[wendy]

I actually LIKE coffee so I don't go to those places- the drinks starbucks serves are certainly interesting, but coffee, not really. Coffee is a black liquid without any other ingredients in it. We don't really have any Dunkin donuts around here for some reason.
I usually just brew mine at home, or WaWa has a few decent brews if you're truckin around and need some now.

[Snowflake]

Tim Hortons for me!

[OveroHunter]

I am absolutely obsessed/in love with Dunkin Donuts, but I almost never eat their donuts! I live off their iced coffee with a toasted poppy seed bagel and cream cheese. I probably go there 3 times a week or so. I just wish they had a frequent visitor punch card!

[danceronice]

I actually LIKE coffee so I don't go to those places- the drinks starbucks serves are certainly interesting, but coffee, not really. Coffee is a black liquid without any other ingredients in it.

I never quite get comments like this (or about spending $5+ on drinks there) and always kind of figure that the person's never actually BEEN in a Starbucks, because all I ever get there is a tall dark roast (love it when they're brewing the Yukon blend) with room for cream, unless it's hot out and I want iced, or if I'm getting "dessert" (a mocha). Starbucks always has coffee-coffee.

Now, where they run into trouble is if you are in the habit of ordering things like a Starbucks macciato, and go to an actual Italian-style coffee shop and order one. (Suffice to say, they are nothing alike.) Though I do find Starbucks is more likely to get the difference between a 'dry' and 'wet' cappuccino.

[Heinz 57]

Well, I voted "Other". I'm currently in the process of giving up coffee (horror!), not because I don't like it but because it tends to give me ridiculous migraines if I drink it on a daily basis.

Near our house, the only passable coffee is Dutch Bros. Tried the local shops (college town), nearly spit the stuff into the garbage can. Dutch Bros is a little too sweet, but it'll do when I want something on the weekends.

I've been replacing my morning coffee fix with a rotation of Candy Cane hot chocolate (found at Walmart, ~$3 for a big can, tastes pretty close to a Starbucks peppermint mocha), apple cider, and jasmine green tea.

[Mara]

Well, ah, erm, it's QuikTrip (chain of convenience stores) for me most days. And I drink it a half-gallon at a time (no kidding - I have a 64 ounce mug).

Their proprietary Colombian and Vienna Roasts are really good.

Cannot STAND those flavored "creamers". They taste like sweetened plastic to me and there's no actual "cream" in them, at least not in its original form. It's the same difference as between "whipped topping" and "whipped CREAM".

I am a half-and-half person, no weird flavors, thanks. My husband once thought he was doing me a favor by buying me "Fat Free Half and Half". WTF? Talk about an oxymoron. If it's "Fat Free", it isn't half-and-half. And it tasted like liquid chalk.

[Isabeau Z Solace]

Frankly, the smartass tone and mention of greenhouses gases and driving in bold made it sound really self-righteous. If you were kidding, a smiley would've helped to clarify that.

Bygones!

Well... not really joking about the driving part. I know more than a few folks who make a special car trip every morning for coffee. Do you really want to defend that???

[Heinz 57]

Well... not really joking about the driving part. I know more than a few folks who make a special car trip every morning for coffee. Do you really want to defend that???

Does my two-block-detour count? I have to drive to work anyway. 13 miles, most of it on two lane windy highway. I suppose I could ride a bike but that would be asking to die in the winter/darkness/rain.

[Bogie]

I used to drink Dunkin' coffee but over the years they started making it weaker and weaker. Same with Starbucks. They started adding fewer shots . . . and the coffee almost always tastes burnt to me.

I bought a Rancilio Silvia espresso maker about 12 years ago. It was wickedly expensive but has more than paid for itself. I can pull a better shot than most Baristas and our coffee (which I buy from a place that roasts on demand) is delicious!

I can't bring myself to pay the $$ for mediocre coffee anymore.

[wendy]

I never quite get comments like this (or about spending $5+ on drinks there) and always kind of figure that the person's never actually BEEN in a Starbucks, because all I ever get there is a tall dark roast (love it when they're brewing the Yukon blend) with room for cream, unless it's hot out and I want iced, or if I'm getting "dessert" (a mocha). Starbucks always has coffee-coffee.

well, they say it is. Personally, I find it undrinkable black, which is the true test of a good coffee in that it is delicious black; if it needs cream or sugar or weird flavorings added, it's bad coffee. Practically no one drinks starbucks coffee without heavily doctoring it, so I suspect most people don't like the way it tastes.

[Isabeau Z Solace]

You can, in fact, brew coffee at home.... It's remarkable really.

My main point, which is apparently lost, is that you and lots of other folks have been conned into driving to a separate store to buy coffee. You have been conned into paying much,much, much more than it should/could cost you to drink coffee. You've been sold a bill of 'cool' that it's a necessary part of the modern wardrobe to be carrying around a brand named cup of coffee.

Have you calculated how much/year you actually spend on that daily coffee?? A quick Google search came up with a figure of $1100/year/American worker for that daily morning coffee. For my farm friends, who have to LEAVE their farm specifically to go BUY a cup of coffee... I calculated $2000/year/person for their coffee + occasional other coffee shop purchases.

Funny side story, when I asked one of these 'drive to purchase' friends of mine why she did it, she responded "because I can't afford a Keurig!"

Smart Ass.

That was funny, but I can get a french press from Marshalls for $10. OR since I have 'issues' with glass, and the lifespan of my glassware is shorter than the average..... I have recently taken to simply putting a coffee filter in a mesh strainer and pouring hot water in.

Really, you can get your morning coffee without an internal combustion engine. I swear it's true!

I know the OP of the thread was being rather light hearted about it. But really it's not that lighthearted when you think of the billions spent on 'gourmet/take out' coffee that could be spent on, I dunno, health care, etc.

[PalominoMorgan]

I voted Starbucks. I am dating a Starbucks employee and the perks are yummy.

[Emryss]

PEET'S!!!!!!

Peet's Peet's Peet's Peet's Peet's!!!!!


Starbucks is ok for a quick cup on your way out, but I will drive (and have driven) an hour to get Peet's coffee beans for home. Thankfully, I don't have to make a big drive any more - a quick bike ride does the job now - but I do prefer Peet's over the Starry Bucks. I do like that you can get the beans at the store now - beats the heck out of Folgers! - but it's cheaper to buy the pound at the shop.

[GingerJumper]

There's one within easy walking distance of me that I WANT to love--I'd like to support a locally owned business and the walk there is so pleasant through the historic downtown neighborhood where I live.

But I don't like their "house" coffee. It just tastes weak and watery to me. When I go there, I should probably just pay an extra buck or two for an espresso or something I guess.

See, I'm spoiled... the two locally owned places near me have WONDERFUL house coffee. They also offer a mean frozen lemonade in the summer which is an extra perk.

[Bogie]

There is -- to my taste buds -- a big difference between really good, fresh roasted beans and those that have sat around for a long time. That's why I buy from Paradise Roasters or similar because they roast the beans to order.

I also think that grind and brewing temperature are critical.

That's why I'd prefer to pull my own shots than pay $$$ for the "baristas" who push a button.

We still pay a lot for coffee but at least we make sure that it's really, really good. In the grand scheme of life's luxuries, good coffee is something that seems "worth it" in my household .

[vtdobes]

Green Mountain Coffee is THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is what I drink and yes, I make it at home in my Keurig.

If I run out of K-cups or am out and about already I will get DD as I do like it.

Starbucks though? I'd rather give up coffee than drink that sludge

[PeteyPie]

I like most of the fresh ground coffees, but lately I have stopped grinding my own because I'm so impressed with Costco's canned coffee, Kirkland brand. Yes, canned like the old rot gut that we all grew up on, but oh so much better!

So I go back and forth depending on how energetic I feel, grinding my own beans or just using the canned Kirkland grounds.

[charismaryllis]

for drip coffee, in this order: the yogurt shop down the street, seattle's best, green mountain, McDeath, starburps. for fancy lattes, in this order: starburps, caribou, seattle's best, sidamo. but the 'burps changed its incentive card perks resulting in about a 30% increase in flavored soylatte prices, so i'm cutting way back on them; 'bou is too expensive for more than a couple times a year, the the local seattle's bests went out of biz.

[furlong47]

I don't get coffee every day, only on occasion. (Usually if I am very tired or have to get up earlier than normal and need the extra pick-me-up.) I usually get either McDonald's or Sheetz. Had good luck with both of them as far as consistent product, etc. I've had some really gross/poorly made specialty coffee from both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, though I know locations will vary.

[PeteyPie]

This is making me want a latte.

I am not addicted to Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, but from what people say, I think they are filled with heroin.