By Margaux Salcedo

Sunday Inquirer Magazine

When I was in college back in the 90s, we would study in the library, eat at the cafeteria, meet up at
McDonalds and hang out at the Pebble Wash (our tambayan). No one would meet up for coffee.
Coffee was someething you would drink to stay stay awake to finish your thesis. No one had coffee just because. It had a
purpose: it was my generations upper of choice.
Today, coffee has a different role altogether. Even pre-teens have their Grande Mocha Frappuccinos! Its just
something you do now, this coffee business. Laptop-carrying kids study a Starbucks, eat at Starbucks (Frappuccinos till
you bloat), meet up at Starbucks, hang out at Starbucks. Everything for this generation happens at Starbucks: that first
date (lets have coffee sometime), the getting to know you, the hanging out, the studying together, the break-ups.
Text-messaging teens go: C U @ *BUX.)
The sexy sea siren (that mermaid muse of the Starbucks logo for those who have been hiding under a rock) is
this generations goddess.
Only the old folks drink plain coffee anymore. Today you order either latte, a mocha, an Americano, a
macchiatto. If you dont know the differences, where have you been?
If truth be told, I had no clue until the late 90s, when Starbucks 6750 opened. Now, thanks to Starbucks, Coffee
Bean, UCC, Gloria Jeans, Figaro and Bos, we have have become informed consumers: A latte is espresso in steamed
milk, lightly topped with foam. A cappuccino is espresso in steamed milk (less than for a latte), with a deeper layer of
foam. A mocha is espresso with chocolate syrup and steamed milk, topped with whipped creamor not, as I prefer mine
without. An Americano is espresso in water, what is really just coffee. A macchiato is espresso in steamed milk with
vanilla, topped with foam and caramel.
But the real coffee drinkers, those who would prefer an espresso over these shakes that pretend to be coffee by
adding ccino like a surname, go a step and know not only the ingrdients of the drink but the origin of its beans. Real
connoisseurs can tell by the taste of the coffee where the beans are from. This is done by being very observant about
aspects of the coffees taste: its body, characterized by the texture or mouth feel of the coffee; its acidity,
characterized by the level of tanginess of the drink; and its balance (what are the flavors involved and do they come
together?).
Latin American coffees, for instance generally have a smooth, medium body and great balance of flavors which
may be of cocoa (Brazil), nuts (Colombia) or spices (Guatemala). African coffees are more floral and citrusy; Ethiopian
blends have a floral aroma; Kenyan coffee has the aroma of fruit and wine, Tanzanian coffee hints of blackcurrant.
Meanwhile, Asian coffee is earthy, as you might note from your sip of a Sumatra blend.
The method used in distinguishing flavors is called coffee cupping, a professional parctice although it can easily
be done anyone with an elegant tongue. You sniff the coffee (Hmmsmells like an Arabiano, must be from Arabia!),
slurp it so the taste spreads to the back of the tongue, then analyze. Coffee growers go a step further and distinguish
between Arabica (from the Arabian Peninsula) and Robusta (from western Africa).
Does Generation Y care? I believe that the coffee savvy of this new generation is far more impressive than any
other. But seriously, just order a Mocha.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. What is the article all about?

2. What new market need is currently served by Starbucks and the other coffee establishments that did not exist
during the 1990s?
3. What challenges are posed by the so-called Starbucks generation?
4. What new products/ services do you foresee Starbucks offering in the near future?
5. Describe your perception in Starbucks when it comes to product/service offerings?branding, packaging and
labeling?marketing strategies?