The Baked Goods at Starbucks

I am a huge fan of Starbucks. Love their coffee. Love, love, love it! At my house, we buy Starbucks beans in the 1/2 pound bags at the grocery store (our Kroger). We grind beans every morning for a fresh pot of Starbucks. From Gold Coast Blend to Sumatra and Selena Organic, the list of favorites continues to grow.

Did you know that Starbucks will not serve a shot of espresso that has been around for longer than one minute? It's true. If a serving of espresso has been brewed but has sat unused for longer than one minute, Starbucks tosses it out. Gonzo. That's their policy. That's their insane level of commitment to quality and freshness.

Starbucks is obsessive about the quality of its coffee from the appearance and freshness of its beans to the coffee that it serves in its retail locations. Their commitment to quality is part of what makes the coffee so consistently excellent ... and as a marketing professional, part of what endears me to the brand.

When it comes to the food that Starbucks serves with its beverages, however, I am not so impressed. Sad to say ... but true. Oh sure, the baked goods look tempting perched there in the fancy, glass and chrome display case. Cookies, scones and slices of pound cake. All are wonderful selections to complement a nice steaming cup of Starbucks coffee. Or at least they should be.

I am consistently disappointed with the baked goods Starbucks serves. The cookies aren't quite crisp ... too spongy. Same thing with the scones. Nothing is worse than a scone that is too moist and too gooey. A scone should be dry and crumbly and should leave no oily residue on the fingers. A fresh cookie should give a crisp crunch upon biting into it. The Starbucks pastry case items are never up to the "A" level of quality, not on par with the coffee.

If Starbucks can be so obsessively excellent with the quality of its coffee, why can't they get the baked goods right?

Is anybody with me? Have you noticed this, too? C'mon dear readers, please back me up, here.