Thanks Ratan Tata! Starbucks in India is long, long, long overdue, I thought, while sipping my Starbucks and reading the morning paper. We were being told that Starbucks and Tatas are brewing up a JV and I was excited, relieved and slightly nervous. My life was set to change.
You see, what Hard Rock Cafe was to me as a teenager, Starbucks is to me as a young adult. It’s a profoundly significant part of Being Paarull and has been over the past six or seven years, I’d say, growing in importance every year. Let me explain.
Before Starbucks, fresh coffee was a treat to be had at a five star hotel. I grew up on the blend of chicory and coffee that was consumed as milky instant coffee in most middle class homes. It was coffee – but just about. Barista had barely arrived on the scene but it was Starbucks, on a trip abroad, that introduced me to freshly brewed, chicory-less coffee, sourced from exotic Indonesia or wherever else and roasted and ground by professionals who knew their stuff. I was hooked with my first cup and never looked back. Starbucks made me feel grown up, even a little affluent, considering the price of a cuppa.
What began as an indulgence turned into a ritual during a year spent in England and, before I knew it, I had become a full-fledged member of the global Starbucks cult. And I have stayed a faithful junkie. When I arrive in a new city, one of my first tasks is to locate the nearest Starbucks. I try and hold my meetings at a Starbucks. I spend much of my spare time either at a Starbucks or with a Starbucks. A Barnes & Noble or a JC Penney has to be found, so I can pick up Seattle’s Best coffee, part of the Starbucks group. I try and wrap up my trip to a Starbucks city with a final coffee there, and I make it a point to spend time at a Starbucks at the airport, if there is one, on my way out.
And then there’s Peet’s coffee, more difficult to find than Starbucks because there are fewer outlets in comparison, but which I heartily recommend. (I first got lucky with Peet’s in Portland, Oregon ). Peet’s is actually a smaller rival chain but I adore it because its founder was the one who advised the Starbucks’ founder trio to get into the coffee business! By the way, you’d have no trouble finding Starbucks in San Francisco. I can’t verify this (maybe it’s an urban legend) but apparently it has more Starbucks per square mile than any other city in the world! And apparently, they are no longer allowed to open another Starbucks there!
The drip coffee maker is a relatively recent addition to my life and it has converted an occasional indulgence into a soothing routine. My day begins with two mugs. My day usually ends with one more — call it a night cap if you will. Holidays mean consuming upto 5 mugs of Starbucks. I realise I’m lucky because I can afford to invest in a top class coffee machine and I have a very supportive family and friends. They go the extra mile in every continent, every city they might be in to get me my Starbucks – from Dubai, LA, Tokyo, London wherever. I too have gone through secondary screening at American airports because of freshly ground Starbucks in my hand baggage. No matter! It’s worth the effort!
But now, with Starbucks set to brew up in my home city, my life will change.
The good news is I’ll no longer be stacking up IOUs. I will be the master of my own coffee destiny. Starbucks will always be round the corner – Woo Hoo! Never ever will I fall short of it! Never ever will I be forced to drink the non-Starbucks stuff (ugh). Also, I think it’s very very cool Starbucks in India will brew me a Tata coffee. High quality Coorg beans, I’m betting, can give Indonesian java a run for its money.
And what about me chasing Starbucks abroad? That drill may be toned down. I’m now thinking of devoting time, effort and money to scouting Nespresso boutique bars.
source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com/blogs/paarul / by Twitter@paarul / Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
