[Arexytece]

As a person who enojys black coffee both as a stimulant and enjoyable beverage in it's flavour, I would say yes. Starbucks aren't established here yet but there are a few similar market chains on the national market, I'm prepared to pay more for a freshly brewed coffee made from decent arabica beans but that's as far as I'll go.

I'm in no way a conoiusseur and I want my coffee regularly and in high quantites. So to pay the kind of prices that are offered at Starbucks and such stores is about double the limit for me. Also I hate the kind of places that are pretentious about food and drink, as well as the people who consides themselves "in the know" for frequenting them.

[Madjostok]

I like the fancy drinks there. For coffee, I go elsehwere.

JM

[ZX3URrBH]

I dont drink coffee, but I know people who drink it and think starbucks is totally classless, I guess they are coffee snobs.

I countries with long coffee snob traditions starbuscks either failed, or did not even bother entering the market.

[Appeselve]

I do like a latte now and again, but you are right, it is way overpriced...

[uncoosesoge]

I make my coffee, and I buy it tax free from the NEX. My ship, however, did have a contract for Starbucks coffee and the crew loved it. So much that when we ran out during cruise and went back to the standard Navy swill the CO made me ship more from the states to Dubai while we were there.

An army/navy marches/sails on its stomach

[irrehoobe]

Starbucks coffee on a navy ship? What is the world coming to?

-Arrian

[Rnlvifov]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


I like my coffee milky, that is all it means in plain English EEK!!

[HaroldMY]

Starbucks coffee on a navy ship? What is the world coming to? Thats what I said, being the penny pincher I raised hell. But once the sailors saw it there was nothing I could do about it.

Thats how we ended up with two diet sodas in our machines. I told everyone the USNS supply ships only carried Diet Coke, but nooooo we had to go out with Diet Pepsi too. Luckly they didn't make me ship 50 pallets of soda across the globe. One small victory for the defender of your tax dollars!

[markphata]

One thing to keep in mind is that in the US, the coffee landscape was -- and still is, in many respects -- a vast wasteland of cheap, crappy coffee. Espresso-based drinks largely were unavailable.

Starbucks and its ilk had almost unlimited opportunity to expand, given that what they provided was essentially a range of new products to the marketplace. Starbucks, et al. could name their price. And they named it at the dear end of the scale. And why not?

This may change in the future. In my neighborhood, Starbucks quickly is reaching saturation point. There is a Starbucks every block (no exaggeration). I can see coffee shops competing on other things, such as ambiance, in the future.

[7kitthuptarill]

There isn't a Starbucks on my block, but there are 2 on the block one over. There is a Cosi on my block. I think that they do this high density because most people will do quite a bit to avoid crossing the street. Perhaps Starbucks cannot attract a portion of their customers to cross the street based on the product alone.

Human nature is a strange thing sometimes.

[TessUnsonia]

Yeh, it's like the fact that I won't drink crappy beer at any price. The only reason why I will drink crappy beer is because that's the only thing available and that's what others are drinking -- i.e., it's a social thing.

[penpizdes]

Originally posted by reds4ever


EEK!!

[ConoMadura]

I'm opposed to Starbucks, but not for their coffee prices. I don't drink coffee, I'm a tea man. And every time I go into a Starbucks and ask for tea, they give me that wretched Tazo swill, which I believe is genetically engineered to taste insipid and weak no matter how long you leave it in the water. Except for Tazo Darjeeling; that has a strong, unpleasant flavor no matter how briefly you steep it. The others are weak. If you leave their "Awake" blend in boiling water until it's room temperature, you'll get tea as weak as you'd get if you'd put it in for one minute. It's just cold, weak tea. Blecch.

I love Teaism's Guangdong blend. It's got an absolutely wonderful earthy flavor. So of course they discontinued it. I still have a few mugs' worth of leaves in my room, awaiting a special occasion. 'kay, I'm done venting for the moment.

[Kristoferson]

Originally posted by Tingkai
If you ever make more than minimum wage, you'll understand. That was poorly aimed.

[ayWCZ7VT]

I like Chai Tea lattes from starbucks; however, this place kicks the **** out of starbucks in both taste and ambiance.

http://www.austinscoffee.com/

[zzquo0iR]

I've got three coffee shops near my apartment, Moxie Java, Atomic Coffee, and a family-owned place called Selah's. All three are better then the crap at the Starbucks in my university's student union.

[eduptultyt]

I hate coffee shops.

[MasTaBlau]

So... Are you bean people or pre grind people? I won't even bother to ask if you're instant people, don't have a flame proof suit on. I usually buy grinded coffee that's prepared with a filter.

Yeah I know i'm a heathen that's missing out and bla bla bla.

[viagracheapest]

Get a small cafetiere.

[penpizdes]

I do have to say though that it's quite amusing to correlate the people who will or won't pay for a good cup of coffee to the people who will or won't pay for a good pint of beer... those of you drinking preground, burnt, non-arabica coffee might as well go out and get a six pack of Budweiser

(and I don't mean the Czech beer )