Too bad I hate Starbucks coffee. I'm a coffee lover and the only coffee I hate is Starbucks - it's not just their coffee either, their hot chocolate tastes like ass too. It's kind of like they left all their beverages on the burner for about 4 weeks. Okay, I'm done ranting.....I apologize...

Caffeine junkies, all descending on Starbucks in a 2 hour window?

I certainly don't see how this could end badly.

Free is still too expensive for that crap.

If it's free, does that mean it will suck more or less than the usually-overpriced crap does?

Re: Burnination

They're going to be going through an amazing ammount of coffee in a two-hour window. Probably going to have to be continually making fresh batches. This may be the freshest Starbucks coffee in years. And it'll be FREE!

/Assuming it wasn't roasted poorly and it's the brewing process that's to blame.
//Listen...it's FREE...

NikolaiFarkoff: I think it's hilarious how coffee snobs have exploded ten-fold in the last decade, and all of them are either in the love or hate Starbucks crowd.

Ha. Excellent point, good sir. I drink a lot of Starbucks coffee, but I'll also drink what they sell at the truck stop. It doesn't matter if it's coffee, wine, beer, chocolate, marshmallow, or whatever...a snob's a snob's a snob. In the end, they can't tell any different better than someone who rarely drinks it [*real scientific evidence for that].

Life on New Caprica must really be tough.

You can get free coffee every day at Jiffy Lube.

NikolaiFarkoff, ScienceRocks : Are you talking to me?? Are YOU talking to me?? Well, I never! I'm SHOCKED!! I'll have you know that I usually make my own coffee (Folgers)and when I'm on the road, I get whatever's at the gas station and usually like it. The only thing that irks me about Starbucks is that I hate their coffee and they're everywhere.

Call me a snob...huh!!....Call me a prick or a tool or the guy who's displeasing to the eye and smells - something that's accurate......but a coffee snob?? Well sirs, you've just crossed the line......What's that? I protest too much?? I don't know what that means...........

Phone_Answering_Monkey: They're going to be going through an amazing ammount of coffee in a two-hour window. Probably going to have to be continually making fresh batches. This may be the freshest Starbucks coffee in years.

The beans are over-roasted, not necessarily the coffee itself being burned.

This means that no matter how fresh the coffee is, it always tastes like ass.

OH great all the street people will be there.....


Get ready for more of this

InflatableJesus, do you get lubed every day or something?

Almost as good as free frosty day.

Nothing Sucks Like Starbucks . . . co'mon Tshirthell.com, use it and pay me.

I'll even do the artwork.

FYI, on their "Free ice cream day" they were out of ice cream before it started at my local starbucks. That is they never received their delivery, conveniently.

My condolences to you all.

blahbaba: FYI, on their "Free ice cream day" they were out of ice cream before it started at my local starbucks. That is they never received their delivery, conveniently.

That's called a "bait-and-switch" and is illegal. You should have got the authorities involved--if only for the principle of the thing.

Personally I don't care. Hate coffee no matter WHO makes it.

Starbucks sucks moby dick.
/obscure?
//certainly not.
///Oh and Eight O'Clock Bokar is the best cheap coffee ever.

I don't understand all this starbucks hate. I like it, but I also like Tim Hortons coffee (except for the one thats where i leave the subway, cause that place tastes like ass for some random reason) and random other stuff.

/except Second Cup
//and the stuff sold by the people who run the food locations on campus
///on campus coffee = muddy water with no taste and a coffee smell

Cool I'll be there.

Oh good, a coffee snob thread.

Is this in Canada too?

/not like the coffee at work isn't free too, but hey - free coffee!!!

Funny, nothing about this on Starbuck's website - not even in their press release section.

Wait, wait... but not mochas, right?

Not worth it. Call me on Customer Appreciation Day. Free holiday cards!!!!11

Oh, and a question for anyone who thinks Starbucks tastes like ass ...

How do you know what ass tastes like?

McDork; Caffeine junkies

I like caffeine, but I don't like coffee.

I'll be there.

Difficulty: I will have to walk from school to/fo
more difficulty: 30 minute walk
even more difficulty: free period is 50 minutes long
even more farking difficulty: Theres of course going to be a crowd
even more difficulty that before: while i run back to the damn school, i gotta remember im carrying farking hot coffee and better not spill any

/mission impossible?

Wow (exclamation of surprise) that article (a small bit of information from a news source) sure had a lot (more than 2) of parentheses (a really hard word to spell)

McDork


Caffeine junkies, all descending on Starbucks in a 2 hour window?

I certainly don't see how this could end badly.

you idiot, thats not 2 hours, its 14 hours

/jk :D

Starbucks does NOT make a good pot of coffee. Dunkin Donuts coffee destroys Starbucks. The reason coffee tastes bad at home is because most drip-brew home coffee makers cannot make a good pot of coffee and people don't clean them enough anyway, which makes people think Starbucks is somehow better. I am not a coffee snob but how can you drink coffee that is consistently bitter and say that "it is the best"? I don't get it.

-IR

It's not that the coffee is piss poor at Starbucks.It's just too expensive for what it is.I can buy the crap coffee at 7-11 at half the price and it kicks you in the joint just as well. Reminds me of the tweaker we called Big Brew after the large size cup of coffee at 7-11.

Nice of them to decide do it smack in the middle of the farking day, so that only the higher-ups in the companies who can afford the 2+ hours for a lunch break (because you know it's going to take a GD long time to wait in that line) and stay-at-home moms who have the time to sit around and spend 5 bucks on a farking coffee every day can take advantage of it.

I truly hate the world sometimes. Fark it all.

/rant off

Heres a list of things i expect will happen:

1. someone will claim there was a finger in their coffee
2. someone will sue for the 20th time that they got trampled in the crowd of caffiene addicts
3. every tramp in nyc on thursday will have little starbucks cups full of change
4. at least one barista will die

In other news, you won't be able to get through the line in Starbucks to get any coffee between 10am and 12pm on Wednesday.

I. LOVE. STARBUCKS.

that is all

Will I still be charged extra for the sheep dung?

Wow, could Yahoo possibly have given Starbucks any more free advertising if they'd tried? That whole article is just one huge arse-kiss.

Oh, it's a press release.

Oh well, it will do as a troll. Ha!

They do it when everyone will be at work, of course.

the main reason why *$ drip coffee tastes like ass is because the kids who work there let it sit in the urn for hours, with the warmer on, and the coffee does actually burn. and yeah, *$ roasters tend to over-roast the beans--but it's true that 99% of people can't tell when a bean is overroasted. it's like wine, that way.

the espresso tastes like ass b/c they use automatic machines. yuppers, one push of a button and it spits out a "perfect" espresso shot. very Jetson-like.

/former *$ employee
//no, I don't drink coffee/espresso
///or frappuccinos

mmmm pretentious coffee

/Timmies
//Roll up the rim

Sir Cuthbert Delaney-Coddlington: Wow, could Yahoo possibly have given Starbucks any more free advertising if they'd tried? That whole article is just one huge arse-kiss.

It isn't an article, it's an advertisement. Well technically a press release, but you know...

/the media and marketing are intertwined

Nice of them to decide do it smack in the middle of the farking day, so that only the higher-ups in the companies who can afford the 2+ hours for a lunch break (because you know it's going to take a GD long time to wait in that line) and stay-at-home moms who have the time to sit around and spend 5 bucks on a farking coffee every day can take advantage of it.

Well, here's the thing -- one can always go at another time and pay for it. I don't think they expect to provide coffee to the entire free world in 2 hours. And then you have the people who have never been there before and don't even drink coffee who will be in line because it's FREE.

I cannot tell the difference between bad and good coffee. I do not know. Not a little bit. I drink stuff from teachers' lounges, I drink Starbucks, I drink gas station coffee and I cannot say that I can choose better from worse. If it has caffeine, I'll drink it. I'm not political or philosophical in my coffee adventures. I simply am clueless.

As for plain coffee, I typically make my own with Green Mountain or Dunkin' Donuts. When I do get coffee out (usually espresso), my first choice is Dunkin' Donuts or whatever's local. Starbucks is only to break routine or as a last resort, and since I live in the Northeast, the latter doesn't happen that much. During the summer, though, I'm a lot more likely to stop at Dunkin' or Starbucks because most local places have terrible iced drinks.

Oh good I live in a city with 3 Starbucks' and a population of 100k... most that drive 20+ miles away for work... this is going to be the easiest cup of coffee ever... hell, I'll bring my kids and they can get a cup too so that I'LL HAVE THREE! WHEEE!!!! Caffeine is my friend!

/I've had 4 cups today already
//I have a tee-shirt with a caffeine molecule printed on the front
///I can type faster with caffeine
////I don't sleep
/////Cardiac arrest, here I come!

The coffee maker of tomorrow, today!

I've drank SB coffee twice (once in an airport and once in a bookstore). I guess you coffee snobs can call me an uneducated hick, but i did NOT like it. However, free is free and will get a cup tommorrow. Any sugestions on what to get?
/drinks instant
///10-20 cups a day

The thing that annoys me most about starbucks is that when you go in and ask for coffee, they start listing flavours and additives and want to know which I want.

Plain Coffee. Black. No Sugar.

They always seem offended by the idea.





/from Daiv's Geekhaiku

no love for the tea drinkers :-\

What they have is consistency. I can go almost anywhere, and get a cup of their coffee. I think it's burnt, but that's me.

Actually, my friend used to be a roaster for them before he left to become a public servant. He told me all about how they basically roast their espresso beans basically as dark as possible. Much more, and you have fire problems. Not that they didn't burst into flame now and then, but I guess that just means you're making it dark enough.

And so begins the plan for World Domination.

they had me at free

Let me be the first to say: Beware the ides of March!

/it's a trap! I say!

Boohoo the free time is when many people are at work yadda yadda! Yeah, they're so totally gonna offer free coffee when millions of tired people are on the road to jobs they hate.

Me, I'm gonna take advantage of this in between classes. Mmm, free caffiene.

it still tastes like dead ass

Hey I think this got left off the headline - (sponsored link) - since when do press releases for corporate America trying to force more of their wretched products upon us merit a greenlight?

/meh
//

Awww, what's with all the Starbucks hating? If you don't like it, don't go! It's okay coffee, always too expensive. But I'll be there! It happens to be on the way to work, too.

/You owe me a new laptop, Monaco!
//"Drink it til we can't."

mr lawson: Any sugestions on what to get?

Go for their lighter blend, rather than a dark roast. Starbucks roasts their coffee very dark, which gives it the "burnt" taste that a lot of people don't like.

I hate pretty much all coffee, but I very much enjoy Caffiene.

My solution?

Caffienated Gum.

justanotherfarkinfarker: InflatableJesus, do you get lubed every day or something?

What I do with my oils is my business.

Although if you think about the way Jiffy Lube is set up, you could walk in during a relatively busy hour of the day just to pour yourself a cup of delicious coffee to enjoy while you read a 2-month-old issue of Time (out of plain sight of the front desk). No employee talks to you until someone is ready to work on your car. There is no line; the other customers have no idea where your car is in the queue. You have no need to talk to the cashier until the mechanics complete the work on your car. Even if an employee comes out into the waiting area to make more delicious coffee, that person would not know that you don't actually have a car in the queue. Once you finish your cup of delicious coffee, you just walk out the back door like everyone else.

There you go: my foolproof scam for a lifetime of free coffee at your local Jiffy Lube.

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Arabica that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

---

How to easily make good coffee

Get a French press

Grind your own beans, but not too fine. Like coarse sand

Use water about 10 degrees under boil

Steep no more than 3-4 minutes.

DagnyTaggartNY, Monaco
Life on New Caprica must really be tough.
"Drink it til we can't."

Nice ones. The only reason I clicked the comments on this was 'cause I was hoping for a coupla BSG references.

By the way, is it October yet?

7 starbucks in about an 8 by 8 block area. Can I hit them all tomarrow? Only one way to find out.

karlo: 7 starbucks in about an 8 by 8 block area. Can I hit them all tomarrow? Only one way to find out.

Ya got a 2 hour window...

I know the guy who sells the roasters to Starbucks, and even he says they roast their beans waaaaaay too much. Which, by the way, then hides all the cheap beans they use in their coffee=over priced product=huge profits!
Peet's coffee....gooood. Olde City Coffee....very goooood.

/Back to studying....cranial meninges....

rouxkitty: Ya got a 2 hour window...

Ah, of that I am aware, and that's what makes it a challenge. Now, part of this will hinge on various other obstacles as well, such as whether you have to go up to the counter, crowds, traffic and all that, but I figure I can pull it off with out too much hassle. Especially if they've just got separate set up for the free coffee. I might even try seconds if that's the case.

For some reason I want to go just to spit the coffee everywhere, and comment on how terrible their coffee really is.

karlo: Ah, of that I am aware, and that's what makes it a challenge. Now, part of this will hinge on various other obstacles as well, such as whether you have to go up to the counter, crowds, traffic and all that, but I figure I can pull it off with out too much hassle. Especially if they've just got separate set up for the free coffee. I might even try seconds if that's the case.

Get your track shoes on and your Starbux card ready!!

Most people don't know this, but Starbucks has a policy to brew your coffee individually in the french press upon request using any variety you want, so you don't have to get stuck with the "coffee of the day". Sure, it takes five minutes, but you that way you can get the fair trade coffee (or whatever you like) anytime.

The best coffee of all coffees is Desolate Panda's Manchurian Mistlifter roast.
End of story.

My God, but it's hands-down the top coffee available commercially in the United States. Once you've smelled and tasted it, all other coffees will become piss in your opinion.

Guaranteed.

If it weren't imaginary, I swear to God I'd be drinking some right now.

Starbucks is teh Blech!

Make it a free Grande Soy Caramel Machiato (sp?) and I'd be there. I can't handle the taste of their straight coffee. I need steamed soy and caramel to make it tasty.

7-11 coffee > Starbucks coffee

That is all.

I used to work for Starbucks, and the only way you'll ever get me back into one is to give me free coffee, just because it's taking money out of their pockets. I may even pour it out on the ground outside after I get it.

They burn their beans. It's bad.

I'll have a large chai, please.

I don't drink coffee.

And what's this venti stuff all about?

Consumer Reports recently rated "8 o'clock" beans as better tasting than Starbucks' beans, and at half the price.
I agree.

There is a diner near my house and EVERY time I'm in there somebody compliments the coffee and asks who makes it. Answer: Sam's Club

I've had a bunch of Starbucks coffee lately because somebody gave me a gift card. But, when that is tapped out I"m going back to a local chain's coffee.

DrBrownCow
/dark roast, no cream or sugar

Starbucks is good at mixing mediocre espresso with milk and sweet additives to make up a decent, dessert-like beverage that costs way more than it should. The drip coffee sucks.

Dunkin Donuts wins by far.

Just another attempt by the NeoCon Imperialists Haliburtonians to sucker the poor people into drinking kool-aid laced coffee supplied by the CIA that will encourage them to go into the poorer neighborhoods and sell crack cocaine to the kids so that the CIA can then take the profits and continue to support the insurgents in Iraq so that Bush can continue his plan of world domination and the elimination of the lower and middle classes.

Wake up people!

jhull1956: Wake up people!

They're trying! That's what the coffee's for!

InflatableJesus, thanks for the laugh!

By the way, all coffee tastes worse when you drink it through one of those travel cup lids. First, it stops you from being able to smell the coffee. Second, the small opening projects the coffee in a concentrated stream onto your tongue instead of it pouring evenly. Pour the same coffee in a wide brim coffee mug and it will taste completely different (better).

Too bad they're not serving "tasty" coffee. Free, crappy coffe is just not that appealing.

But I do like their caramel macchiato (sp?). Pricey, but damn good.

Do you like French Roast (aka burnt) Coffee? No? Then avoid Starbucks. Do you like to be able to taste the difference between Columbian, Ethiopian, and Hawaiian Kona coffees? Yes? Avoid Starbucks. All dark roasts taste the same.

I ain't fallin for that shiat again.. Heard on the news 3 months ago that every 7/11 was giving a free slurpy to every one.. I go to my local to claim mine and the cashier looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights....
/ Fark you and your scam free offers..

Be sure to ask for SBUX' new roast, "Trogdor's own", slightly more burninated than "3rd degree", not so much as "char-broil".

Seriously, I'm glad to see Farkers are in general aware of what burned vs. actually roasted coffee tastes like.

http://espressoporn.blogspot.com

/drool

There is no such time as 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. There is only 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight. They'd better hope people dont try to get coffee up until 11:59 p.m., because theyd have a good court case on their hands. ;)

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/noon.htm

Biggie Thang: I ain't fallin for that shiat again.. Heard on the news 3 months ago that every 7/11 was giving a free slurpy to every one.. I go to my local to claim mine and the cashier looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights....
/ Fark you and your scam free offers..

print out the article this time:-)

the main reason why *$ drip coffee tastes like ass is because the kids who work there let it sit in the urn for hours, with the warmer on, and the coffee does actually burn. and yeah, *$ roasters tend to over-roast the beans--but it's true that 99% of people can't tell when a bean is overroasted. it's like wine, that way.

the espresso tastes like ass b/c they use automatic machines. yuppers, one push of a button and it spits out a "perfect" espresso shot. very Jetson-like.
HAH! The starbucks I work at still has the old school machine. When it's slow and I'm bored I pour Cubana espresso where you put the sugar on top of the grind before you brew the espresso.
/18 seconds every time biatch
//Loves coffee
///Only drinks espresso
////not wild about non-discount sbux prices

2006-03-14 07:29:19 PM tyroney
...Actually, my friend used to be a roaster for them before he left to become a public servant. He told me all about how they basically roast their espresso beans basically as dark as possible. Much more, and you have fire problems. Not that they didn't burst into flame now and then, but I guess that just means you're making it dark enough.

That's bull, they roast it in between light and dark, about 12 minutes. A typical french roast is by far darker (about 16 minutes).

So they're giving away free coffee tomorrow. Big deal. Here's a trick that will get you free coffee every day:

1) Drink cup of coffee

2) Wait 15-20 minutes

3) Refill cup with pee

4) Tell barista you'll trade a cup of fresh-from-the-tap "Miller beer" for a cup of coffee

5) Take coffee and repeat

2006-03-14 09:50:06 PM MtLebanonBalogna
And what's this venti stuff all about?

Look up your italian. It's the size of the drink.

Amen to chai, I can't handle the caffiene in most coffees. The spices are nice, too.

GET YER CRACK, GET YER LIQUID HOT CRACK!!! \Cheap ass suit and completely artificial sophistication sold seperately!!!

Oh crap I need to be awake for this....

Oh this is going to suck, you just know it is. If half the people show up and feel like I will no doubt look, it will be a cataclysm on par with 9-11. Someone call Homeland security. Starbucks is about to be attacked.

//Incredulos starbucks junkie.

Half the cost per pound, and always fresh:

http://www.sweetmarias.com

From the subway stop, I walk two blocks to my work at a hospital. There's a Starbucks towards the end of Block #2. There's also one in the hospital, and it's the first thing you see as you walk in.

The best coffee place by far is Diesel (Not savvy enough for pops), a little Mom and Pop place that's pretty artsy and neat and has pool. It's expensive, but good good stuff and a great place to hang out with friends. There's a drink you can get there with six shots of espresso.

/drank the six shot espresso drink
//on a dare
///then played Fatal Frame 2 all night
////didn't sleep well for months

Please, can someone tell me how to order an allungato in the US?

Allonge wouldn`t do it. I always end up with an Americano or being rude (or is it French?) and telling the kid behind the counter how to do his job.

ok.
I don`t know much about starbucks. They opened a location near and it closed down after 6 months. Good riddance. I don`t want to know more. Amo la mia nonna del caffe.

Call me a snob. I call it savoir-vivre.

And I can`t write properly; therefore I like slashies.

/there is nothing outside espresso
//except turkish
///ol' decaying nonnas on ol' decaying machines always make the best cup around
////my father was right with this one
/////and WTF is a Decaf Mocha Frappuccino Breve but pure heresy?

karlo, I'll see your 7 starbucks and raise you to 10...

I'm excited by this... and I will at least get two!

SkArcher:

The thing that annoys me most about starbucks is that when you go in and ask for coffee, they start listing flavours and additives and want to know which I want.

Plain Coffee. Black. No Sugar.



Sure. And when you walk into a bar, do tell the bartender, "I'd like some alchohol,"? Or when you walk into a barber shop, do you tell the barber, "gimme a haircut"? Any business selling a specific type of product and has a menu of all the different types of things it offers is going to do this. Just like the coffeeshops in Amsterdam!

Folks in the trade call it Charbucks. Just burnt and nasty.

Usually just drink folgers, but if anyone in the dallas fort worth area knows good local coffee or coffee shop let me know, i lived in maine and had some good spots/coffee there, but i haven't been in texas long enough yet to find anything here.

step 2?

7-11 coffee = 99 cents and you can make it however you want...and better than Charbucks

Funniest thing about giveaways like this, is that people seem to never factor in the economies of time. The coffee is free right? A $5 value for free?

Well whereas you would normally have to wait in line 5 minutes to get some coffee, on this date you will probably have to wait 15 minutes. That is ten extra minutes. Which means, if you make more than $60 an hour, then by spending 1/6th of your hour in line, you are actually losing money by participating in this promotion.

And that doesn't even account for the intangible cost associated with finding long lines annoying, which probably lowers the hourly to $40. Which includes many farkers.

Just say no to ghetto ass publicity stunts. Much like the lottery, they are a tax on the math challenged. This post cost me $7.50.

You Starbucks haters are silly. They obviously have done something very right. It's the taste of their coffee that brings massive amounts of people in. Bottom line: Successful companies have good products.

/setting my watch...
//15-14-13-12...
///counting down the time until someone goes on a Microsoft tirade...
////sipping Starbucks coffee as I wait

Yeah...

"Hey kid, first one's free!"

partners (employees) will pour tall (12-ounce) cups of coffee for surprised customers and delighted commuters.

Quit farking calling your employees, partners or associates or team members or whatever farking PC term you can come up with. It is insulting to your employees and general common sense.

Is beer like coffee on Fark? Is it cool to hate the popular brands and mention how you only drink some obscure brand?

/Likes Waffle House coffee, Caribou coffee & Maxwell House

Please tell me if im mistaken but you can buy the generic Seattles Best coffee, which is owned by Starbucks and it half the price.

Tim Horton's for the win.

/I'm 0-9 in R-R-Roll Up The R-R-Rim to Win
//Dag nabbit

karlo! I live around NYU too, want to meet up for coffee?

eat your parents: karlo, I'll see your 7 starbucks and raise you to 10...

You don't want to play that game....

/Has the Will of the Warrior, therefore, the battle is already over
//Also has four Starbucks ON CAMPUS alone
///Washington, DC

Eight O'Clock Columbian is excellent coffee, and I can buy it for about $8 for a 2lb bag.

/regular eight o'clock it teh suck.

Costco Seattle Blend Coffee, 7.99 for two pounds, roasted on the premises is wonderful.

/screw starbucks
//used to work for them.

I like dark roasted coffee- so to me its not burnt.

Tweaks coffee- like the first drop of morning dew...

Ariel_jesus i see your starbuck and raise you a

that's actually pretty funny...you almost had me going...

2006-03-15 05:37:45 AM oyarsa


You Starbucks haters are silly. They obviously have done something very right. It's the taste of their coffee that brings massive amounts of people in. Bottom line: Successful companies have good products.

/setting my watch...
//15-14-13-12...
///counting down the time until someone goes on a Microsoft tirade...
////sipping Starbucks coffee as I wait

Got mine.

So eat me.

/In a Raptor fight, which Starbuck would win?

So, all that said... free coffee? Fine by me.

Got mine, too. Going to hit up another in a minute.

/One down, 83 more to go

'machete blend'

I went to the Starbucks in our building at 11:00am and it was closed. Meh

/drinks mister coffee coffee

*El Mariachi*
"HAH! The starbucks I work at still has the old school machine. When it's slow and I'm bored I pour Cubana espresso where you put the sugar on top of the grind before you brew the espresso."

I was (one of the only ones who was) pissed when they told us they were putting "verisimos" in our store. I was like, "what is someone wants a long or short pull?" and then they snickered at me for making a dirty joke. ANd then I was like, "no, really, this espresso tastes like crap," and they were like, "TFB. We have a crew of 18-year-old baristas in this store. YOu wanna teach them how to use a regular machine?" and I shut up, although I bemoaned the "good ol' days" working at Caribou.

They obviously have done something very right. It's the taste of their coffee that brings massive amounts of people in.

No. It's the taste of all the syrups, creams, and other adulterants that the baristas add to MITIGATE the taste of their coffee that brings massive amounts of people in.

oyarsa: You Starbucks haters are silly. They obviously have done something very right. It's the taste of their coffee that brings massive amounts of people in. Bottom line: Successful companies have good products.

No, successful companies have good marketing. Your post mentioned Microsoft, but the examples of a technically superior product that's a better value getting the pants beat off it by a marketing machine in full gear pushing mediocre product are legion.

Starbucks over-roasts the beans. This is just patently obvious and there really is no room for argument. Their "Breakfast Blend", the lightest roast they typically offer, is their only coffee that doesn't taste like charcoaled espresso to me. People like Starbucks because they're sheep who don't know any better than what they're told in ads on subways and commuter trains.

That said, the coffee-house industry was in a bad slump before Starbucks exploded in popularity, so it's not all bad. I still don't drink coffee there, I just don't think they're as evil as I used to.

swingerhead: Please tell me if im mistaken but you can buy the generic Seattles Best coffee, which is owned by Starbucks and it half the price.

I was going to go on about how SB isn't owned by Starbucks at all, but sadly I discover that they are as of mid-2003. Oh the enormous aquatic mammal! But it's not "generic" at all, anyway.