Stuck in Starbucks

[Packard]

I’d be driving home from Starbucks right now, but the Japanese restaurant next door is getting a delivery and the truck has me blocked in. 

This particular Starbucks is in a building that does not do climate control well at extremes of the thermometer. 

I generally go in the morning to Starbucks and in the afternoon for my second cup of the day at Barnes & Noble. 

That is a little over $6.00 per day for basically “rent” to sit for an hour or so and type my messages while I sip my coffee.

This morning the thermometer was briefly at -2 degrees F. but warmed up to 5 degrees by the time I left my house.  Rather than brave the cold inside Starbucks, I went to Panera Bread.  The local store is in a strip mall whose anchor was Bed, Bath and Beyond.  And while they were in business there, the Panera store was very busy.

But since B, B, & B closed, the store is relatively quiet. 

Panera’s classically brewed (read “drip brew”) coffee is better than Starbucks one-push-button-brews.  Starbucks pour-over varies, depending on who is doing the pour-over. 
So while there I checked the Internet speed (the other aspect of my coffee-drinking experience.

135 Mbps download and 9.70 Mbps upload. (Panera)

Vs

17.00 Mbps download and 2.94 Mbps upload (Starbucks)

Panera has a “Unlimited beverage club” (apparently since 2022).  An introductory price of $5.00 per month for 5 months ($25.00).  After that $119.00 per year ($10.00 per month).

It entitles me to nearly any beverage at the self-serve bar (and refills).  And I can leave and come back (at least) 2 hours later and repeat. 

If I join this club I will save $75.00+ per month if I just have my morning coffee there.  If I have my 8:00 a.m. coffee and my 3:00 p.m. coffee there, I would be saving about $150.00 per month, or about 1,800.00 year minus the membership cost.  So roughly $1,750.00 per year. 

The people at Starbucks treat me well and always give me a warm welcome.  But $1,750.00 spending money (equal to about $1,980.00 income) is a difficult savings to pass up. 

Still thinking about it though.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I looked this up and saw this offer at Panera.

$89 ANNUAL PLAN offer: New or lapsed subscribers or current monthly subscribers that upgrade to an annual subscription from 12:00am PT on December 3, 2024 through 11:59pm PT on December 31, 2024 and enter promo code USC2025, at signup for new or lapsed subscribers, or, for current monthly subscribers, in the Subscription section of their account or viahttps://www.panerabread.com/en-us/app/subscription/1/management.html will receive one year of the Unlimited Sip Club annual subscription for $89 plus tax. You must enter promo code USC2025 to receive this offer.

 

[Packard]

They don’t update their old postings.  I saw what read like a current offer but was dated 2021 - 2122.

I downloaded their app and the prices I posted were from the app.

But either way, a good deal. I think I will sign up for the $5.00 per month deal for 5 months and see how I like it.

Obviously they are hoping I will buy some food too.  They will be disappointed.

 

[Vondawg]

1 1/2 lb. Of Starbucks coffee (ground) at Walmart - $12
A nice Krupps coffee maker, $30….some filters (?)
And you get to sit in your favorite spot…maybe even throw another log in the fire wintertime
Of course unless you got to get out of the house everyday for some reason

 

[Packard]

I go out for coffee because I get cabin fever.

I’ve made a couple of dozen pour-over coffee stands as gifts over the years.  They all featured dovetailed joinery and a piece of marble attached to the base. 

The main feature of the marble is the weight.  It adds stability. 

I still have about 2 dozen ceramic pour over funnels so there may be more coffee stands in the future. 

I made one using through dowels, but the dovetails were faster, stronger, and looked better.

 

[MacBoy]

I go out for coffee because I get cabin fever.

I’ve made a couple of dozen pour-over coffee stands as gifts over the years. They all featured dovetailed joinery and a piece of marble attached to the base.

The main feature of the marble is the weight. It adds stability.

I still have about 2 dozen ceramic pour over funnels so there may be more coffee stands in the future.

I made one using through dowels, but the dovetails were faster, stronger, and looked better.

Next time you have a chance, share a few pictures please

 

[Frnk]

This one started as a coffee problem and ended as a marble problem — now I’m wondering about the right repair approach. After reading the posts here, I thought I'd ask four your suggestions here.

I actually had a marble mishap of my own that involved coffee: my espresso machine was leaking and I didn’t notice at first because the puddle underneath was too small to see. Unfortunately, the descaling acid leaked out as well and etched a big, splash‑shaped recess into the stone top of my coffee cart. It’s about 1 mm deep.

It doesn’t bother me too much because it's hidden under the machine. But if I wanted to fix it, how would I go about it?

I've never worked with stone. Here’s what some internet research suggested so far: "Spot sand the area through several diamond grits until the recess is blended out. And then re‑polish the whole local zone so gloss, clarity, and reflection lines match the rest of the top."

This is probably a job for an angle grinder, right?

(PS: since the espresso machine is temporarily decommissioned due to the leak, my current morning coffee setup is grinding the espresso beans for filter and then brewing it with a Chemex. It’s a very light roast so it tastes actually pretty decent.)

 

[Packard]

They don’t update their old postings. I saw what read like a current offer but was dated 2021 - 2122.

I downloaded their app and the prices I posted were from the app.

But either way, a good deal. I think I will sign up for the $5.00 per month deal for 5 months and see how I like it.

Obviously they are hoping I will buy some food too. They will be disappointed.

I signed up for a year for $129.00 at Panera. I was recently automatically renewed for the next year.

A solo large coffee is $3.00 with tax. So, if I go just once a week, I’m ahead. They email me every month to tell me how much I saved. About $160.00 at last tally. Ever once in a while they offer a free pastry. Nice.

 

[WillAdams]

Went shopping (but forgot to buy more black tea). Pulled the truck up into the driveway out of the slot adjacent to the street, and read up on the need to keep snow cleared off a heat pump and tried to have a relaxing day preparing for shoveling snow tomorrow --- a neighbor and I have a friendly contest to see who can shovel the other out first (though annoyingly, he isn't careful about shoveling snow down slope and puts snow in the front yard) and the folks next door run a daycare, so I help shovel them out as well.