Peet's: Java Nirvana for the serious coffee addict
Written: May 07 '00 (Updated Feb 12 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Coffee is way too strong
Cons: Coffee is way too strong
The Bottom Line: If you're a caffeine addict, there's no better place to get your fix than Peet's.
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| tanster's Full Review: Peet's Coffee & Tea |
I am a pansy when it comes to coffee.
Oh sure, I love a nice, strong cup of brew, but I don’t grind my own beans, and I’m not a connoisseur who can distinguish a Columbian from an Italian roast. I purchase already-ground beans for my coffeemaker at home, and it’s always a milder “House” or “Breakfast” blend.
I believe that Peet’s is for the more advanced coffee-holic.
Coffee and other beverages
• Coffee: Peet’s serves a short coffee (8 oz.) for $1.10 and a tall coffee (12 oz.) for $1.50, plus the usual coffee drinks – cappuccinos ($2 short/$2.90 tall), lattes, espressos, icy slushes, etc. Bring your own cup and you’ll save 10¢. Add soy milk for an extra 50¢.
• Peet’s prides itself on its high-quality “deep roasting” process, roasting beans to order daily, and this is evident in the strong, full-bodied taste of the brew. So strong, you could practically chew it. So strong, that it leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste that will follow you around the rest of the day.
• Other beverages: Juice, cocoa, and tea.
Munchies
• Peet’s serves an assortment of muffins (including some delicious low-fat varieties, my favorite is the pear muffin), scones, sticky buns, breakfast pastries, giant cookies, and biscotti, usually in the $1.50-2.50 range.
Other stuff you can buy
• Peet’s offers more than 30 varieties of whole coffee beans – regular, decaf, French roast, Italian roast, and blends that combine the best from the major coffee bean growing regions of the world (Africa and Arabia, the Pacific, and the Americas).
• There is also an impressive list of loose-leaf teas to choose from – from English breakfast, several varieties of Eary Grey, and more than a dozen Asian teas.
• In addition, you can buy various coffee machines and some gourmet items here – including jams, demerara (a scrumptious type of crunchy brown sugar) sugar cubes, and yummy Scharffenberger chocolate (which is hard to find in even the most exclusive grocery stores around here).
Service
• The Peet’s staff is young, but knowledgeable about coffee. They also have a more laid-back, calm way about them – there’s no rapid-fire barking of complicated coffee lingo (if you ask for a “grande triple non-fat blended extra hot latte,” they’d probably boot you out the door).
• There is also no orderly, assembly-line process in making your drink, which can lead to a little longer of a wait to get your order.
• To speed things up, you can purchase a Peet’s Card – just insert it in the card reader instead of fumbling for bills and change. Extremely convenient during the morning rush.
Décor and atmosphere
• My biggest gripe about the Peet’s in downtown Palo Alto is that there’s no place to sit down! Wait a minute, I take that back: there are several long wooden benches right outside the front door; there’s just no seating inside. This Peet’s location is merely a to-go counter.
• Of course, for a to-go place, it’s pretty spacious inside. Ceiling fans, subdued modern lighting, and soft-playing jazz tunes also lend a serene feeling to the place.
• Another gripe about this particular store is that there’s only one sugar-cream counter, which easily logjams during the morning rush hour.
Clientele
• This store caters to an older and hippier (and I mean hippier, not hipper) crowd than your average Starbucks clientele.
• What makes this particular Peet’s so special is its warm neighborhood feel – nearly every morning the outside benches are occupied by the locals eagerly catching up on the latest goings-on. The bicyclists, dot-comers, and parents with strollers and dogs who congregate here all seem to know each other. And you can tell they’re Peet’s regulars; a giant dog water dish sits next to one bench, almost always filled.
• While sitting on a bench sipping my cup, a lady sat down next to me, eating her carton of salad that she bought from the Whole Foods market next door. We sat in silence watching the light drizzle of rain that had started to fall. “It’s kind of nice just sitting here, isn’t it?” she finally said. “Yes, it is,” I replied. A few more moments of silence went by, and then the woman got ready to leave. “Have a most wonderful day,” she said warmly, and for once, I think a complete stranger really meant it.
About the Peet’s chain
• The first Peet’s store opened in 1966 in Berkeley, California. Today, there are over 50 stores, primarily in California, with some stores in Chicago, Boston, and Portland.
• For more locations and info, see www.peets.com.
The latest accolade
• Peet’s has just been named in the San Francisco Chronicle’s annual Readers’ Choice poll (5/7/00) as “Best Coffee.” Go to www.sfgate.com, click “San Francisco Chronicle,” and go to May 7’s “Pink section.”
All in all
To put it simply, I don’t like Peet’s coffee because it’s way too strong. Every time I drink a cup, I can’t help but imagine that it’s disintegrating my stomach lining with each subsequent sip. Yes, I am a pansy. But for the diehard coffee afficionado, you can’t come closer to “java nirvana” than Peet’s. Drop by and tell 'em tanster says hello.... :)
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Peets
153 Homer Ave.
Palo Alto, CA
650-325-2091
Weekdays 6am-6pm, weekends 7am-6pm
Street parking or parking in tiny lot directly adjacent to Peets
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tanster
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Palo Alto, CA
Reviews written: 111
Trusted by: 331 members
About Me:
Happily reviewing cool gadgets and SF Bay Area restaurants since 1999. Pass the gravy, please.
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