Week 6 Winning Stories (April 14 - 20)

Winning Story:
To Romeo & Juliet:
Me: But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the East, and Peet's must be brewed before the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon
but wait until I've had my first cup.
That thou my coffee art far more fair than she.

It speaks, yet it says nothing.
What of that?

It is bold; and 'tis to me she speaks.
Twelve of the fairest blends in all the heaven
Having some business, do entreat my eyes
To twinkle in their cups till I return for a second.

As daylight doth a lamp; her rich, bold flavor through my taste buds stream so bright That my mind would sing and think it were not night.
See how she pours with a tilt of my hand.
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch the beans that wrought you!

It speaks!
O, speak again (and again and again and again), bright (and perfectly balanced) angel, for thou art
As glorious to this morning, being in my mouth,
As is a winged messenger of heaven!

(After finishing my first cup):
O Peet's, Peet's! Wherefore art thou Peet's?
Deny thy other coffee brands and refuse their name;
I have sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Star**** drinker.
'Tis but their name (and their burned coffee) that is my enemy.

What's in a name? (well, if you want the best cup of coffee, everything!)
That which we call a coffee
By any other word than Peet's would not taste as sweet.
All other coffees, doff thy name;
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take a backseat to Peet's.

Call me but a Peetnik, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be anything less.

Winner #2: Richard Rodgers

Winning Story:
I love Peet's coffee. I love the shops. I love the innovations: the coffee tasting I attended at my local Peet's in 2006, free coffee day at Christmas time, great ""for here"" mugs, French pressed coffee to order and, who would have guessed, coffee made fresh every 30 minutes.

We understand that Peet's cares for us and really knows how to make coffee that we truly love. And now, by offering this story telling contest, Peet's gives us a way to show our love and appreciation for what Peet's has already added to our lives -- BRILLIANT!!

I'd like to show my appreciation by offering a short fictional story stretching over space and time featuring true characters James and Nora Joyce.
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Dublin, Ireland
1912
Dearest James
we loved the coffee beans you shipped along with Peet's tips on how to brew it and it's very special coffee but who is this Major Dickason what branch of the service is he in is he related to Peet we are having some difficulty getting the book published the Irish have banned it (of course) but the French appear to be interested (who knew) my finances are a bit low right now so I sold a few of the bags of Peet's please send more our friends are begging for it my best friend Brenda suggested I cooperate with her on a book about my life with you to help raise some coin I agreed we are thinking of calling it Nora & Molly what do you think hopefully I can get some chapters accepted by the local newspaper and make some pin money until Portrait is published I hope in the new book you are working on there is a bit less streaming as that is a bit confusing for the reader

James please send more Peet's coffee soon please oh and also send a sack of good potatoes no one knows what will happen these days
With all my love
Nora xxxxxxxxxx

PS please more Peet's coffee please hurry
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Berkeley CA, USA
2008
Dear Nora my love,
Forget the book for now. I took a really great job here and will be sending dollars along with all the things you requested. We can probably publish the book here later when you join me. These Americans will publish almost anything. My job is with Peet's where every day I brew that coffee you love so much. The job pays well and the tips are great as everyone loves our coffee and our service. Peet's gave me a wonderful start with classes and training. I hope you can join me here soon. The coffee is even better when it is brewed fresh with Peet's special coffee machines.
I think your idea of writing something is fine but maybe 'Nora, The Real Molly Bloom' would be a better title. But Nora, you must read up on punctuation and use some when you submit the stories so they will be better received. It does get a bit difficult reading what you write. Even I can't always tell where one thought ends and a new one starts.

Love, James
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Respectfully submitted by Richard Rodgers

Winner #3: Carole Glanzer

Winning Story:
I love Peet's!
First, my credentials:
• I've been a loyal Peet's drinker for over 30 years, since I moved to the Bay Area in 1976.
• I'm known by name at my home Peet's and my work Peet's and visit at least 5 other Peet's locations regularly.
• I give and get Peet's cards regularly as gifts.
• I am quite sure I was the most excited Customer of the Week in the history of Peet's.
• And (my favorite) I once stopped at a second Peet's so soon after adding $20 to my card at another location, that I beat the electronic transfer of my money to the second store! (I suppose some might say that that indicates a problem...)

I love Peet's for the coffee and for the wonderful customer service. I decided to focus on the latter because of a couple of things that happened in San Francisco last week. A Peet's employee was doing a comparison tasting outside the store near the Civic Center. A colleague and I approached just after an obviously homeless fellow. We heard the Peet's employee give a thorough and informed explanation of the coffees in the tasting and several samples to someone who was obviously not going to be making any purchases. This is the kind of graciousness that is a trademark of Peet's.

Also last week, another colleague lauded Peet's because she had taken some beans back to be ground awhile after she had purchased them. She was told that that wasn't possible, but Peet's would be happy to give her another pound of coffee and grind it. She couldn't believe it. (I wasn't surprised.)

Peet's does a lot to make customers happy on top of providing us with fabulous coffee and coffee drinks. A dollar off on a purchase when you add $20 to your card, free coffee (or a raincheck) when you buy beans, a "Let us try again" card if something goes even a little wrong. A discount for reusing your bean bag. Workers who usually seem genuinely pleased to make customers happy and seem to like their work. Beautiful stores and even lovely artwork on the paper cups.

One of my favorite Peet's customer service moments was when I asked the employee helping me if he'd given me my discounts; when he answered that he had "with pleasure", I believed him! How great to be treated so nicely.

Well, let's face it. If Peet's coffee weren't so fabulous, great customer service wouldn't be enough. But given that the coffee is the best, it certainly adds to the package.

Thank you, Peet's!

Winner #4: Razan Asbahi

Winning Story:
I am a born again coffee lover.

In my ignorant days, a cup of coffee meant Starbucks or Coffee Bean. I never truly enjoyed the experience, no matter how I tried to cover up the taste with artificial syrups, sugar, or powdered flavors. The taste was always the same—bitter, weak, and one-dimensional.

Dissatisfied with the options surrounding me, I decided to search for another source. There had to be a true cup of coffee out there, I thought. It was just a matter of finding it. Since my parents were evangelist Starbucks drinkers, I kept my search a secret. They would consider my coffee questioning a sinful act, no doubt.

After a few disparaging tries with Folgers, supermarket beans, and Seattle’s Best, I was ready to give up. Maybe I was wrong after all. Maybe Starbucks was as good as it gets. Then I happened upon a Peet’s, by recommendation of a classmate. “It’s heaven sent,” she promised. I was willing to try anything at this point. The first sip proved a truly nirvana-like sensation, tickling my taste buds and coating my throat with a smooth, bold, complex juice. Hallelujah! Let the choir loose! Finally, after all my suffering through bad coffee, I could see the light.

These days I make the pilgrimage to Peet’s Kingdom every day, either in store or at home. The more I drank the black gold, the more I wanted. I became a Peetamentalist and was steadfast in passing on the Good Word of Peet’s. I began at home with my parents, who took one critical sip and were converted forever. The three of us became self-named Peet Missionaries, converting one lost coffee drinker at a time. In fact, we consider it a sacrilege to enter other coffee establishments, no matter how much more money they spend on winning people through free samples, cute teddy bears, and fancy packaging.

Below are our Peet's Ten Commandments, which we hold near and dear to our hearts. Thank you, Peet’s, for showing us the light at the end of the tunnel!!! We love you!!! God Bless.

Peet's Ten Commandments

1. I am Peet’s your coffee
2. You shall have no other coffee brands before me
3. You shall not make wrongful brewing of Peet’s beans
4. For six days Peet’s roasts coffee by hand, so enjoy coffee to order until the Sabbath Day
5. Honor Signature and Sumatra so that your coffee drinking days may be long
6. You shall not murder a pound of Peet’s by allowing it to sit for more than 2 weeks
7. You shall not buy coffee from anyone else but Peet’s, which would be considered adulterous
8. You shall not steal Peet’s coffee no matter how desperate you get when you run out
9. You shall not bear false witness against a fellow Peetnik
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s overflowing Peet’s stash

Winner #5: Will Billau

Winning Story:
Why I love Peets…………
There are so many reasons I need to make multiple entries. But this is my story of how important Peets is to me and my crew. I work for the fire department in Berkeley California. To start with, before I was even hired I loved Peets coffee, if it’s not Peets…it’s not coffee! One of the reasons I wanted to work in Berkeley was Peets coffee shops were so wonderful to go to, and the coffee sets the standard of what a great cup should be. Anyway, my station is on the west side of the city. EVERY day we are on duty we go to the Peets on 4th Street for “TBA” which stands for Team Building Activity. All the crews throughout the city know what it means when I ask one of our other fire companies if they are available for a TBA.
We love Peets so much, and meeting together to enjoy the coffee and friendship, that we actually have a radio code which means : to meet at Peets!
So when we meet for a daily “TBA” at Peets we always give out Jr. Firefighter Badges and plastic red Fire Chief hats to the kids (and sometimes adults and an occasional dog too). All the regulars at Peets have come to enjoy seeing us drive up in our fire engines or truck or paramedic rescue, then all the kids get to crawl on the rigs after getting their badges and hats.
So one of the reasons I love Peets so much is it is a wonderful, relaxing and critical part of our day which is always busy with many emergency calls and tons of training to do…………..Peets is a time we get to slow down and enjoy the great people we work with as well as a time for us to interact with the public we serve is a unique way. Meeting at Peets is an important part of our day. Oh, by the way, we have taken our Fire Chief with us for a TBA and she loves it so much; each time she get the chance to spend time with our crew she asks if we can go for a TBA! My crew turned me it for consideration as the “Customer of the Week” and I was picked; so now when we go in the staff on 4th Street greet me “hi Lieutenant Will!” When Peets had cameras at the different shops my crew took our picture all together……..we are proud to be a crew that serves our citizens and that picture was a great reminder of that. We also took a picture all together off duty and had that picture also posted at the local Peets.
And naturally, when the shift is over and we are getting off duty in the morning, our favorite place to meet and go over the last 24 hours we worked is at Peets.
We love Peets because…..it’s Peets!

Winner #6: Gloria J. Pieretti

Winning Story:
I Love Peets because it gives me the added BOOST
I need for still be ME!

Before getting MS 21 years ago, I was a
dynamo -- like the Energizer Bunny. What a shock
to find that even sleeping 8-9 hours, I now wake up
tired. (One of the side effects of multiple sclerosis
is FATIGUE for 80% of the people diagnosed with it.
I take quantities of pills & injections 3 times a week
yet I still feel tired.) Without a strong cup or two of
Peet's coffee in the morning, I'd want to stay in bed all day sometimes.

I like to travel & often carry my own coffee along (Peets, of course). Not only have I traveled here in the US extensively but to Italy, where my grandparents came from, also to France, Germany,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, England, Prague, Bratislava & Russia. In Nov., I went
to Sicily & hope to either take a river cruise through
Eastern Europe to the Black Sea or a tour to Croatia this fall.

Keeping cool is important with MS, so I ice my Peets
coffee. It full body flavor isn't LOST when its iced. It acts like an extra medication for me.
Thanks, thanks, thanks PeetS!

Winner #7: Katherine K. Baker

Winning Story:
My love—my passion—for Peet's Coffee rose like a Phoenix from the ashes in the devastation after Hurricane Katrina. We were on generator power and had intermittent internet and phone service. Supplies, if available, were short and working hours were incredibly long, hot and difficult. We quickly learned in those first days and weeks to appreciate simple things like a roof over our heads, a place to rest, water to shower with, the beauty of the stars above a dark town, basic kindness, and of course… a really good cup of coffee.

As soon as deliveries began to be made to our area again I started trying to order coffee beans from the company I'd been getting them from. They would not deliver to our entire region! I called and e-mailed begging and offering to pay whatever charges necessary just to get some decent coffee delivered. The answer was still no. I was told the wait could be months.

In an e-mail I poured out my frustration (like a bad cup of coffee) to a friend in Seattle. What a dear, sweet soul! He told me how much better Peet's coffee was than what I'd been using and suggested I contact them. He was sure Peet's would come through for me and that I'd love the coffee as much as he does. Within moments after getting the e-mail I was on the phone with a wonderful Peet's customer service representative… and my first batch of Peet's beans were on their way! From the ease of ordering to the awesome aroma when I opened the box, to the moment the delicious flavor burst on my tongue, it was all just so GOOD. That first cup was absolutely heavenly! Life was good again!!! No matter the power outages, the shortages, the destruction, the huge clean up ahead, or the absolute sadness of it all—we had good coffee to share with our loved ones and enjoy. I've been hooked ever since.

I've found that Peet's also has delicious treats and that gifts from Peet's are always appreciated and enjoyed. The customer service is consistently top notch and I've never been disappointed with their great quality and fast delivery.

I actually saved this from an e-mail sent to my friend in Seattle back in March 2006: "I talked to the Peet's folks a few days ago, and as always was impressed. They're SO nice. I gave you credit for my and my brother's switch and resulting addiction to Peet's. Told them how ********'s really let us down after Katrina... we can take hurricanes, but Dear Lord let us have coffee. Peet's came through--WOOHOO!"

Why do I love Peet's? It's hard to pinpoint any one thing—it's EVERYTHING. And Peet's makes me feel loved right back.

Winner #8: william brignon

Winning Story:
I would like to express my love of everything Peet’s with a little hiphop flare written from the perspective of Alfred Peet himself and his good friend Major Dickason….after all, good friends is what Peet’s Coffee and Tea is all about!...here it goes:

Yo, my name is Peet and I brew the fresh grind
My joe is prime delish for enjoyin’ any time
Whether you need a House Blend or a dark French Roast
My beans are first-class but I hate to boast
Earthy, smoky, bold, rich and full body
My flavors are deep like an abyssal pa-tay

I’ve got professional Baristas, magicians at the bar
America to Africa, flavors near and far
Chai, latte, espresso, or Americano
Shots come uno, dos, tres, even quatro
Come in for drip coffee or some sweet sweet tea
At my place you can share a scone with your buddy

Now I’d like to pass the floor to a signature blend
Yo, Major Dickason, what up my smooth friend?

I’m Major Dickason on Walnut and Vine
Been brewing coffee up in Berkley for 42 years time
I lead the march in the coffee revolution
The army of Peetniks know I’m the only solution
Enjoy me with family, friends, or coworkers alike
Our competitor’s coffee’ll put your taste buds on strike

Now you know the story of my rich savory flavor
Grab your special lady friend and make sure you take her-
To the nearest Peet’s Coffee and Tea in your land
Once you have a cup you’ll be a lifetime fan
I’d like to thank you all for making Peet’s a success
I promise to always keep servin’ up the best!

Winner #9: Connie Reichelt

Winning Story:
PEET’S
From the handbook of a coffee connoisseur

Peet’s (pēts) / -noun Peet•niks (1966) 1: A Coffee Revolution. 2: Founded and perfected by Alfred Peet on April 1, 1966. 3: Passion for excellence in freshness, quality and complexity. 4: Use of the finest beans to create the ultimate cup of Peet’s coffee loved by coffee connoisseurs and Peetniks ~ loyal customers of Peet’s. 5: Inspiration to a generation of coffee entrepreneurs, including the founders of Starbucks. 6: Coffee created using the most refined, and sophisticated techniques; to be original, appeasing and above all deliver unconditional quality.

Winner #10: Florence& Robert Laurenson

Winning Story:
My husband is the "official" Peetnik, but I think I'm the one carrying the torch now! I'm a tea drinker by trade, but WOW do I LOVE YOUR COFFEE!!!!!!

When we daily desire coffee, it's your excellent "MAJOR ADDICTION" (we so fondly have named it in our household) ,or your Decaf MocaJava that we love making. We also have enjoyed so many other coffees that you have created. If it's not in the house, especially on the weekends, WOW let's get some NOW!

We've also added it to our travel regime, where I'll bring it along with us or I will look on your website for multiple locations. It's so worth the wait and the geographic deviation.

Thank you for making such a great product! It really makes us happy!


Have a wonderful day!

The Laurensons