Archive for the 'Coffee' Category

Starbucks in Hunan – Oh Yes!

Published by
Steve
at September 20, 2010 in China and Starbucks. 3 Comments

Well, it has finally happened… Starbucks has decided to open up a store (two stores actually) in Hunan province!  I guess I can no longer say that there are no Starbucks for “70 million people!”

I’ve been waiting for a long, long time for this opening, and at times, I wondered if it would ever come or if the Starbucks ‘Empire’ would die out before it made it to my little part of the world!  The opening day was on Thursday, but I had a lot to do on Thursday and I already had other business in Changsha to do on Friday, so it would be a day after the grand opening that I would make it to Starbucks, but that was okay!

On the day of the opening, my old friend Jason (Chen Xu) called me up at 7:45 and asked me if I knew that Starbucks was opening that day and he really wanted me to come down for the ceremonies.  I told him that I could not, but that I’d be there real soon to get my first shot of Changsha caffination (is that a word?)  I didn’t realize that Jason was ‘working’ at Starbucks for the opening as his bank has a promotional partnership and he was representing his bank as Starbucks opened it’s 400th store!  So when I showed up on Friday and Jason was sitting there, I was pleasantly surprised.  He bought me a cup of coffee and a really cool Changsha City coffee mug!  Thanks man!

The store was crowded, but not as crowded as I imagined it would be.  Even though the employees were still ‘learning the ropes’, everything moved along pretty smoothly!  I was able to meet the store manager, who was very busy, and also one of the very ‘eager’ employees who told me his English name was also “Stephen!”  (I guess we’ll have to become friends!)  He allowed me to buy some coffee beans at his store employee price – 30% off!  He said to find him next time I come to Starbucks, I think I will!

One of the things I had read about the new Starbucks opening in Changsha was that there would be some ‘local distinctives’ in the Hunan stores.  What could that possibly mean?  Spicy Pumpkin Latte?  Stinky Cheesecake?  Beetlenut gum?  Nope, the one thing I noticed was the chocolate cake with a chili pepper on top!  I didn’t actually see the cake, but you can see it on the menu in this photo!

One great thing that they have that you might not think is very special is “to go” cups.  You see, in the US, they are ubiquitous, so you don’t even think about them as being anything special.  Well, here in China, people generally don’t think of coffee as a beverage you drink on the go, so the idea of a “to go” cup seems completely outrageous!  So I was pleasantly surprised to see a healthy supply of “to go” cups along with the normal coffee mugs!

There was plenty of seating, although I was told the second location across town was bigger and had more seating available.  I’ll have to go check that second location out real soon!

Now I heard another rumor from a friend who seems to be in the know, that Starbucks plans on opening 10 stores in Hunan over the next 3 years.  Do you think they will keep all of those in Changsha or could there possibly be one or two opened in Yueyang?!  Stay tuned… you’ll hear it here first!

Starbucks in Hunan – Sorry, No Listing

Published by
Steve
at July 25, 2008 in China, Coffee and Starbucks. 8 Comments

Oh Starbucks, when will you come to Hunan?  I would love it if you would come to Yueyang, but I realize that’s not realistic, so Changsha will do.

After all, you have about 2 billion Starbucks in the rest of the coffee drinking world, so why not come to Hunan?  There are 65 million people here who don’t even know yet that they love coffee.  You need to do your humanitarian service and open a coffee shop or two.

Oh, don’t misunderstand me, there IS coffee in Hunan already.  But by-and-large, it’s gross and overpriced.  The beans are usually burnt and stale, then when they brew it, they murder the taste.  After all that, they want $4+ for a thimble sized cup.  It’s sad, very sad when the best cup of coffee in town, at the best value (outside of my personal kitchen,) is obtained at McDonalds…

In the spirit of full disclosure, I also have to tell you, a couple of weeks ago,shortly after I returned to China from several months in Texas, I was making my way through one of the three grocery stores here in Yueyang that sometimes have ‘imported’ goods and I saw the logo that my oldest daughter, Elizabeth, can spot even in the most crowded of strip malls in Texas or shopping centers in Hong Kong.  It was the round and green STARBUCKS logo on a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino.

The price was high, very, very high.  It didn’t matter, I was in shock – I bought two.  (One for me, one for my wife Erica who actually likes Frappuccinos more than me.)  Could this be true, Starbucks in Yueyang?  Who cares if it comes in a bottle and was made three months ago… it’s Starbucks in Hunan!

Starbucks on the Great WallHowever, since that fateful day, there has not been a Frappuccino in sight, nowhere.  (I wonder who in the world bought all of those other bottles in just two short weeks?  Did I mention earlier that they were EXPENSIVE?)

There are places I can go within the vast borders of China to obtain a Grande Peppermint Latte or sometimes a Hazelnut Latte.  In the picture on the left, you can see me enjoying a beautiful cup of coffee on the Great Wall of China!

However, there is nothing nearby.  Not even close.  So I call out to Starbucks…

Please open a Starbucks in Changsha!