Big Secrets Coffee Chains Tried To Hide – CoffeeTalk

On Oct 31, 2024

Coffee consumption in the United States has increased by 37% since 2004, according to the National Coffee Association. This increase is attributed to various factors such as increased stress, tiredness, and the variety of flavors and syrups available. As a result, coffee shops are doing everything they can to keep customers hooked on their favorite beverages. However, there are some shady secrets about the coffee industry that consumers may not be aware of.

Some coffee shops serve more caffeine than others, as they are not always made to the same strength. For example, a 20-fluid-ounce Americano at Starbucks contains approximately 300 milligrams, while it contains significantly less caffeine in other stores. This means that caffeine content varies significantly between different coffee shops.

If you’re looking for a serious boost, it’s important to double-check the amount of caffeine you’ll be getting for your money before placing an order. Additionally, if you find yourself feeling jittery after drinking a large coffee at one chain but energized and ready to go after visiting another, it may be that some stores just exceed your personal caffeine tolerance. A healthy adult’s tolerance is around 400 milligrams per day, but everyone’s limits are different.

Visiting coffee shops takes a heavier toll on our wallets today than it did five years ago, making it even more shocking to learn about the high markup coffee shops place on their drinks. As per Drink/Stack, the majority of coffee shops put an 80% markup on their coffees, with the average Starbucks coffee costing just $1 to make. The biggest markups are found on more straightforward drinks, such as black coffee, which only requires a handful of ingredients and minimal preparation.

Coffee beans aren’t always ethically sourced, and consumers should be aware of the potential hidden costs associated with their coffee purchases. By being transparent about the coffee industry and the ethical practices of coffee shops, consumers can make informed decisions about their coffee consumption and the quality of their coffee.

The coffee industry is plagued with ethical issues, with many major chains linked to unethical farming practices. Child labor is a significant issue, with farmers working long hours and earning only 7% to 10% of the retail price of coffee. In January 2024, the National Consumers League filed a lawsuit against Starbucks over claims that its marketing as “committed to 100% ethical sourcing” was deceptive due to documented human rights and labor abuses, including child labor, forced labor, and sexual harassment and assault.

A 2023 investigation found evidence of both current and past slave and child labor at coffee farms used by Starbucks in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A Brazilian labor prosecutor issued a complaint against the biggest Starbucks supplier in Brazil, alleging that it had illegally trafficked at least 30 workers. Other chains have faced similar accusations, with multiple victims of poor farming conditions accusing McDonald’s, Dunkin’, and Nestlé of not doing their due diligence to avoid sourcing coffee beans from farms that don’t use slave labor.

Drip coffee is one exception, as most drinks sold at coffee shops are made custom-to-order, making things hectic during peak hours. Some chains, like Dutch Bros, do not even offer drip coffee. Starbucks and Dunkin’ have high standards for brewing coffee, discarding and brewing a new carafe every 18 minutes, leading to a fair amount of waste if demand is low. Starbucks started rolling out its Clover Vertica technology in 2022, which can brew a cup of drip coffee in just 30 seconds, allowing customers to request their favorite roast on demand and reducing waste of coffee and paper filters.

Coffee chains love dark roasts because they are cheap, offering a more consistent flavor and making it easier for them to use lower quality beans. However, some argue that Starbucks’ coffee tastes burnt and bitter, with some users describing it as a cigarette butt. Starbucks has never admitted to outright burning its coffee beans.

The majority of cups aren’t recyclable, and the coffee industry continues to grapple with ethical issues.

Coffee cups are a significant environmental issue, with around 50 billion disposable cups ending up in landfills annually in the U.S., with many being non-biodegradable. Starbucks aims to produce 100% compostable, recyclable, or reusable cups by 2030, but it is still a way away from meeting this target due to its plastic lining, which makes up roughly 5% of the total cup. Dunkin’ has reduced the amount of plastic in its paper cups by 10 to 20% in 2024, but only its plastic cups are fully recyclable.

Tim Hortons has also tried to reduce its packaging impact, but it remains largely non-recyclable due to its inner plastic lining. At Starbucks, its grande and venti drinks both contain two shots of espresso apiece, while its short and tall coffees have three shots. The only exception is for iced drinks, which use two shots in their grande sizes and three in the venti.

Dutch Bros has similar issues, with its small and medium coffees both containing equal amounts of caffeine. Dunkin’, Caribou, McDonald’s, Seattle’s Best, and Tim Hortons all increase the number of shots in their drinks when you level up in size. To ensure more caffeine in a large coffee, ask your barista before ordering and request an extra shot in your drink (usually for an extra charge).

Chains aren’t always clear about what ingredients go into your drink, as they may not always provide information about the ingredients used in each size of their coffees.

In the era of creative coffee flavors, major chains often use syrups that are not entirely accurate. Pumpkin spice lattes, for example, do not contain actual pumpkin, while hazelnut syrup rarely contains actual hazelnut, and the popular toffeenut syrup at Starbucks is also sans nuts. Starbucks has faced flak for its Refreshers line, which did not contain the mango, açaí, and passion fruit cited in their names. Peet’s Coffee has also been accused of deceiving customers by offering a generic sucralose sweetener in a yellow packet that looks suspiciously similar to the iconic Splenda packets.

Decaf coffee isn’t totally caffeine-free, but it does strip each cup of most of its trademark buzz. The most common way to decaffeinate coffee is the Direct Contact Method, which involves steaming coffee beans and rinsing them with a chemical solvent, such as ethyl acetate or methylene chloride, which removes at least 97% of the natural caffeine. The original method used benzene, which we now know can cause cancer. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has enforced strict limits on how much methylene chloride can be used in the decaffeination process and will only allow 10 parts per million (ppm), which is approximately 10 drops of water in every 10 gallons.

In April 2024, a bill was proposed in California that would criminalize the production or sale of decaf coffee made with methylene chloride. The Environmental Defense Fund has also petitioned the FDA to consider banning it in all foods. Chains often charge extra for non-dairy milks, which can make a difference for those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies. In 2024, Starbucks was hit with a class-action lawsuit that argued that this practice was akin to “illegal price discrimination” in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Peet’s Coffee, Coffee Bean, and Dunkin’ have all fielded similar lawsuits. The real kicker in the whole situation is the fact that there is no significant price difference between non-dairy milk and cow’s milk. Many coffee shops will also adjust drinks to be sugar-free or caffeine-free at no extra cost, making the non-dairy-versus-dairy situation an extremely frustrating double standard.