Crisis at Starbucks locations in Myrtle Beach

I've got the credentials to slam the espresso at the Starbucks locations in my area.

I owned and operated a coffeehouse for three years, and during that time, we timed shots on our La Cimbali espresso machine, and adjusted the grind throughout the day.

Also during that time, I received my Intermediate Barrista certificate from the Specialty Coffee Association of America -- which, all giggles aside, is nothing like advanced french-fry training.

So there.

A properly made espresso will have nutmeg-colored crema on top. A little spoonful of sugar will take three seconds to slip through the crema.

Not so at two Myrtle Beach Starbucks locations.

The espressos I have ordered at the two Ocean Boulevard locations came with a pallid crema on top, and the sugar endured a terrifying free-fall into the bottom of my cup.

Starbucks has to get this right, or their world-domination campaign must be stopped.

Otherwise, the goodness, beauty, and truth of espresso will be lost.

Starbucks' S.C. roasting facility: some background details

First the news, and then the background that didn't make the news:
"Starbucks and [South Carolina] state officials on Monday announced the global coffee purveyor has plans to build a roasting and distribution plant in St. Matthews, about 15 miles from the state capital. Coffee beans would be sent to the 150,000-square-foot plant, where they'd be roasted and packaged for shipment to the region's 2,200 Starbucks stores and other coffee sellers." -- The Associated Press (Read the rest of the story here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/122/story/79993.html )
Some background details I couldn't find on regional news Web sites, or in national reports:
1. St. Matthews wasn't the only Southern city that Starbucks was seriously considering. Murfreesboro, Tenn., was a finalist for the roasting facility, according to the Murfreesboro Post (http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php?viewStory=3579).
2. The St. Matthews roasting facility will be in exclusive company. The other Starbucks roasting facilities, and the years they opened, are:
New facility built at home base, Seattle, 1990
Kent, Washington, 1993
York, Pennsylvania, 1995
Carson Valley, Nevada, 2003
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2003
(http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/Company_Timeline_Feb06.pdf)
-Colin Burch