Stephanie Hofmann
Starbucks has a number of things to recommend it. There’s probably one close to where you are right now. It’s ranked highly as far as being a just employer. And it’s named after a character in Moby-Dick.
Its coffee may not be one of those things, though. In the wake of the Third Wave movement, with its emphasis on single-origin beans and carefully timed drip methods, Starbucks has attempted to up its game with the “Clover” single-cup machine and by featuring various “reserve” beans. Not every Starbucks has a Clover, though, so while passing by the Capitol Square branch at 1 E. Main St., I ducked in to give it a try.
The thoughtfully redesigned storefront has a handsome wood communal table for laptop workers and better traffic flow, but it’s still more of an in-and-out branch than a stay-put hangout.
I chose Cameroon Mt. Oku beans from west central Africa. The in-store chalkboard bills them as having “soft, spicy notes with a chocolate aftertaste,” while the Starbucks web page describes them as having “herbal, floral layers and notes of black pepper and tea.”
Despite the timed one-cup treatment and special bean, it tasted just like a cup of the day from Starbucks.