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Original poster

Can we talk about Costa?

219 replies

Twitteratti · 03/09/2018 15:26

I just don't understand why it appears to be so successful. Is it because in too many places there just aren't enough decent alternatives?

Someone on Coco Cola's board obviously thinks it serves decent coffee Confused

OP posts:
JassyRadlett · 04/09/2018 09:35

wherebouts is your office? I'll find you an independent coffee shop

I know my area, ta. I’m sure you can find me an indie. An indie with reliably drinkable, non-burnt coffee that doesn’t take 15 minutes to make by awful staff is another question. After much trial and error, I’ll stick with Pret for coffee on the go, thanks.

CorneliusCrackers · 04/09/2018 09:36

Also Costa always seems to be in ‘low brow’ areas, as my mother would say - a business park next to a KFC etc

mydogisthebest · 04/09/2018 09:40

Starbucks coffee may be strong (although even that isn't true in all branches) but it always has a strange bitter taste. Sometimes it has that stale taste that I used to get when I had a coffee maker and let the coffee sit for quite a while

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General food
chasinggarlic · 04/09/2018 09:43

Off topic but babyccinos aren’t free at my local costa

Contact their customer services and let them know. They are absolutely supposed to be free across the board.

Unless it's a chocolate/mallow version, then they still charge, but the standard babychino should be free.

LemonysSnicket · 04/09/2018 09:46

Because good coffee places charge a bomb in London and at Costa you know they're a flat rate and stick to their opening times

JassyRadlett · 04/09/2018 09:50

It's not being a coffee snob to know what decent coffee should taste like and think neither Starbucks or Costa serve decent coffee

I think that’s exactly the definition of a coffee snob. Grin Embrace it and own it! Not liking the sweeter milkier coffees of the chains is allowed. They are designed to appeal to the broadest possible demographic, rather than those who already have a taste for stronger, less milky coffee.

To be frank, around 98% of the coffee I’ve ever had in Britain has been less than amazing, so to me people are quibbling over degrees of mediocrity. Wink But I used to live in one of the only places Starbucks failed and had to almost totally pull out.

mydogisthebest · 04/09/2018 10:04

I can't drink rubbish coffee. If that makes me a coffee snob then fine.

I agree that an awful lot of the coffee in the UK is not great but some places serve better coffee than others.

I think the fact that so many people in the UK drink instant coffee and think Starbucks and Costa coffee is nice shows that most people wouldn't know a decent coffee if it bit them.

If I am paying a ridiculous price for a cup of coffee I want it to taste good and like coffee not like hot milk or bitter or stale

Original poster
Twitteratti · 04/09/2018 10:08

@JassyRadlett But I used to live in one of the only places Starbucks failed and had to almost totally pull out. I'm curious to know where that is?

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 04/09/2018 10:09

I’m near Edinburgh - I’ve tried quite a few indie coffee shops there, I’d not go back to any of them... they do things like burn milk in lattes...

Costa on the other hand, I can get an extra shot of coffee in and it’s good.

Original poster
Twitteratti · 04/09/2018 10:12

All these independents which are worse than Costa....it beggars belief!

OP posts:
DieAntword · 04/09/2018 10:16

I like sweet mild coffee. The blend I drink at home is called “fudge”. Bitterness in coffee is to be expected but burnt notes or acidity are what I really don’t like. Sweetness and mildness are features not bugs imo.

JassyRadlett · 04/09/2018 10:26

I'm curious to know where that is?

Australia in general (Starbucks had to close 70% of stores, the only survivors were in tourist areas) and specifically Melbourne and Brisbane, both of which have pretty serious and competitive coffee scenes.

All these independents which are worse than Costa....it beggars belief!

Really? So much depends on the ability of a barista. If a business isn’t investing in training their staff properly, they’ll likely make very poor coffee with eg overheated milk. More process-driven businesses may be mediocre but are more consistent.

tabulahrasa · 04/09/2018 10:31

“All these independents which are worse than Costa....it beggars belief!”

Not really, not being in a chain doesn’t automatically make something good...

pacer142 · 04/09/2018 10:32

All these independents which are worse than Costa....it beggars belief!

If you're visiting/travelling, you don't have the luxury of local knowledge and trial & error. You have probably one opportunity for a coffee. Are you going to take a risk on poor coffee, nowhere to sit, stale cake, and rancid toilets, or are you going to go somewhere where you know you'll get a consistent experience (even if it's not perfect)?

The whole ethos of the chains, whether Costa, McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, Wetherspoons, etc etc is the consistency and standardisation - that's why they're successful.

Just come back from a week in Bath. We found a lovely little cafe for lunch. Went in, sat down at a cramped tiny table, ordered, paid by cash (didn't accept cards) etc. Then when we asked for the WIFI code, they said, oh sorry, it's not working! Tried to go to the loo to find it was down a narrow corridor and up some stairs so inaccessible to my MIL! The whole "experience" is often lacking. The next day, we just went to McDonalds instead, meal not as good, but working WIFI, accessible toilets, and far quicker service.

chasinggarlic · 04/09/2018 10:35

All these independents which are worse than Costa....it beggars belief!

Well some of them are! I have been in some really shit independents. I have also been in some fantastic indys that blow costa out of the water.

It's interesting though how despite such a huge response with various opinions on coffee shops, that you are adamant your opinion is the only correct one.

Some people like costa, get over it. It doesn't affect you.

Santaclarita · 04/09/2018 10:42

Because the hot chocolate is amazing and the chocolate brownies are awesome too.

Original poster
Twitteratti · 04/09/2018 10:42

that you are adamant your opinion is the only correct one. where have I said that?

There's nothing wrong with being surprised at facts. And I have acknowledged the fact that loads of people like Costa.

Some people like costa, get over it. It doesn't affect you. where have I said that I am unable to get over it? Again, I have said I'm very surprised. But I am perfectly able to carry on going about my daily life without the knowledge that loads of people like Costa unduly troubling me. I would say I am most definitely 'over it'.

however, that is not to say that I am uninterested in Costa's popularity. Hence why I started a thread. In chat. Because that's what I'm doing. Chatting.

OP posts:
SoyDora · 04/09/2018 10:43

All these independents which are worse than Costa....it beggars belief!

Does it? Confused. Being independent doesn’t necessarily make something better. I’ve been in some great independent coffee shops and some awful ones. In the small town I live in we don’t have any chain coffee shops, just 4 independents. 2 are good, 2 are crap.

chasinggarlic · 04/09/2018 10:45

You are so defensive Grin

Original poster
Twitteratti · 04/09/2018 10:54

Being independent doesn’t necessarily make something better.

I agree it's not a given. But it should make it more likely to be better. One slightly crappy outlet of a chain can be supported by the overall success of a chain. There isn't the same support in an inde. So you'd have thought the proprietors of the inde would make extra effort to be great.

OP posts:
DieAntword · 04/09/2018 11:02

I dunno how half the cafes around survive. I can only assume many of them get custom purely on location.

JassyRadlett · 04/09/2018 11:04

But it should make it more likely to be better. One slightly crappy outlet of a chain can be supported by the overall success of a chain. There isn't the same support in an inde. So you'd have thought the proprietors of the inde would make extra effort to be great.

You’re making a huge assumption that ‘good coffee’ is the key selling point for most potential punters for those coffee shops. You’ve made the point that many people are perfectly content with mediocre coffee. Those are the potential customers of indies as well. There just isn’t the same culture of coffee in the UK as in some other countries.

You’re also making an assumption about the capability of those business owners.

lexer · 04/09/2018 16:26

Much as I slag Costa off - haven't gone in for a long time as so fed up of dishwater coffee in huge cups, I do actually buy their ground coffee to make at home - and that's the only way I can drink Costa coffee.

EnidButton · 04/09/2018 16:46

I love their gluten free chocolate brownies and I like their hot chocolate.

I don't care about coffee, it tastes rank wherever it's from. The amount of coffee bores enthusiasts put me off coffee too.

Thesearmsofmine · 04/09/2018 17:10

Our town is pretty dire, we have a couple of indie cafes and a Costa which is less than a year old. We don’t even have a McDonalds!

I used to take my children to one of the indie cafes for a drink weekly costing over £10 each time, in Costa it is about £5. I don’t drink coffee so can’t comment on that but the hot chocolate is lovely. Along with that our Costa is clean, has friendly staff and plenty of room for my pushchair.

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