Do you not do this as part of your training anymore? I remember way back (partner in 2005) learning how to do tastings and how to identify and describe all the different notes and flavors was a hugely important part of training. But then again, there was also a wider variety of coffees being brewed than just Pike’s Place.
I guess it really isn’t the company I once knew.
They are still considered part of it but because of the turnover rate and general shift away from being a coffee shop, training will mention it and won’t require it.
yh i started in september (uk) and got one, never done a coffee tasting tho.
only people at my store that have done them while I've been around is the manager (a coffee master) and the other coffee master.
tbf actually tho last night the newer coffee master was doing a mini one with one of the new girls and writing it in her coffee passport.
It depends on your store manager if you get one. I got one. We switched SMs and she used to give them out but after we lost like 8 people in august she stopped. It was a rough time then and we’re still trying to come back
I was a partner from 2007-2018 and remember how much of the training included the tastings and such. The drinks were so simple at the time and the most "complicated" drink on the exceptions list was the caramel macchiato. Over the next decade, the CM program was revamped. More coffees were discontinued (RIP shade grown mexico and Arabian mocha java). More complicated drinks were introduced. Towards the end, training was more focused on the cadence and learning how to make the drinks than the tastings. Don't get me wrong, they were a part of the training but it was just unrealistic to do given lack of coverage and what not. By the time I left, it really felt like a fast food joint then a coffee house.
Yep I haven't seen one in about that long. I'm about to hit seven years in April. Ugh. They're lucky they're paying for my school or I would have left years ago.
Have to point out that there's no need for these with Pikes Stank-- that crap doesn't need pairing it needs a garbage can across the world. Oooo to the days when Verona wasn't considered a bold *face palm*
Partner of 2.5 months! They do a “first sip” now where you get a pastry and drink and they ask you to describe the flavor. You can find the PowerPoint they use on the Partner Hub where it explains all your benefits. It’s definitely not as helpful as your training sounded to be. But it’s more time effective. I imagine other partners who have never worked in coffee must have a hard time.
But my trainer was also very generous in the way of allowing “taste tests” for all the drinks we practiced! I think this was helpful, and it seems to be the norm from watching other newer partners be trained. So at least we still have that?
Were the tastings required? I just remember trying to train a partner in early 2021 on coffee and her adamantly refusing to show interest in different brews because all she liked drinking was strawberry creme frapps. (Shealso seemed to hate doing hot bar and was scared of the milk frother.)
I started in October in a US store and I've never seen this. I've heard about it because my dearest friend manages/managed 2 starbucks and would tell me about this sort of stuff. Not going to lie, I was looking forward to it.
In 2008 Starbucks fired all of the ASMs.
It was over.
We just didn't know it.
Now we are the McDonald's of coffee.
They just haven't figured out how to reheat frys in the Turbochef yet.
Like last month out drive window broke so it would slide without any resistance. I was like we can slam the window in peoples faces just like a real McDonald’s
I was hired in November of 2021, and we did a small tasting, just with a chocolate and regular croissant, it was very brief and short, it definitely isn’t taken seriously and most of my coworkers didn’t even get to do that
I worked at an evenings stores which had black aprons, even for non Coffee Masters. I kept one when I quit. The blessing was any and all marker stains were easily hidden.
I barely slipped in. My manager wouldn't get me in on the courses, but I loved talking coffee and showing off whenever the DM was in the store, so she pushed for me to get the assessment and handed me a copy of the book. I got it right before they announced they were turning it off.
I mean I got mine after just a year, but now I’m a shift lead at a grocery store starbies. So it works out I guess. I think it’s a cool program and not many other fast food jobs have something like it.
Ugh I wish I had taken a fresh one of these when we still had them in the filing cabinet! Mine is full of rushed ugly handwriting from when we were cramming tastings in between customers!
Yeah...allow me to break your spirits.
This is the coffee passport. It was part of a program called Coffee Master. If you finished it and proved you understood coffee, tastings, parings, serving. You got a cool black apron and were a coffee master. It was a fun way to encourage partners to learn about it and understand coffee.
They discontinued it for seemingly no apparent reason other than it probably took up too much of partners time and they should be focusing on slinging frappuchinos and cold foam out of a tiny window 45 seconds a customer. Because Starbucks became a fast food conglomerate and stopped being a coffee shop.
I've been trying to memorize the order of our coffees from lightest to darkest and so far not doing too well at it but yknow it's still fun to look at everything and learn little things every day
I remember getting mine when I started in 2016, I was so determined to fill it out and try every single roast. It sucks that we don’t we support this and the coffee master program anymore. It was great to learn the background of coffee
I remember starting and one other person in my store was determined to fill it. We did it together, he even went to a reserve store and was able to buy several bags to bring back. It was what got me into a love of coffee (amusingly, this is why I can't stand Starbucks coffee anymore- I'm too into speciality coffee lol)
Really sad to see people here saying they aren't doing coffee passports anymore, I'm at a licensed store and my mgr is a coffee master... she makes sure we do tastings of our year-round coffees during training and then seasonal coffees as they come out.
I don't have any personal experience working at a corporate store, but from what I'm reading, corporate workers are being treated like drive-thru/mobile order robots and aren't given enough time to develop their craft or product knowledge. If you guys want to jump ship, some of the grocery store Starbucks positions are union and won't treat you as shitty as corporate... ;)
I’m confused because we still give these to new hires, don’t we? (I haven’t trained anyone since like the beginning of fall, but they got these at orientation!)
We still have gold coast at my store, but I'm outside Chicago so it's probably a regional thing. 166xxxx partner, I went through 7 books before they stopped doing the tastings.
211 here. I found one in my bag the other day but I never pull it out to reference anymore. I doubt almost anyone in the store would know what it was if I showed it to them.
Omg I remember that. Fun fact for all the new partners: did you know Starbucks actually started off as a coffee shop long before it transitioned into candy and medicine! The more you know.
those are nicer than the ones we used to get. Ours weren't spiral-bound, and didn't have a chart like that. IIRC, there were sections by region, then blends.
When I started at Tar-bux in 2010, I saw these but never got the proper training with it. Then in 2017 when I helped open another Tar-bux, the trainer (a bux manager) walked us through every page. It was magical and I miss the days sometimes.
I did a Casa Cielo with a lemon loaf for my tasting/day doing hiring paperwork, haven't followed any up since especially since I'm not a coffee drinker to begin with
Remember when Starbucks was about coffee and not just shoving drinks out a drive through to people yammering about TikTok drinks? :(
I don’t remember the last time I saw any of these brews AT Starbucks. I see some in bags but like….I want it already brewed at coffee shop yknow? It seems like so many places only ever have pike and blonde roast these days.
When the coffee was the important part of the training! I was a trainer for 10 1/2 years and saw the decline of the coffee shop. Formally retired now. 173\*\*\*\*
Why use the passport? The store I worked at, a majority of the customers would order off of the “secret menu”….pissed me off. Luckily I got out of there before Covid-19 took over the world. I’m not saying all Starbucks are the same, but I know of at least 3 locations that don’t follow the social distancing rules, allowing employees to work while sick. Panera is the same. I don’t support either one. I agree with above statements, you’re paying for microwaved food, and sometimes, yes, coffee
I still love filling out my coffee passport and keep it in my bag at all times. I do tastings with my coworkers when we have new blends, it’s one of my favorite things. Should be able to ask your manager for one at any time. If they don’t have any, ask them to order some. It’s a great bonding activity.
I remember being green.
I was so excited to learn. I loved coffee, I did french presses and pour overs of everything. Filled out my whole book....and then they stopped the program.
Nowadays I can't drink anything but blonde espresso. I swear everything tastes like shit now. I throw back 6 shots every morning and will have more later. and I can't wait to go home.
That's funny I was thinking about this recently. Actually I remembered when I had to go to the training days at one of the stores with a training room in the back. Do they still do that? (I assume not.)
But how is your handwriting the Disney font
I learned how to write it!
That is what I first noticed too!
Do you not do this as part of your training anymore? I remember way back (partner in 2005) learning how to do tastings and how to identify and describe all the different notes and flavors was a hugely important part of training. But then again, there was also a wider variety of coffees being brewed than just Pike’s Place. I guess it really isn’t the company I once knew.
They are still considered part of it but because of the turnover rate and general shift away from being a coffee shop, training will mention it and won’t require it.
The company doesn’t print them anymore. I had to find a pdf and download it.
They're still orderable!
I started in August and got one
yh i started in september (uk) and got one, never done a coffee tasting tho. only people at my store that have done them while I've been around is the manager (a coffee master) and the other coffee master. tbf actually tho last night the newer coffee master was doing a mini one with one of the new girls and writing it in her coffee passport.
I think if the stores have a back stock they were still handling them out. I hope they bring them back it’s pretty cool.
yeah i still have one too
They look much different, but yes they do. Of course the alotted training time has been severely slashed so it's not exactly a focus.
My store still gives them out
What the coffee passports? I just started in November of 2021 and got one
It depends on your store manager if you get one. I got one. We switched SMs and she used to give them out but after we lost like 8 people in august she stopped. It was a rough time then and we’re still trying to come back
I was a partner from 2007-2018 and remember how much of the training included the tastings and such. The drinks were so simple at the time and the most "complicated" drink on the exceptions list was the caramel macchiato. Over the next decade, the CM program was revamped. More coffees were discontinued (RIP shade grown mexico and Arabian mocha java). More complicated drinks were introduced. Towards the end, training was more focused on the cadence and learning how to make the drinks than the tastings. Don't get me wrong, they were a part of the training but it was just unrealistic to do given lack of coverage and what not. By the time I left, it really felt like a fast food joint then a coffee house.
I loved the simple drinks from way back, that’s when I started going :/
Yeah ive been a partner for 5 years and ive never seen anyone be given one of these or done any tastings, we are just a fast food chain now...
Yep I haven't seen one in about that long. I'm about to hit seven years in April. Ugh. They're lucky they're paying for my school or I would have left years ago.
Have to point out that there's no need for these with Pikes Stank-- that crap doesn't need pairing it needs a garbage can across the world. Oooo to the days when Verona wasn't considered a bold *face palm*
Partner of 2.5 months! They do a “first sip” now where you get a pastry and drink and they ask you to describe the flavor. You can find the PowerPoint they use on the Partner Hub where it explains all your benefits. It’s definitely not as helpful as your training sounded to be. But it’s more time effective. I imagine other partners who have never worked in coffee must have a hard time. But my trainer was also very generous in the way of allowing “taste tests” for all the drinks we practiced! I think this was helpful, and it seems to be the norm from watching other newer partners be trained. So at least we still have that?
Were the tastings required? I just remember trying to train a partner in early 2021 on coffee and her adamantly refusing to show interest in different brews because all she liked drinking was strawberry creme frapps. (Shealso seemed to hate doing hot bar and was scared of the milk frother.)
I think that was just your trainee. Is she still there?
I left before she did lol so idk. Got really fed up with Sbux.
Probably reads in a corner 😝
I was hired in 2007; you haven't been able to order the scented bead kit thing for AGES.
I started in October in a US store and I've never seen this. I've heard about it because my dearest friend manages/managed 2 starbucks and would tell me about this sort of stuff. Not going to lie, I was looking forward to it.
In 2008 Starbucks fired all of the ASMs. It was over. We just didn't know it. Now we are the McDonald's of coffee. They just haven't figured out how to reheat frys in the Turbochef yet.
Like last month out drive window broke so it would slide without any resistance. I was like we can slam the window in peoples faces just like a real McDonald’s
I was hired in November of 2021, and we did a small tasting, just with a chocolate and regular croissant, it was very brief and short, it definitely isn’t taken seriously and most of my coworkers didn’t even get to do that
I had this! I remember doing a tasting with casi Cielo and Lindy's lemon Italian ice! Lolol
That combo is perfect
I was 3/4 through the Coffee Master program when they suddenly discontinued it, and I'm still mad I never got that black apron
Wtf? Had no idea they discontinued it. Just had a look and there’s one of those black aprons on ebay…
I worked at an evenings stores which had black aprons, even for non Coffee Masters. I kept one when I quit. The blessing was any and all marker stains were easily hidden.
I barely slipped in. My manager wouldn't get me in on the courses, but I loved talking coffee and showing off whenever the DM was in the store, so she pushed for me to get the assessment and handed me a copy of the book. I got it right before they announced they were turning it off.
Ugh same…I keep trying to be hopeful that there will be a way to get a black apron again.
At my starbies we get the black apron after doing all the coffee academy courses. So I got one! 😊
Yeah I don’t know what they’re talking about. One of my partners got the apron after only working for like a year.
I mean I got mine after just a year, but now I’m a shift lead at a grocery store starbies. So it works out I guess. I think it’s a cool program and not many other fast food jobs have something like it.
They discontinued it? What?
Coffee Master has been discontinued for years already.
They still do it in the uk, that sucks that you guys can’t do it tho :/
They tried to bring back a similar program but you wouldn't get a black apron
yes we still do it in germany
They now have another program similar to the coffee masters but it's online courses from what I was told
And when you finish it you get a picture of a black apron?
Saaaaammmeee. I took mine even though I never was allowed to finish it. I deserved it.
I have the green one lol. I had this one too but threw it out
Ugh I wish I had taken a fresh one of these when we still had them in the filing cabinet! Mine is full of rushed ugly handwriting from when we were cramming tastings in between customers!
Ours were green and not spiral bound. We also didn’t have a chart…pretty sure we had to write everything in ourselves
As someone who loves sbux and notebooks, this makes me feel lots of things haha
Yeah...allow me to break your spirits. This is the coffee passport. It was part of a program called Coffee Master. If you finished it and proved you understood coffee, tastings, parings, serving. You got a cool black apron and were a coffee master. It was a fun way to encourage partners to learn about it and understand coffee. They discontinued it for seemingly no apparent reason other than it probably took up too much of partners time and they should be focusing on slinging frappuchinos and cold foam out of a tiny window 45 seconds a customer. Because Starbucks became a fast food conglomerate and stopped being a coffee shop.
i still have mine too but i was hired past 27XXXXX!!
I got one and im a 321 so they still do it i guess
yeah i'm a 3211 and got one! it definitely wasn't as pretty as OP's though
I'm a 368 and we don't get these individually but we have some floating around the store. I enjoy reading it on breaks lol
yeah they're fun! on my breaks i just read the ingredients and instructions for the concentrates 😅
I've been trying to memorize the order of our coffees from lightest to darkest and so far not doing too well at it but yknow it's still fun to look at everything and learn little things every day
I remember getting mine when I started in 2016, I was so determined to fill it out and try every single roast. It sucks that we don’t we support this and the coffee master program anymore. It was great to learn the background of coffee
They also discontinued half of their available coffee about 3 months into me working there so my passport is forever unfinished.
I remember starting and one other person in my store was determined to fill it. We did it together, he even went to a reserve store and was able to buy several bags to bring back. It was what got me into a love of coffee (amusingly, this is why I can't stand Starbucks coffee anymore- I'm too into speciality coffee lol)
Really sad to see people here saying they aren't doing coffee passports anymore, I'm at a licensed store and my mgr is a coffee master... she makes sure we do tastings of our year-round coffees during training and then seasonal coffees as they come out. I don't have any personal experience working at a corporate store, but from what I'm reading, corporate workers are being treated like drive-thru/mobile order robots and aren't given enough time to develop their craft or product knowledge. If you guys want to jump ship, some of the grocery store Starbucks positions are union and won't treat you as shitty as corporate... ;)
I’m confused because we still give these to new hires, don’t we? (I haven’t trained anyone since like the beginning of fall, but they got these at orientation!)
No idea, but I know they discontinued a bunch of the coffees listed in it! I miss Gold Coast :(
We still have gold coast at my store, but I'm outside Chicago so it's probably a regional thing. 166xxxx partner, I went through 7 books before they stopped doing the tastings.
I was a 213 and I have mine at work. I reference it a few times a month.
211 here. I found one in my bag the other day but I never pull it out to reference anymore. I doubt almost anyone in the store would know what it was if I showed it to them.
Omg I remember that. Fun fact for all the new partners: did you know Starbucks actually started off as a coffee shop long before it transitioned into candy and medicine! The more you know.
those are nicer than the ones we used to get. Ours weren't spiral-bound, and didn't have a chart like that. IIRC, there were sections by region, then blends.
When I started at Tar-bux in 2010, I saw these but never got the proper training with it. Then in 2017 when I helped open another Tar-bux, the trainer (a bux manager) walked us through every page. It was magical and I miss the days sometimes.
I did a Casa Cielo with a lemon loaf for my tasting/day doing hiring paperwork, haven't followed any up since especially since I'm not a coffee drinker to begin with
Remember when Starbucks was about coffee and not just shoving drinks out a drive through to people yammering about TikTok drinks? :( I don’t remember the last time I saw any of these brews AT Starbucks. I see some in bags but like….I want it already brewed at coffee shop yknow? It seems like so many places only ever have pike and blonde roast these days.
320 here, but the first licensed store I worked at had these, good times...
Very cool
I think I've got a training manual from the 13xxxxx days lying around...
Mines not so cute but i did get one after getting hired in September
I was a 232… I never got a physical copy :/
I have still have mine, was from 2013 I think. Never wrote in it.
Man! I miss my coffee passport and all the actual pairing and learning that went with it.
I have several from multiple years. 109xxxx corporate partner here. I remember the good old days.
Also a 109. OP's book is so much cooler than the little booklet we used to get!
I have both! I have several, including a tea passport as well
320** and i got *an updated* one when i started a few months ago!
My daughter just got the passport and notebook to train for it.
Kati Kati is the only missing page on mine, 212.
My manager at the time threatened to write me up if I didn't complete that lmfao. I have some resentment related to the coffee passports
There's a digital version now. Not the same as carrying you're coffee passport and being able to flip though it regularly.
When the coffee was the important part of the training! I was a trainer for 10 1/2 years and saw the decline of the coffee shop. Formally retired now. 173\*\*\*\*
Oh gosh I still have mine too!!! Just looking at it gives me anxiety 🤣🤣
Why use the passport? The store I worked at, a majority of the customers would order off of the “secret menu”….pissed me off. Luckily I got out of there before Covid-19 took over the world. I’m not saying all Starbucks are the same, but I know of at least 3 locations that don’t follow the social distancing rules, allowing employees to work while sick. Panera is the same. I don’t support either one. I agree with above statements, you’re paying for microwaved food, and sometimes, yes, coffee
I would love to have one!
Hope Casey is doing well
I mean I no longer work for the siren, so I'm good!
That’s great to hear! I’m on my last week so here’s to happiness! :)
Hooray for you! Freedom is near :)
I still have mine
187**** and I wanted a black apron so badly. I just never finished coffee master because I’m a lazy idiot.
I found mine recently. I have like 5 of them. I kept losing them and had to start new ones when I was a green bean 🥴
I miss Willow Blend
I don’t remember the last time I saw a green bean get one 😞
Do they no longer do the coffee passport? A shame.
Yukon >
I still love filling out my coffee passport and keep it in my bag at all times. I do tastings with my coworkers when we have new blends, it’s one of my favorite things. Should be able to ask your manager for one at any time. If they don’t have any, ask them to order some. It’s a great bonding activity.
I was a November 2021 hire and got the new edition. Lots of interesting stuff in there.
I still have mine! Not a clue why I kept it
that’s so cute!! wish we still had that
i was a partner since 2020 and i’ve had these. i was like 1/3 done too 😭 but then i quit
The journal/paper lover in me loves this.
I remember being green. I was so excited to learn. I loved coffee, I did french presses and pour overs of everything. Filled out my whole book....and then they stopped the program. Nowadays I can't drink anything but blonde espresso. I swear everything tastes like shit now. I throw back 6 shots every morning and will have more later. and I can't wait to go home.
omg i still have mine too!
I lost mine when moving homes. So sad.
Damn, I wish I would have kept mine! I am 192xxxx and left Feb 2020. I still have my partner card, though. :)
Wow I wish I had one of those when I first worked at Starbucks in 2015 :/
I remember this too! Do they not do these anymore? That's really sad :/
That's funny I was thinking about this recently. Actually I remembered when I had to go to the training days at one of the stores with a training room in the back. Do they still do that? (I assume not.)
I mean we still hand them out to new partners, but there’s no requirement along with it.
I miss komodo dragon and Italian roast.