Starbucks finally hit Buenos Aires in mid 2008, and was a bust.They kept the high N.A. pricing.Wanting such steep prices for gourmet coffee from Latin America. Literally a 1/3 the price everywhere else. In SD I would imagine they would do the traditionall norm, and raise the prices higher than USA in true IKEA style...It better be located near Blue Mall or Acropolis. "Jevito central"
- Thread starter santobonao
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Are there any Starbucks Coffee in Dominican Republic?
Starbucks finally hit Buenos Aires in mid 2008, and was a bust.They kept the high N.A. pricing.Wanting such steep prices for gourmet coffee from Latin America. Literally a 1/3 the price everywhere else. In SD I would imagine they would do the traditionall norm, and raise the prices higher than USA in true IKEA style...It better be located near Blue Mall or Acropolis. "Jevito central"
Starbucks god no no no, We have McDonald's, although less than half of what used to be here, We have Burger King, and less a few. We have Pizza Hut. We had Church's Fried Chicken, We had Subway, Wendy's is back but only know of 1 here in SD. TGI Friday, Outback. KFC.
Now your talking about a place that can't make a decent cup of normal coffee. Got to have something in it, or they cant sell it. I hate the stuff. I would rather buy from the guy with the Thermos!
Now your talking about a place that can't make a decent cup of normal coffee. Got to have something in it, or they cant sell it. I hate the stuff. I would rather buy from the guy with the Thermos!
I don't think you will find many people who have had Dominican coffee who prefer Starbucks. Almost all coffee shops make espresso to order for under US$1 and you can get it for cheaper once you get out of the tourist zones.
Starbucks does have shops in Puerto Rico, Brazil and Mexico, but I think they are still a few years away from getting into the DR.
Dominican coffee makes a great gift to bring back to the US. You can get single pot bags for 5 pesos each or a pound for 80 pesos. The most popular brand by far is Cafe Molido Santo Domingo. To make it at home, you need an a stovetop coffee maker like this:
Here they call those 'grecas'. I have a 12 cup and it gets a workout. A 12 cup greca puts out about 2 and 2/3 mugs of coffee American style.
I used to buy Santo Domingo molido coffee but a few months ago I bought a pound of Monte Alto organic and haven't looked back.
My opinion: Starbucks sucks
Again IMO in Boston Dunkin Donuts makes a far better coffee at a fraction of the Starbucks price but here in Santo Permanentheatwave the stuff I make at home in a greca is soooo good.
I make it with cinnamon sticks in the greca and serve it with 0% fat milk, 1/3 teaspoon of sugar and a 1 tablespoon of unsweetened chocolate.
Two places in Santo Domingo that make great coffee are Villars Hermanos on Independencia, corner of Pasteur and la Cafetera on El Conde.
Starbucks in Santo Domingo = Taking crap coal to Newcastle :cross-eye:dead:
On this island they grow the stuff in perfect growing conditions. Cornyo
For me, part of living here ( 7 and 1/2 years now ) is discovering the local marvels and letting go bit by bit what I loved in my native land.
For example: I never ran red lights in Boston (much). One $100 ticket cured me of that.
In Santo Domingo I followed the crowd and ran red lights with impunity. Then the traffic police confiscated my driver's license several years ago as things started to tighten up. The fines weren't much but spending half a day at AMET headquarters and grovelliing before a traffic judge (soy culpable como el pecado; meresco la Victoria) to get a rise out of her and a lenient 50 peso fine (or somesuch) was part of my local experience but not something I want to repeat.
Now the AMET give you a ticket and if you don't pay it you can't renew your license.
Again, when in Rome; now I stop at red lights, crane my neck looking for AMET and if they're not around...BOOM...blow on through.
Another great coffee in the DR is called West Indies Coffee. The owner, Jose Ure?a, is a great guy and collects his coffee from coffee producing co-ops throughout the country. He currently has a small storefront on Calle Mercedes in the Zona Colonial.
He is an absolute coffee connoisseur and ever since he broke down why Cafe Santo Domingo is an overproduced low quality coffee, I stopped buying.
His coffee is worth a try and you can order online: West Indies Coffee | Gourmet Dominican Coffee
He is an absolute coffee connoisseur and ever since he broke down why Cafe Santo Domingo is an overproduced low quality coffee, I stopped buying.
His coffee is worth a try and you can order online: West Indies Coffee | Gourmet Dominican Coffee
Near what cross street? Mercedes is the street with the flower ladies on the corner near parque independencia?
"Located on Calle Las Mercedes between Arzobispo Meri?o and Isabel La Cat?lica, the small cafe?s inviting atmosphere offers a relaxing break from the hussle of the Zona?s busy streets."
Gourmet Dominican Coffee at West Indies | dr1guide
They have so much market domination that for many people real coffee = Starbucks. Whilst in the Domnican Republic people know otherwise i.e Startbucks is a coffee flavoured milk drink.
The same applies to supermarkets - people are led to believe they are cheap whereas in reality local food markets are consierably cheaper for fruit and veg. - they can dictate the price of goods as Starbucks can dictate what constitues a cup of coffee.
That location is a short block from the Plaza Espa?a.
Quadrant I-6 on the map
http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/stodgo_map-lenin.pdf
Ya, I wrote that article
Unfortunately, he will be moving very soon from that location but he wants to stay in the Colonial Zone. He has had some differences with the owner of the building. Will keep an update on where he goes.
Starbucks regular coffee is actually not that expensive and I think they sell it just to say they are a coffee house, because nowadays they make most of their money with the different flavored coffees they sell (frapuccinos, mocha something other, etc...) which I admit is lacking in The DR. Dominicans have a sweet tooth so to that extent I think these types of concoctions would go very well with the public down there.
nope not that expensive just that 3/4 of their employees don't know they have it. The Dominicans won't pay that kind of money for it. I hope.
I recommend the Ramirez Bros. Cafe Monte Alto. They will give an interesting tour of their entire process from seedlings to coffee in their coffee shop.
Interesting factoid: they spend an enormous amount of time sorting beans by quality, mechanically, by spectrometer, and finally by 30 women picking poor beans off a conveyor. Monte Alto only roasts and sells premium grade coffee. The beans that don't make the cut? They get wholesaled the big coffee processors...
Their website is: Cafe Monte Alto of Jarabacoa.
I know these folks well...
Hmmm. . . .the company I work for has a clover coffee machine which makes the "perfect cup" of coffee. I may need to buy some beans and bring em into the office my next trip!
For all you coffee lovers out there...check out the new Cabarete Coffee Company that specializes in serving shade-grown, organically produced coffee in the Jarabacoa region.
In addition to the environmental benefits, shade-grown and organically farmed coffee leads to much better tasting beans, because it takes longer to ripen, which contributes to more complex flavors. I am not a coffee expert, but it makes sense to me to support companies who are environment-conscious as well. Check them out at Cabarete Coffee Company.
In addition to the environmental benefits, shade-grown and organically farmed coffee leads to much better tasting beans, because it takes longer to ripen, which contributes to more complex flavors. I am not a coffee expert, but it makes sense to me to support companies who are environment-conscious as well. Check them out at Cabarete Coffee Company.
The coffee grown in the mountains around Jarabacoa is spectacular. The growing conditions are literally perfect: altitude, temperature, rainfall, sunlight duration, soil ph, etc.
Be aware that the use of the term "organic" on DR coffee comes with extensive gubmint requirements. One can not just call coffee "organic" just because petro-fertilizers aren't used.
Be aware that the use of the term "organic" on DR coffee comes with extensive gubmint requirements. One can not just call coffee "organic" just because petro-fertilizers aren't used.
Looks like a great market for the tourist trade. Shade coffee really is great for the environment, and they usually intercrop food crops with it. I hope they sell it in gift shops and the local grocer there.
I can get you all the World Class truly organic coffee you want.
Remember: over 80% of all the coffee grown in the DR, organic or otherwise, is exported. The BEST is exported. Why? Because few in the DR are willing to pay the price for it.