Barista Joe

And considering the simple fact that Costa Rica exports 90% of its bean harvest, this news should surprise some. 

This month, the coffee chain will open its first store in a nation that is absolutely no stranger to the coffee bean of the exported variant.  However, with such limited exposure to imported beans, is Starbucks rolling the dice by stocking the shelves with blends from lands beyond?

 Extending the Starbucks retail presence to the Latin American country seems like a solid attempt to better acquaint Costa Rica and their coffee industry with the different complex flavors often found in African and Asian harvested beans.  It’s just unclear if the people will actually embrace the idea, though, it’s hard to believe Starbucks would act in such a way without the proper market tests and predictions. 

Costa Rica’s annual bean harvest is approximately 223 million pounds and Starbucks purchases about 20 million pounds of that, while the amount expected to be sold in the Costa Rica store is roughly 1,200 pounds a year.  This information implies the idea that Starbucks plans to showcase more of their line-up outside of Latin American harvests to a consumer-base that is mostly involved in the production and not the consumption.  

I asked before if Starbucks is rolling the dice on this one, what do you think? Comment below! 

Well..well..well, what do we have here? 

Is it possible that baristas around the world have met their match? Let’s find out.

Behold the Scanomat TopBrewer coffee faucet, and while the design and functionality seem to be pretty awesome, let’s not forget we are dealing with an automated device that may not necessarily deliver quality. Hey, I’m not saying that it doesn’t serve up a good product! It’s just that when the care and concern that a human provides to a cup of coffee or espresso is removed, certain compromises are made…and quality is usually the first to go. Sorry ‘bout it. While the TopBrewer may be prettier to look at than a barista like me, is it just another cautionary tale of looks being deceiving?

What I like:

• The clean, modern design with the adjustable swan-neck faucet fulfills the intended simplistic look while claiming the spotlight and moves all the parts and product underneath; sort of a quasi-kegerator, but for coffee, espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, americanos, and the list goes on and on. The counter-top menu is even a nice touch!
• The self-automated cleaning cycle it endures after each use is a relief. I like this only because it seems like it would be a bitch to clean manually. Yikes.
• iPhone compatibility! Because nothing would be better than waking up, ordering a cup of a medium black from my bedroom, and having it be fresh, hot and ready by the time I got to the kitchen. Or better yet, I can have this little guy bring it straight to me (the Honda Asimo humanoid robot*):

What I dislike:

• So far, there isn’t a whole lot to dislike for the simple reason that I have never tested it out. And if I ever do remains to be seen given that, although the price hasn’t been released, the TopBrewer looks to be a high priced luxury. This just means I’ll have to talk this baby up to all my rich friends.
• Also, another thing I won’t be able to determine…yet, is the quality of the product. This is gonna be the huge make or break spec, because it already has convenience in the bag. But as I stated before, anytime you take away the human element from the process it becomes a gamble because technology isn’t always reliable. And the last thing any purchaser wants is for this machine to be one service call after another. Even the automatic espresso machines, personal and commercial (like the expensive ones that baristas in Starbucks use), need calibrating to maintain consistent quality. And I can’t tell you how many times that small detail becomes a huge afterthought

Do I think you should buy it? Hell yes, and invite me over so I can see this thing in action because it does look pretty cool.

I will update on the more important details, such as price, availability and warranty of service, as they become available. I think it’s an innovative coffee vehicle, but I’m not sold on the automation. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the TopBrewer! And, of course, click the Tweet or Facebook button and share it with your friends. Thanks for reading!

*Robot not included…duh.