barrell ie Army instant,Jarrah instant self foaming cappa's,the elcheapo instant in your work place, your definition of crap doesn't cut it. So the question still remains whats it all about for you master. Cover your arcs people over to you

admin

Of all the coffee chains, is it possible that Michel's Patisserie is better than the others? I've never had a Michel's coffee, but take a look at this (from the online newswires): http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/Brazil-coffee-fetches-record-US4975lb/2006/01/12/1136956264038.html

mattyj

it really depends on the store, I've found. In some places, they really care about the coffee being served (Batemans Bay was a standout for me), so the result is great. In other places ... well, they're as bad as GJ's or *$s...

nzroaster

Actually, at the last Roasters Guild retreat in the u.s.a. the Michel's Patisserie blend won cuppers choice award, much to the surprise and dismay of Stumptown roasters(who win everything). Unfortunately we all know that great coffee made poorly is as bad as anything else out there so it really depends on the store. I'm yet to try a goo one in QLD.

kopi-0

I find GJs OK, their makers know pretty much what they're doing and have bought takehome beans from a high-t/o store and they do pretty good there too. But I avoid all their fancy (atificial) flavoured blends. Charbucks... I only buy choco frappes.

Of all the coffee chains, is it possible that Michel's Patisserie is better than the others?

Michel's uses their own blend, house roasted. Usually tastes pretty mild & smooth, not too bad. But the last MP long black I bought.... UGH! Watery, not a touch of crema, overheated. (Tasted worst than MaxwellHouse Instant!!) 1 sip and I binned it. I sneaked a look at their machine and it was dirty, the espresso was shot into a unwarmed unwashed glass before being tipped into my takeaway cup. I'm hoping it was a one off by a girl who had no idea, I will have to speak to the boss lady next time I meet her.

flatwhite

Travelling around a little bit with business I never know where to find a good coffee, and often praise the lord to find a GJ's or starbucks, it may not be great but at least you know what you are getting. The other day I picked up a flat white and a sausage roll at a half decent looking bakery cafe, 5 minutes up the road when I go to take the first sip I burn the shit out of my mouth on one of the worst coffee's I've had in a long time.

[deleted]

The other thing about these devilish places is that they're often the biggest with the most seating space and in the most convenient locations. The GJs in Newtown, Sydney, is even trying to look like a hippie vego rundown cafe to blend in with its surrounds. Then again, the Starbucks in Chatswood, Sydney, has furniture that should have been replaced YEARS ago... and strangely that's also quite appropriate for the area. I limit myself to caramel lattes at GJs and frappucinos at SBs because I can't take the disappointment of a bad coffee that's so overpriced. 😛 bleugh

mattyj

I had a pie at GJ's at Birken Head Point once. Worst Pie ever.

coffee_head

Where I live, the quality of coffee doesn't seem to be important. To be honest, in Launceston, I doubt anyone really know what a good coffee is, or cares. They seem to have taste buds covered in more concrete than a nuclear weapons bunker. It is bloody frustrating. I reckon when it comes to coffee, if it is cheap, buy it, even if the milk is overheated heated so it tastes foul, or the coffee is so over exstracted that you want to puke or worse still, you can still taste the cleaner in the coffee because they stuck it through the machine (at least they clean it) and you just happened to come in after and the silly cow wants to make one last coffee sale. So GJ isn't too bad an option. Must have mainland coffee.

One-a-day

I learnt a big lesson about coffee quality yesterday after I forgot if I had made a cup or not. I decided I hadn't after I was distracted by the kids and proceeded to use the same grounds from earlier on twice, after I realized what I was doing I continued any way to see what the result was like and it was tragic bordering on near tasteless filth but the not so funny thing was that in the past I have paid for coffee like this from the odd local cafe or reseraunt. I just have to remember where and avoid them, but I can say GJ'S or McCapitilist clown Cafe have never served me any thing that bad so far.

Cammo

I must admit, I have seen Gloria Jeans at Toombul in Brisbane timing their shots before the store opened. I watched in amazement as they stood at their machine and timed shots - about 27 secs - and then cupped and tasted. I must admit I was impressed...

Gonzo

if they have to time their shots, they dunno what their doin. G.

mattyj

if they're timing shots and tasting before the store opened, it suggests that they're being trained. At least they're tasting the difference between a 15 second shots, a 27 second shot and (hopefully) a 45-50 second shot - that way you get to experience first hand what a underextracted shot, a decent shot, and an overwextracted shot taste like. I'd rather a 27 second shot from someone working with a timer than a 15 second shot from someone who thinks they know what they're doing.

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