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Starbucks = pot water? Now I know why there are no Starbucks in Italy.

Published: 2026-01-13 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/01/13, Without Italy, there would be no Starbucks. It was Starbucks president Howard Schultz's 1983 trip to Milan, Italy, that made him the coffee kingdom of the world. He wrote in a book that he was marketing director of Starbucks when he arrived one afternoon at Piazza del Duomo, home to Milan's most famous Gothic church, surrounded by cafes and empty

Without Italy, there would be no Starbucks today. It was Starbucks President Howard Schultz's trip to Milan, Italy in 1983 that made him what he is now the "world coffee kingdom".

He once wrote in a book that when he was the marketing director of Starbucks, he came to Cathedral Square one afternoon, where Milan's most famous Gothic church was surrounded by cafes and the air was filled with the sound of opera and the mellow smell of coffee. He realized that Italians have made coffee a part of life, and Starbucks should not be limited to selling coffee beans. Americans should also experience this coffee culture.

People who have been to Italy will find that how to find Starbucks is not to see Starbucks, 10 reasons to tell you why there is no Starbucks in Italy!

There are coffee shops all over the street

Italians are known all over the world for their crazy penchant for coffee. Whether in Milan or Florence, there are all kinds of coffee shops on the streets, using the freshest coffee beans.

In addition to coffee shops, coffee vending machines are also distributed in every corner of Italy. Italians are not worried about coffee at all, and they can drink it anytime and anywhere.

2. Delicious food that can be enjoyed at a low price

Take the city of Milan as an example, the price of a cup of espresso (espresso) is about 680 yuan. Italians are used to drinking it two or three times a day. Starbucks prices from 20 yuan have exceeded the affordability of the local people.

Starbucks has already lost the price of coffee of the same size.

3. Special taste

For Italians, espresso (espresso) is the real coffee, and lattes and macchiato with milk are drinks, not to mention Starbucks' main product, Frappuccino.

If Starbucks opened in Italy, it would probably lose money every day.

4. The ancestor of drinking coffee

The history of Italian coffee drinking has existed long before Starbucks was founded. Starbucks coffee itself is based on Italian coffee.

Italians have always been very proud of their country's food, American coffee, do not drink!

5. Starbucks = "boiled water"?

The American method of filtering coffee adopted by Starbucks is exactly like shabu-shabu water in the eyes of Italians, which is not only bitter but also astringent, and completely loses the original mellow essence of coffee.

So there is a culture of disdain for Starbucks in Italy. If you ask passers-by how to get to Starbucks in Italy, you may be despised.

Coupled with their pride in local coffee, they are even less likely to buy Starbucks to drink.

6. Different coffee drinking habits

The habit of drinking coffee is very different in Italy. The price of drinking coffee standing up is different from that of drinking coffee sitting in Italy. Locals prefer to stand and chat while drinking coffee at the coffee bar rather than sit in the shop. Starbucks' way of drinking coffee while sitting down doesn't work in Italy.

But some people may think that Starbucks can also take it away or drink it standing up, but the Italians really don't like it.

7. Is Starbucks "fake coffee"?

Hand-ground coffee powder, pressed and then slowly boiled on a coffee machine is an authentic cup of coffee in the hearts of Italians. like Starbucks, using a fully automatic machine, one-click grinding of concentrated coffee is not authentic.

Not only taste, but also pay attention to production methods, can only say that Italy is very persistent on the issue of coffee!

8. The most authentic coffee is rich in high-quality coffee beans in Italy. In addition to Espresso (espresso), there is also a kind of Ristretto, which is only the favorite of Italians, which is only half the quantity of ordinary espresso, but it gathers all the essence of coffee.

9. Coffee drinking habits are a little different between Americans and Italians: American coffee is full, but Italian coffee is only as deep as a finger. Italians think that a cup of American coffee is enough for eight people; and Italians can only drink cappuccino at breakfast, and they think it is incredible for Americans to drink coffee after lunch and dinner.

10. There is no way to choose coffee materials. American coffee and Italian coffee are also different in the choice of ingredients. "espresso is too astringent and strong," Howard Schultz said during a visit to Italy in 2008. Starbucks inherits the Italian coffee culture, but is proud to improve the taste of coffee. " GianlucaBrizi, an Italian barista trainer, said: "Starbucks just uses different ingredients. If you open a store in Italy that only sells this kind of coffee, it will be closed the next day." Starbucks is very good at site selection and brand advantage, but it seems to have lost the quality of coffee. " There is even a saying that Ristretto "there is so little coffee that there is no more wet lips."

Starbucks originated in Italy, and even the current medium cup (Tall), large cup (Grande), super large cup (Venti) are all Italian terms, want to spell "authentic"? Can't compete with Italy.

So if you have a chance to go to Italy, don't think about looking for Starbucks, because they don't drive there at all!