Peet's joins the coffee scene

Peet's Coffee & Tea opened its first store in Hawaii at the Sheraton Waikiki this week.

[peets fan]

I love peets and am glad to see it's being embraced in all markets

[Earl]

Me too. Too bad the outlet here is going to be in a Waikiki hotel.

[TGIF]

It's about time!:) Now if only they could open a location that is easily accessible to the local residents...

[Peet Lover]

Just Great, now open a real store where the locals go. BEST Coffeee EVER!! Foget about that chain from Seattle.

[Ron Menor]

I saw very young looking prostitutes hanging out at peets. They need to check that.

[ohh nho he dinnt]

Ron Menor wrote:

I saw very young looking prostitutes hanging out at peets. They need to check that.

Really...I'll be right back!

[dudealohajoe]

Nah, da McDonald's ice coffe da bestest of da westest.

I like da Hazelnut iced coffee, Large. It's $2.35 over here for the large iced coffee.

not bad...not bad dudes...

[A Fish Out of H2O]

SOS!!!!!!!!!

[Okole Maluna]

What's the difference?

[yuck]

I'm sorry, anything with Hazelnut cannot be considered a coffee.

[karin]

Hands down, Peets is the best... i've tried them all: starbucks, coffee bean, et al. I drink decaf and theirs is truly spectacular. hooray!

[Ron Menor]

Check out peets at night. Really cute 16 and 17 year old hookers (male and female)from Reno. We have to find a way to attract more tourists here so I am not opposed to this.

[HNL808]

YES!!!! Definitely my fav coffee place of all the chains. Now bring it to the 'burbs.

[yaypeets]

if u didn't know, u can get peets at great harvest bakeries (downtown & next to umeke market by kahala mall).
that sed, peets puts starbucks to shame. starbucks burns their beans when they roast, which is why their regular coffee or non-sugary coffee drinks always have a bitter aftertaste. a properly roasted, ground & brewed (whether w/an espresso machine, french press, or coffee maker, etc.) coffee shouldn't require additional flavoring like hazelnut (ew!) to taste good (which is why starbucks can't sell their regular cups o' joe and rely heavily on their coffee confections, like frappucinos).
it's easy to understand why peets does it right - the owner was one of the original starbucks founders, but he left to concentrate on the beans.

[alice]

what hotel are they located at? I do like a nice latte at times.

[Mary Haleiwa]

I've been a Peets fiend since the early days at the first shop in Berkeley. The pre-sealed Peets beans sold here cannot compare to those at a Peets coffeehouse.
But I am so bummed that Peets continues to carry only one Fair Trade coffee-shameful! Maybe if enough of us ask, demand that they carry more, Peets will get the message that Hawai'i cares that coffee farmers get a fair price for their beans as well as decent working conditions, etc.

[John]

Peet's was founded by Alfred Peet in Berkeley in 1966. Peet's has always been about quality beans and quality roasting. Starbucks was founded in 1971 in Seattle in at Pike's Place market by some Berkeley alums who were former Peet's employees. Originally they just bought Peet's coffee and had it shipped north for resale. In the mid-eighties they hired a consultant from New York, Howard Schultz to advise them. After a trip to Milan Italy, he decided on espresso bars, realizing the the margins are not in selling roasted beans, and not in cafes/coffee houses where people spend the day (too much real estate) but in selling to go drinks. The Starbucks owners didn't like the idea, but around the same time bought Peet's so they sold Starbucks to Schultz who, in 1987, turned it into the franchise we know today and began to conquer the world (now over 15,000 stores in 44 countries). So Peet's is owned by the original owners of Starbucks and is now expanding but seems to have been able to maintain the quality it has always been famous for.

[soluminutionatio ns]

I love me some Peets in Belmont shores...mmmm aaah! Nice! Hooray!

[Key]

In response to Mary: I work for Peet's and I can tell you that although all of their beans are not labeled "fair trade," Peet's pays FAR more than fair trade prices to the farmers. This is the reason that Peet's secures the best bean lots. For example, Peet's has a coffee called Las Hermanas. It isn't officially certified as "fair trade," but it's a coffee that is purchased from a small cooperative of women farmers in Nicaragua. From Peet's website: Year after year, this co-op has produced exceptional coffee, and over time we have built a direct relationship with the group of inspirational women, which has given them control over their own destinies and livelihoods. As a result of our long-term contracts and the premium prices we pay for their quality coffee, "the sisters" have developed their community and their co-op in ways that inspire us anew every year. So please, do your research before making your assumptions.

[Mazda]

alice wrote:

what hotel are they located at? I do like a nice latte at times.

You don't deserve an answer.