Starbucks launches “everyday” coffee to end consumer “confusion”

20th April 2008

Roaster/retail chain Starbucks in mid-April launched its Pike Place Roast, which the company said would be available in all of its 7,100 American stores, a Reuters report said.

The move to the new drip coffee blend, which has a “smoother flavour and finish”, is aimed at offering the same coffee continuously in all of the outlets. Previously, Starbucks outlets served a different coffee each week, which was “confusing to some customers,” the report quoted Starbucks as saying.

The Pike Place Roast, and its decaf equivalent, would be offered in addition to a third, bolder brew that would be chosen from a rotating list, a spokesperson said.

The standardised roast was launched in Starbucks’ US outlets only, and the company was still evaluating whether it would be suitable for its international markets, the report added.