Comments on: Chinese People Don’t Like Starbucks Coffee?

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:19:44 +0000

Starbucks pretty much sucks as far as coffee goes. In China, Starbucks is full of nouveaux riche Chinese, fakers (Chinese who sit outside on the tables drinking stuff from elsewhere) or foreigners who think Starbucks is the bees knees.

IMHO, KFC is far better in China than in Europe or the US. Much more taste. The Chinese I know treat KFC the same as any Westerner does. They now it’s not quality cuisine!

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:12:51 +0000

Hey, it is the same in Europe (or better in Germany), but just the opposite way. The average people there are not much into enjoying really good green tea. They try ridiculously blends of aroma and low quality tea. I am so happy to be in a country where drinking coffee (and i like to enjoy good quality coffee, too) play a less important rule.

One evening i was really in the mood for an espresso and bought one a “Coffee language”. No sleep that night Can’t happen with a (usual) green tea, i think.

But, nevertheless … i am quite sure that Starbucks will beat its way trough chinese habits. They have a lot of much better food there but like to go to the “rubbish food places” like McD. oder KFC

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 05:08:26 +0000

Don,

While Starbucks may not be great coffee, it is far and away better than what most Chinese people have had.

The jump in quality is a small part of what is driving more people to Starbucks in China. It by no means is the determining factor, but it helps. The only serious competition Starbucks has in China in terms of quality of coffee, at least at the moment, is Illy.

While Illy may have better coffee than Starbucks, it fails in spades in every other measure of competition with it in Starbucks. Yet Illy is doing okay in some areas of China, and has stores in more second tier cities than Starbucks has (this will likely soon be history).

Trust me, the coffee most Chinese people have been accustomed to is absolutely terrible. Nescafe makes many brands of instant coffee, and their instant coffee seen all throughout China may be among their worst. The difference between it and Starbucks is certainly like night and day.

By: don

don — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 23:59:36 +0000

Coffee success in China is all about the marketing and not the taste as it takes years of drinking quality coffee to truley appreciate. Starbucks have done this well, even though their coffee isn’t very good, then again many Chinese consider KFC and Maccas as quality western cuisine.