Any favorites?  There are some great independent ones if you know
where they are.  How about the chains?  We find that Caribou makes
the best espresso, although what large migratory antlered arctic
creatures have to do with Italian coffee I couldn't say.

24 responses total.

I still love Starbucks because of the great scent of roasted coffee as you
enter the door.  And the vast variety of choices.

  Any place where coffee is still under a buck a cup.

Michael, remember the time you commented that you connected
certain books you'd read with where it was you'd read them?
That the setting tended to influence the reading experience?
Well, that's how it is with me and coffee.

I like my coffee quite strong.  This has been clearly proven
when I came out of the break room at work one morning raving
that someone has finally learned how to make a good cup of
coffee only to be told that no one made coffee - what I was
drinking was leftover from the day before.  So I don't think
my palate should be considered discriminating.

But I can remember specific cups of coffee.  I can remember the
cups of coffee I'd sip while sitting on a beach at Bayfield, Canada,
while watching purple sunsets.  I can remember early morning
coffee where the warmth of the brew gave off a white fog
which perfectly matched the mist on Tobin Harbor's glass-like
surface.  I can remember the coffee we were sipping while
John and I designed our wedding rings on a cocktail napkin
at Haab's.  My first cup of coffee was out of necessity
one night, while working the Emergency Room for a second
straight shift, after not having any sleep the day before
(it was awful) (I was out of No-Doze) (I made it).  And so on. 
There have been lots of cups of coffee to savor again and again.

That was wonderful, Mary.

I like the Espresso Royale on Main Street.  I can't really say why, but
I feel most comfortable in that particular coffee house.

Does anyone know how long Starbucks has been around?  My sister tells me
there's one not that far from the school she now goes to (that I once went
to) and I don't remember it being there when I was growing up.

Any suggestions on what to order there?

There is one buried in an obscure part of Detroit Metro Airport.

They have all the same stuff as everyone else.

I'd guess that Starbucks has been around for maybe 8 or 10 years.  It's only
fairly recently that they've grown to the point of having outlets all over
every city, though.

What to order at Starbucks? NOTHING! Or, if you're in the mood for playing
a game, order the house coffee. Nothing flavored, just the brew of the
day. Now, slowly take a few sips, and see if it tastes like anything other
than burnt road tar. Now add a little milk. Creamy burnt road tar. Just
get a biscotti and walk away.

Now, don't hold back, Bill.  Tell us what you really thing.  ;)

If you don't like strong coffee Bill, don't visit Italy.  Oh Yes, also France.
Also Portugal.  

 or Greece or Turkey.....

Or Spain or Morocco or Puerto Rico or Mexico or...

Bill is a Coffee Professional, so it's a bit of industry scorn we are seeing
here, I guess...

Right Scott. There is a differance between strong, and burned. Some
coffees, by their nature, do not roast darkly and still taste right. Take,
for example, several different cuts of meat. Char them all beyond
recognition, and taste them. Can you tell any differance? Probably not.
The same goes for high quality coffee. The lighter character of african
coffees prohibits over roasting. Some Ethiopian coffees will not get dark,
no matter how much they are roasted. But they will lose all their flavor
if left in the roaster too long. A lot of large commercial roasters forget
little things like this. Some forget that coffee that is quickly roasted
smells and tastes wonderful the day it is made, but that almost all
the flavor is gone within a day or two. But it sure impresses the customer
to be able to roast a pound of coffee 'while they wait'. 

For what it's worth, most gourmet coffees taste awfully burnt to me.

And they are. There is a type of roasting called "flavor roasting", where
the beans are roasted just to the point that the most flavor will be
extracted. As each bag of beans is different, a small 'test' batch must be
roasted to check for age, moisture content, etc., and the roaster is
adjusted for temp and time. It's not just a matter of dumping the beans
in, setting the time and temp, and walking away. Not if any type of
consistancey is to be had.

ack! no!
dont go to the starbucks at detroit metro.

i like strong dark coffee, and i also like cappuchino and lattes.
i'm also a bit of a coffee snob...;-)

last falll, marc and i flew through detroit metro. i wanted
coffee, and was happy to see that they had a starbucks there. 
<it originated here in seattle, i wasnt aware just how big the chain had
gotten>
anyway, when it was my turn, i ordered a double-tall vanilla latte.
the baristas just stared.  they asked what i
had ordered. i told them it was a tall <medium> latte with 2 shots
of espresso.
when my order was placed upon the counter, it was just a plain latte.
they then told me that they didnt have vaniaal flavored syrup.
<vanilla is one of the most popular flavors! >
so they offered to make me another drink. i told them i'd have
a mocha. they asked me how to make it! ack!!!
well, when i got it, it was time to go through
security and get my butt to the gate.
i took a sip as i was hurrying down the corridor. BLEAHHHHH
that coffee was so watery it was tasteless. after 1 and a half sips
i dumped it in the trash. 

when i was in flint, my brother drove me to dunkin donuts to get
coffee there, as he heard it was good. <he doesnt drink the stuff>
i sipped it, and it was like weak tea. i even managed to splash some
in my eye <rough road> and it didnt even burn or sting.
sigh...

 It is so hard to get a cup of good coffee these days.

The best cup I had while in Cleveland last winter came out of a machine at
the R&R Hall of Fame and Museum. It was the same unit that also dispensed
espresso, cappuchino, latte, and probably hot chocolate also. The two
restaurants and the hotel lobby had terrible stuff.

At the Atlanta airport I couldn't find a single cup of green tea in the 5
different concourses.  It was after 10pm, and all the Starbucks were closed,
so maybe they had it?

When travelling, always carry your own tea, bags, and cup. If the bastards
won't provide, provide your own.

A nice gift I received before moving back to MI was my 'tea-to-go': a 2 cup
tea pot, some teas and strainers, tea spoon, etc in its own bag so that I
could bring it with me instead of packing it, and have some good tea whenever
I wanted! :-)

There is a coffee shop in Kalamazoo called "4th Coast" They server the 
bestest mochas of any place i've ever been.

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