P i s t a c h i o

The more technique you have, the less you have to worry about it.

– Picasso

When Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz faced thousands of his shareholders last week, the company’s financial troubles were certainly top of mind. The coffee giant’s stock has been in decline for over a year, and it’s currently trading at half its 2006 value.

Instead of hearing a new financial strategy, shareholders were introduced to the “Mastrena,” a new automated espresso-maker that will create a consistent hit of caffeine and free up the barista to interact more with the clientele. That’s Schultz’s story, and I bet he’s sticking to it.

So, all that specialized barista training flies out the window?

Take heart. ‘Bucks is going back to grinding its own beans, which it hasn’t done for years, because it will release an aroma and create an ambience that the CEO says will impact sales.

His rationale? When he took back the helm as CEO in January from his short-lived appointee Jim Donald, Schultz complained that Donald had focused too much on growth and not enough on coffee and customers.

Will ‘Bucks’ espresso-philes bear this out or will they feel betrayed?

There’s only way I drink espresso: at my folks’ home, after Sunday lunch, prepared by my father, with coffee he brings back from his annual trip to Cuba. Not a sacrilege for an Italian household, since Italian espresso beans have always come from far and wide.

Is it like the espresso we drank standing up in Rome? Definitely not. That stuff is all technique, skill and artistry.

I have a sense that ‘Bucks is going to take a hit to the authenticity factor that devotees want to count on. How’s that going to increase sales?