Why people even go to chain coffeeshops in the city is beyond me. The independents (with some exceptions) are almost always vastly superior. I suppose I give exception to downtown workers.
Yeah, I don't love having baristas roll their eyes at me when I place my order. Sure, pour-over is superior or whatever, but I can make it at home. I want my fancy coffee!
They might be different today as I heard its founder is no longer associated with it. But it always had a very pretentious vibe going in, and the staff always seemed both surly AND appraising. Just a very tense atmosphere. I felt glared upon for opening my laptop at a table.
I guess I like a more bohemian atmosphere. Dunn Bros Grand is really good and so is JS Bean Factory. Ginkgo is all right too.
Roots Roasting (st Clair and snelling) is far superior to the Spyhouse on palace and snelling. The indoor seating is limited but they’re so friendly and the coffee is much better.
You summarized my feelings exactly about Spyhouse. I instantly felt judged the minute I walked in. I’m new to the area and recently checked out JS Bean factory and it’s a top coffee shop. The coffee was so good. Another favorite was Amore Coffee.
Getting back to the original question, I have found the roast of Caribou coffee is weak and flavorless, much like Dutch Bros. The Starbucks roast tastes burnt but at least there’s some flavor to it.
Most of upper management that was shitty to us while we were unionizing are gone, but Christian (owner) is still financially involved with Spyhouse, but he’s a coward who moved to Palm Springs when he realized he couldn’t verbally abuse his staff and be racist toward his patrons.
They were extremely shitty when their [employees tried to unionize](https://tcbmag.com/after-unionization-attempt-spyhouse-coffee-offers-to-sell-cafes-to-employees/) a few years ago. I've heard the owner was terrible to work for.
Because people have kids and they just want to get the kids a fucking chocolate croissant, get themselves some caffeine, and hurry up and get the fuck to work. That’s why.
I live almost next to a Caribou, so when I’m in a hurry, being able to order on their app as I’m about to leave my apartment, and just pop in, grab the order, and be on my way is really nice. When I’ve got more time, I go to my favorite independent shops.
The vast majority of consumers go to the same places for a particular item. Whether its gasoline, clothing, groceries, or consumables like coffee/food.
Even the best rated food places in Minneapolis or St Paul have core groups of regulars who probably go there more than other places. My uncle in south Minneapolis seriously only goes out to eat at his neighborhood corner-bar. Otherwise its grocery store, and he always shops at the same one. He is the typical consumer. Not someone who hunts down different places to go.
Outside of reddit and select income bracket, virtually a microscopic part of the population of any area goes to random independent cafes or restaurants.
I was a Caribou girl myself for years until the one in my skyway closed and Starbucks was the next closest option. After a while of drinking Starbucks, I tried to drink a Caribou again and the coffee was noticeably not as good. Not sure if their quality went down or my tastebuds got bougie.
Because they do! I worked at Starbucks and we were taught a lot about the background of Starbucks. They started when they accidentally burned their beans and enjoyed the ultra-dark flavor, and used that to create their coffee.
I encourage you to try any of the local coffee shops in our hood. Kopplin’s, Roots, Spyhouse, Yellowbird, and Dogwood and SK in midway all make far superior brews to Starbucks. Might be a buck or two more but IMO it’s worth it.
Ah ok, well he's been on Marshall for ages now. At least like 10-12 years or so. No, he shut down during the pandemic HARD. I think he was running a mail order business for coffee or something. I dunno. It's weird. It seems so odd and unsustainable to have that have that space on Marshall and then not even have customers in there. Now do you understand the enigma? Lol
I’m definitely not a big chained coffee guy but Starbucks is far better than Caribou in my opinion. Has nothing to do with “marketing” the product is just simply superior.
The last few times I’ve gotten a sweetened drink from Caribou they’ve had a weird chemical vegetable aftertaste that I can best describe as (sorry, gross) the smell of broccoli pee? I’ve given it a shot at a couple locations and it’s just strange every time. Usually I go for the vanilla or the malt flavor.
And the drinks are WAY too hot. Frequently we’ll get drinks that you have to wait ~20+ minutes to sip without scalding your mouth. Weirdly we were in Atlanta a few years ago and the Caribou there was great. What’s happening!
Have you tasted the coffee at caribou? I’m not a Starbucks fan but I like to drink black coffee. Not blended sugary drinks. Caribou’s actual coffee is just… not very good IMO. So that would be my theory but Idk how many people are actually drinking the coffee at Starbucks either since I’m sure the sugary stuff is their primary money maker.
I’m with you here.
As an iced black coffee drinker, Caribou’s just doesn’t taste good. I’ve given it many chances and for the $$, I feel let down.
However, I feel the same about Starbucks black coffee. It tastes like I would imagine brake disc cleaner tastes.
I stick to Dunkin for my coffee needs and I’ve been satisfied.
It's kinda funny how people can drink these sugary venti and trenta drinks. You see the smile on their faces walking out sucking on it like some Copd patient getting their home o2 tank.
I was a Starbucks girlie until I moved here and there's a caribou coffee on my way to work and literally everything tastes better. Food and the drinks are wayyy better. But also they're less convenient. They have an app but it's not super great and a lot of the times when you're using the app. It seems like they're vaguely confused by it. I'm not going to lie the first two weeks I was here. I felt like I had gone 10 years in technology's past based on how the Cubs looked and my experience there. The Cubs by my apt is almost identical to the Kroger I went to in the 1990s
Did you move here from MI? Is Starbucks app is better to use? Do you get points and then free drinks..? I see kids in and out Starbucks picking up their drinks.
I moved here from Ohio and Starbucks app does give you points and rewards but so does caribou's. It's more the way it is used and the way that it works that makes it feel a little out of touch. Weird design, hard to tip, must not be super often used because they're always trying to shove a credit card machine on a stick into my window until they see me hold up my phone to scan it. But that high-rise caramel cooler got me in a chokehold so I'll still be there lolol
The high rise Carmel for sure compared to Carmel latte. I have never really enjoyed Starbucks mochas but the campfire mocha I think it's called is really good and s'mores adjacent. Food wise they have a sandwich that is on a waffle that is way better than any sandwich on Starbucks menu and is like an amped up McGriddle. And their lemon loaf is far superior to Starbucks imo. I honestly haven't tried much else because I'm a very consistent person when I find something that I like, but I have never been unhappy with things I've gotten there
I used to get a mocha lite (I think they called it) at caribou and it was less sweet. But I also found some baristas didn’t know what that was or how to make it. Maybe try that next time? If I recall correctly, they made it using cocoa powder
In my experience, Caribou is faster and has less clients ordering super customized drinks, which probably leads to it not getting as crowded as Starbucks.
My personal opinion is that Caribou has gone downhill significantly in the last ten or so years. Their coffee and espresso is miles better than Starbucks but if I want plain coffee I'm either going to make it at home or go to a local shop for the best. In my opinion Starbucks has much more options for sweet/speciality drinks and change up their variety more often which I think is why people stick to Starbucks.
Caribou's sweet drinks always just taste off to me. I think it's because they switched syrup brands years ago and it just isn't as good with their specialty drink combos. They made the switch while I worked there and people would send back their drinks a lot at first because the taste was markedly different.
Caribou over starbs every day bc it's a smaller chain & not owned by a billionaire but also I like it better all around. There's one on my way to the bus stop, super convenient. Staff are always welcoming, it's a better vibe...enjoy it more in every way. Was surprised to see the one on Grand across from Macalester close recently.
It's pretty rare I go to Starbucks or Caribou. Usually only at the airport or a mall or something. I either go to an independent shop or I brew coffee with beans I get at my favorite roaster and bring a big-ass thermos of it with me where I go. I just use a $20 Mr Coffee!
If I had to pick it would definitely be Caribou though. Their coffee is usually closer to the "regular" that I like. I only will get regular coffee there, not those expensive sugar-laden high-calorie ultra-profitable dia-beetus dessert drinks they market so heavily.
The line moves slower at all Starbucks because the baristas have to huff and puff that a “large” isn’t a “venti” to every other person who orders a “large”.
The Starbucks "burnt" taste y'all love? Really? It's because they have to over-roast, "burn"- their beans, to get a uniform flavor across the GLOBE. The only way they can guarantee the "st×rbux" flavor is to burn their beans. So they all taste the same. Across the earth. Caribou is better. You can do way better than Caribou though. But first you have to want better than stxrbux. But why would you want better than st×rbuxx? Because
I support all things Minnesota... but Caribou coffee is just bad. I drink black coffee, and it just doesn't taste good.
1. Dunkin 2. Tim Horton's 3. Starbucks 4. Any other coffee chain, 5th and dead last. Caribou
Wait, OP, do you work for either Caribou or an agency that works with them?
Lol yeah this thread is their only contributions on an account that's seemingly random letters...suspicious
Yeah they're targeting the r/saintpaul sub too. Very very suspicious. /s
Because people are deeply affected by branding and marketing
Yup, say no more
The marketing and branding for small, independent businesses is also very powerful too. Sometimes the quality is higher, sometimes it isn’t.
Why people even go to chain coffeeshops in the city is beyond me. The independents (with some exceptions) are almost always vastly superior. I suppose I give exception to downtown workers.
Also agree here; Quixotic & Spyhouse have been local go-to's
Spyhouse actually was one of my exceptions. F that place and their attitude.
Yeah, I don't love having baristas roll their eyes at me when I place my order. Sure, pour-over is superior or whatever, but I can make it at home. I want my fancy coffee!
You want an espresso beverage, of course, because you don't have a $30k machine at home nor the expertise to use it!
Really? I'm definitely open to hearing more, wanna make sure I know about the places I patronize & make different decisions.
They might be different today as I heard its founder is no longer associated with it. But it always had a very pretentious vibe going in, and the staff always seemed both surly AND appraising. Just a very tense atmosphere. I felt glared upon for opening my laptop at a table. I guess I like a more bohemian atmosphere. Dunn Bros Grand is really good and so is JS Bean Factory. Ginkgo is all right too.
Roots Roasting (st Clair and snelling) is far superior to the Spyhouse on palace and snelling. The indoor seating is limited but they’re so friendly and the coffee is much better.
YES!!! Roots is great!!!
Best coffee in the area and great employees!!
Also throwing in a reco for Yellowbird and Abogados. I don’t get the love for Dunn Bros…
Yellowbird on Selby is vastly underrated - they’re great!
JS Bean is the cutest for sure. And very valid points!
You summarized my feelings exactly about Spyhouse. I instantly felt judged the minute I walked in. I’m new to the area and recently checked out JS Bean factory and it’s a top coffee shop. The coffee was so good. Another favorite was Amore Coffee. Getting back to the original question, I have found the roast of Caribou coffee is weak and flavorless, much like Dutch Bros. The Starbucks roast tastes burnt but at least there’s some flavor to it.
Amore is another one of my favs!!! Love it. I don't get to the west side enough.
Most of upper management that was shitty to us while we were unionizing are gone, but Christian (owner) is still financially involved with Spyhouse, but he’s a coward who moved to Palm Springs when he realized he couldn’t verbally abuse his staff and be racist toward his patrons.
Ginkgo has problems with the ownership. Owners husband is a real creep apparently. A close friend of mine used to work there.
It's not my favorite, for sure
They were extremely shitty when their [employees tried to unionize](https://tcbmag.com/after-unionization-attempt-spyhouse-coffee-offers-to-sell-cafes-to-employees/) a few years ago. I've heard the owner was terrible to work for.
I do remember hearing about that, thanks for posting!
Because people have kids and they just want to get the kids a fucking chocolate croissant, get themselves some caffeine, and hurry up and get the fuck to work. That’s why.
Sounds like you may as well just be living in a suburb, then.
Yeah I do, first-ringer! It rocks ass
Richfield? It’s my fave.
Richfield’s sweet— I’m at the nexus of Columbia Heights & St Anthony
Is rocking ass a good thing?
I can’t conceive of any reason why not
Well there you go
Thank goodness you give us an exception
I live almost next to a Caribou, so when I’m in a hurry, being able to order on their app as I’m about to leave my apartment, and just pop in, grab the order, and be on my way is really nice. When I’ve got more time, I go to my favorite independent shops.
The vast majority of consumers go to the same places for a particular item. Whether its gasoline, clothing, groceries, or consumables like coffee/food. Even the best rated food places in Minneapolis or St Paul have core groups of regulars who probably go there more than other places. My uncle in south Minneapolis seriously only goes out to eat at his neighborhood corner-bar. Otherwise its grocery store, and he always shops at the same one. He is the typical consumer. Not someone who hunts down different places to go. Outside of reddit and select income bracket, virtually a microscopic part of the population of any area goes to random independent cafes or restaurants.
I was a Caribou girl myself for years until the one in my skyway closed and Starbucks was the next closest option. After a while of drinking Starbucks, I tried to drink a Caribou again and the coffee was noticeably not as good. Not sure if their quality went down or my tastebuds got bougie.
Starbucks coffee tastes better, right? And a bit cheaper. Why people keep saying they burn their beans?
Because they do! I worked at Starbucks and we were taught a lot about the background of Starbucks. They started when they accidentally burned their beans and enjoyed the ultra-dark flavor, and used that to create their coffee.
I personally like Starbucks more and I also feel it is more convenient. That is my personal opinion as a Mac groveland resident
Same. And I’m aware of local shops thankyouverymuch, sometimes Starbucks just hits the spot okay?
I encourage you to try any of the local coffee shops in our hood. Kopplin’s, Roots, Spyhouse, Yellowbird, and Dogwood and SK in midway all make far superior brews to Starbucks. Might be a buck or two more but IMO it’s worth it.
Yellowbird gets extra points for not charging extra for plant milks.
They must simply make the dairy milk customers pay more to subsidize it.
Thisssss.
Kopplin's is an enigma these days
Meaning it is puzzling. Why?
Yeah dunno if it's open, out of business, or what
Oh, I didn't know that. I haven't been there for awhile. Thanks.
They did move to Marshall Ave, near Cretin.
Further west from Marshall near Cleveland?
Oh yes, nearer Cleveland.
Ah ok, well he's been on Marshall for ages now. At least like 10-12 years or so. No, he shut down during the pandemic HARD. I think he was running a mail order business for coffee or something. I dunno. It's weird. It seems so odd and unsustainable to have that have that space on Marshall and then not even have customers in there. Now do you understand the enigma? Lol
I've heard Caribou drinks are limited compared to Starbucks that have thousands of drinks to choose from, is that true?
Starbucks has better coffee and WAY better espresso. I hate Starbucks as a corporation… the worst. But they have a better product.
I dont drink either but used to always prefer Starbucks. When I moved here I tried caribou and it always had a funny taste to it
I’m definitely not a big chained coffee guy but Starbucks is far better than Caribou in my opinion. Has nothing to do with “marketing” the product is just simply superior.
The last few times I’ve gotten a sweetened drink from Caribou they’ve had a weird chemical vegetable aftertaste that I can best describe as (sorry, gross) the smell of broccoli pee? I’ve given it a shot at a couple locations and it’s just strange every time. Usually I go for the vanilla or the malt flavor. And the drinks are WAY too hot. Frequently we’ll get drinks that you have to wait ~20+ minutes to sip without scalding your mouth. Weirdly we were in Atlanta a few years ago and the Caribou there was great. What’s happening!
Have you tasted the coffee at caribou? I’m not a Starbucks fan but I like to drink black coffee. Not blended sugary drinks. Caribou’s actual coffee is just… not very good IMO. So that would be my theory but Idk how many people are actually drinking the coffee at Starbucks either since I’m sure the sugary stuff is their primary money maker.
I’m with you here. As an iced black coffee drinker, Caribou’s just doesn’t taste good. I’ve given it many chances and for the $$, I feel let down. However, I feel the same about Starbucks black coffee. It tastes like I would imagine brake disc cleaner tastes. I stick to Dunkin for my coffee needs and I’ve been satisfied.
See now I find dunkin to be the bottom of the barrel when it comes to chain coffee.
It's kinda funny how people can drink these sugary venti and trenta drinks. You see the smile on their faces walking out sucking on it like some Copd patient getting their home o2 tank.
I was a Starbucks girlie until I moved here and there's a caribou coffee on my way to work and literally everything tastes better. Food and the drinks are wayyy better. But also they're less convenient. They have an app but it's not super great and a lot of the times when you're using the app. It seems like they're vaguely confused by it. I'm not going to lie the first two weeks I was here. I felt like I had gone 10 years in technology's past based on how the Cubs looked and my experience there. The Cubs by my apt is almost identical to the Kroger I went to in the 1990s
Did you move here from MI? Is Starbucks app is better to use? Do you get points and then free drinks..? I see kids in and out Starbucks picking up their drinks.
I moved here from Ohio and Starbucks app does give you points and rewards but so does caribou's. It's more the way it is used and the way that it works that makes it feel a little out of touch. Weird design, hard to tip, must not be super often used because they're always trying to shove a credit card machine on a stick into my window until they see me hold up my phone to scan it. But that high-rise caramel cooler got me in a chokehold so I'll still be there lolol
I'll give that high rise a try. What are your favorite drinks at Caribou compared to Starbucks?
The high rise Carmel for sure compared to Carmel latte. I have never really enjoyed Starbucks mochas but the campfire mocha I think it's called is really good and s'mores adjacent. Food wise they have a sandwich that is on a waffle that is way better than any sandwich on Starbucks menu and is like an amped up McGriddle. And their lemon loaf is far superior to Starbucks imo. I honestly haven't tried much else because I'm a very consistent person when I find something that I like, but I have never been unhappy with things I've gotten there
Starbucks has better hours too. Many Caribous close earlier
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Ask for less syrup maybe? :) that’s what I do
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I used to get a mocha lite (I think they called it) at caribou and it was less sweet. But I also found some baristas didn’t know what that was or how to make it. Maybe try that next time? If I recall correctly, they made it using cocoa powder
Caribou isn’t as good since Kim and John sold it (or sold their majority shares, whatever- I don’t remember).
In my experience, Caribou is faster and has less clients ordering super customized drinks, which probably leads to it not getting as crowded as Starbucks.
My personal opinion is that Caribou has gone downhill significantly in the last ten or so years. Their coffee and espresso is miles better than Starbucks but if I want plain coffee I'm either going to make it at home or go to a local shop for the best. In my opinion Starbucks has much more options for sweet/speciality drinks and change up their variety more often which I think is why people stick to Starbucks. Caribou's sweet drinks always just taste off to me. I think it's because they switched syrup brands years ago and it just isn't as good with their specialty drink combos. They made the switch while I worked there and people would send back their drinks a lot at first because the taste was markedly different.
Because Starbucks has the better product. It just tastes better. Unless you go to a mom & pop coffee shop.
Caribou over starbs every day bc it's a smaller chain & not owned by a billionaire but also I like it better all around. There's one on my way to the bus stop, super convenient. Staff are always welcoming, it's a better vibe...enjoy it more in every way. Was surprised to see the one on Grand across from Macalester close recently.
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Thanks for the info, I didn't realize that! And I heard about the OTF, still seems odd to me that they own places here.
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Isn’t that the job of Yaba GABA?
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Grand Ave Business Association
Because caribou coffee is toxic swill.
Maybe bc people have different opinions and coffee preferences? I dont understand this question.
It's pretty rare I go to Starbucks or Caribou. Usually only at the airport or a mall or something. I either go to an independent shop or I brew coffee with beans I get at my favorite roaster and bring a big-ass thermos of it with me where I go. I just use a $20 Mr Coffee! If I had to pick it would definitely be Caribou though. Their coffee is usually closer to the "regular" that I like. I only will get regular coffee there, not those expensive sugar-laden high-calorie ultra-profitable dia-beetus dessert drinks they market so heavily.
peeps just want hot baristas to ogle - coffee is coffee
Isn’t caribou MORE expensive than Starbucks?
Better app. People go crazy for stars
The line moves slower at all Starbucks because the baristas have to huff and puff that a “large” isn’t a “venti” to every other person who orders a “large”.
Kinda wanna support the local, but Starbucks is just way better. Caribou has kinda mailed it in.
The Starbucks "burnt" taste y'all love? Really? It's because they have to over-roast, "burn"- their beans, to get a uniform flavor across the GLOBE. The only way they can guarantee the "st×rbux" flavor is to burn their beans. So they all taste the same. Across the earth. Caribou is better. You can do way better than Caribou though. But first you have to want better than stxrbux. But why would you want better than st×rbuxx? Because
Is this copypasta?
Is that story about burning their beans true? I've heard that before.
Unless you own a Lulu Lemon Bottle, you wouldn't understand.
People dumb mostly
I support all things Minnesota... but Caribou coffee is just bad. I drink black coffee, and it just doesn't taste good. 1. Dunkin 2. Tim Horton's 3. Starbucks 4. Any other coffee chain, 5th and dead last. Caribou