Wolfgang Puck Disses Starbucks

CultureMap Houston has a lengthy piece about Wolfgang Puck's new line of bottled iced coffees, but we're more interested in his take on coffee king Starbucks (and his "That's what she said" joke in the lede).

Apparently, the renowned chef hates Starbucks, saying the coffee company has essentially brainwashed consumers.

"They created a taste in the memory for people, which is interesting, so that people really think it's good coffee," he told CultureMap. "But it's terrible coffee! Like when I fly on United Airlines they say, 'We proudly serve Starbucks coffee.' I said they should say, 'We are embarrassed to serve Starbucks coffee.'"

Of course this opinion has nothing to do with Puck's ready-to-drink iced coffees, which come in three flavors that would make Ferran Adrià cry: mocha, créme caramel, and café au lait.

"It took us about a year and a half to get the flavors right," Puck said, and also admits that he's particular about his coffee. "I'm very peculiar about it, I like it a certain way, and everyone isn't going to like it the way I like it," he said. We'll see how his refined taste fares against the most popular coffee chain in the States.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.