Peet's Coffee

With my Dad spending many years working in California for the Software industry, our family was exposed to many West Coast delicacies. From wine to flat bread pizzas made on the grill, the great state of California has fueled many of our foodie experiences. One treasure that has been imported into Chicago is Peet's Coffee. Unlike Starbucks, you can only find 2 Peet's in the Chicagoland area. Lucky for me, one happens to be 2 blocks away from my house.

Peet's coffee is so much better than Starbucks, that I feel it necessary to share the difference in a pro/con list:

Peet's Pros:
1. The quality of coffee is out of this world. Every cup, whether you brew at home or pick-up that day, is rich and bold and unlike anything you have ever drank before.
2. The staff is knowledgeable, consistent and friendly. They know about the beans because they care about their product and believe in it. The same staff has been working there for years. They always have a smile on their face and are extremely helpful.
3. Every time you pick up fresh beans, they ask if you want a small coffee on the house. If you are not in the mood for coffee that minute, they give you a card for a free cup for the next time you are in.
4. Like most coffee places, they provide pastries, but they offer about 30 of the best looking pasties I have ever seen (no gluten-free options, yet). They are smart. They are in the business of making great coffee, not food. They get their fresh pasties delivered from local bakeries every morning.

Peet's Cons:
1. There are only 2 in Chicago.

Starbucks Pros:
1. You can find one on every corner.
2. Their peppermint mocha is yummy.
3. They sell mini pelligrino bottled waters.

Starbucks Cons:
1. Their drip coffee tastes like burnt rusty water.
2. The shops are always crowded. Often with screaming kids ordering their frozen drinks or hot cocoa.
3. You have like 3 different people help you which can get confusing.
4. The staff is typically young and unfriendly.
5. There pastries are prepackaged soggy and filled with fake chemical ingredients.
6. They toast breakfast sandwiches which causes the smell to stick to your clothes, which is really annoying if you aren't the one ordering it. On top of that, this toasting holds up the line.
7. They claim that their Starbucks Via tastes like their drip coffee. So, what they are saying is that their coffee is really no better than Sanka.

Case in point, if you have a Peet's Coffee near you, please make the switch. When Starbucks first launched, yes they were the best option. That is no longer the case.

You can see that I enjoyed my Peet's coffee this morning (used a free cup card) paired with my Gluten-free pumpkin bread w/ chocolate chips (pictured below). The loaf recipe is adapted from my pumpkin muffin recipe. Just add in a 1/2 cup of bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips and bake in a loaf pan for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 325 degrees.