Any Starbuck's(coffee) Addicts?

[Eden]

Word. I haven't found a chai that can compare to the real stuff, except maybe ye olde ren faire turkish coffee house chai, which is different, but damn tasty.

Soy Chai for me please! - I like the spicy ones more than the sweet ones, so far I think my favorite has been Peets, but we don't have too many of those up here.

This place www.seattleteacup.com has an awesome Chai blend and they ship! (its a loose tea with spices, not a liquid concentrate - it is ground quite fine so you need a fine tea strainer and some patience to brew it - pour the water in sloooowly, but it is really quite nice)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have my favorite most mornings in my own little home town....a skim double latte (extra hot) at Ralph's Pretty Good Cafe.

[ehirsch83]

I will drink starbucks if I have to, but I feel that their espresso tastes burnt!
When I am in Boulder I prefer Penny Lane or Buchanons, I used to be obsessed with Prufrocks before they closed(they had the best coffee and the best homemade soups and sandwiches).
Let's see back In Ft.Lauderdale I loved Brew, during the day it is an urban coffee house-great big leather chairs, funky music playing, local art work. At night it also sells microbrews and wine. Very funky idea. Great coffee

Now that I am in Albuquerque I am finding that I like Satellite's- it is a local chain.

And what do I drink? Usually a triple machiatto for me! if I am feeling naughty I go for a cappucino or a chai

[tangentgirl]

I try my best to p!ss off the Sbux baristas by never using their cutesy names. They are stupid.

I hate it when they pretend they don't know what small, medium and large mean.

[Pax]

Am I the only one who likes just plain strong black coffee? I'll have a mocha once in a while as a treat but mostly I just love strong black coffee.

[salsabike]

There are a lot of us Seattleites who try hard to go to the indie coffee places rather than the megaempire Starbuck's. And I think they DO overroast their coffee so it's fairly bitter.

I have a local, no-name expresso place run by a mother and two daughters that I go to. They're right next door to a skilled nursing place and the espresso stand owners built a garden for the nursing home residents.

My favorite drinks--double short Americano, or double short nonfat mocha with half the usual amount of chocolate.

[surgtech1956]

QUEEN - You're not the only one who loves just a plain black coffee.

[Trek420]

There are a lot of us Seattleites who try hard to go to the indie coffee places rather than the megaempire Starbuck's. And I think they DO overroast their coffee so it's fairly bitter.

I think there are a lot of us who like indie places whether it's for the better less bitter coffee, a sense of culinary adventure or a statement.

There's that term the "mall'ization of America". Some seem to have a need for the same places logos menu wherever we go "oh look! whew, a Starbucks in Uzbechistanigrad. I thought we'd never find a place to have coffee".

Why travel at all? Why go anywhere if we're just gonna have the same blasted burnt coffee? Try the local bev of choice in Uzbechistanigrad just to say you did.

I love finding the out of the way spot, the cafe that looks intriguing from the outside, local plates on cars in the lot "ooh look, the cops go there. Now we know it's good".

I'm pretty good at spotting these places and rarely have a bad meal. But I've heard this is a good site for that out of the way spot

www.roadfood.com

Knott's taken me to both Chocolatis in Seattle. I'm not saying one shouldn't go to Starbucks but how less special would it be "oh, remember when we went to Starbucks, just like this Starbucks which is just like the one in ...."

[pooks]

Well, in Dallas it's harder to find good espresso drinks. And I can't tell you how many times I've ordered lattes and couldn't drink them, they were so bad. Starbucks may not always be best, but it's consistantly better than average in my experience.

If you get drinks that have sugar and/or flavorings it might not be such a big deal, but all I get are lattes (made with organic milk, when possible) and if the barrista doesn't know what they're doing, you can definitely tell the difference.

I love going to small independent restaurants, cafes, etc. and if there were any viable options around me for lattes I'd jump at the chance to patronize them, but unfortunately I don't have that option.

We definitely like to "do as the Romans do" when we're traveling, and our favorite cup of coffee (just plain coffee) is a brand called Farmer's Brothers, that is mostly available at restaurants and cafes. I can't begin to tell you how many times we've said, "Wow, this is good coffee," and been told it was Farmer's Brothers, whether in a tiny cafe in rural New Mexico or a Greek restaurant in Dallas.

As for Starbucks, I've been to Starbucks in London, and also in Salisbury and Chester (both in England) and each time it was a welcome chance to get a latte. In Salisbury I was actually ill and when we found that little Starbucks right by the gate to the cathedral, a Starbucks with medieval stone interior walls, even! -- I sank into the familiar chair and sipped on that familiar latte and just rested for a very long time. It was nice.

Mind you, that majority of our time in the UK is driving our rental from village to village and eating at pubs and tea rooms and staying in very basic B&Bs. And if there were no Starbucks there, we wouldn't whine about it.

But on the few occasions where we've visited them, we've enjoyed them!

(One of my favorite lattes ever was in a little Italian sandwich shop in London, though.)

[Crankin]

I also prefer independent coffee places. My favorite is the Continental Cafe in West Acton MA. It's low key, a bit of a grungy atmosphere, excellent food, too. Plus, I get to eavesdrop in on conversations, so I get to find out which one of my children's former classmates are in trouble, arrested, etc (just kidding). I get a medium mocha latte with skim milk. mmmmm. I like regular plain black coffee, but I have that everyday. Now that I live in the next town over, I go there because it's like Cheers to me; everybody knows your name. I do go to Main Street cafe in Concord Center, but it is packed with those pesky tourists who are here on a history binge.
I have no problem with Starbucks, although I don't like their coffee as much. Most New Englanders think Dunkin Donuts is a gourmet coffee place. Yuch... I avoid it.

[KnottedYet]

My brother found a Starbucks while he was stationed in Dubai. (and took a picture of it) Kinda like taking coals to Newcastle, I guess, but it was popular with the military guys.

(I get this funny image in my head of these Arabica beans leaving port in Dubai, shipping to the east coast of the US, then to the west coast, getting roasted, then shipping BACK to Dubai to be served. very efficient?)

[RolliePollie]

The closest nearby town has 5 Starbucks and I believe the population is around 7,000. Do we really need that many Starbucks?!?! They are the best coffee place in town though. Grande Non-fat Carmel Macchiato or Venti Iced Passion Tea w/ 2 Splendas (ugh) for me!

[Pax]

The closest nearby town has 5 Starbucks and I believe the population is around 7,000. Do we really need that many Starbucks?!?! They are the best coffee place in town though. Grande Non-fat Carmel Macchiato or Venti Iced Passion Tea w/ 2 Splendas (ugh) for me!

You have so many because they skipped other places FOREVER! We got the first one here (town of around 150,000) two years ago, by the end of summer we'll be up to three shops.

[cosc]

I'm strictly a black and flavored coffee bean girl. Nearest Starbucks is 140 miles.
I grind my coffee fresh before making a pot. I buy 8:00 Coffee brand in colombian and vanilla/hazelnut flavored beans. It is very good and much cheaper than other well-known brands.

[Laterider21958]

Have never experienced Starbucks coffee (live in the country), but love the smell of coffee beans. Unfortunately, I am a coffee novice (don't go out much) and don't know what to ask for when I do go out. Often I am disappointed. Isn't it amazing that you can make a coffee, using identical ingredients and proportions, and one day it tastes fantastic, the other mediocre - why?