I am NOT a Starbuck's fan, but would be remiss not to point out that they have MANY different sources, blends and roasts of coffee. While their prices are outrageously high, it is totally unfair to condemn the quality of their product on one sample - or even a few. For many years I have been extremely selective of the coffee I will use, and critical of almost all of what is available - anywhere - at any price. It's been seldom, but I have on occasion patronized Starbuck's. I have found their pastries and sandwiches, while expensive, to be quite good, and their facilities always very clean. Most of their coffees I do not care for, but there are a (very) few which I consider to be good, including a couple of the tubed instants. (And I never have considered "instant" to be real coffee - or taste like it!)

I grind and brew my own coffee, and have for years, using only dark roast beans, at about two to three times the strength used by "normal" people - (my wife and daughter won't touch it!) I have tried virtually every variety of coffee being produced, and virtually EVERY coffee-making method available, and some of my own adaptations. Currently I am tending to switch back and forth between the AeroPress and the Hario (Melitta) cone. For some years I have been unable to find (and I've tried MANY) any coffee that tastes like coffee smells, which is my ultimate goal. I do recognize that (for everything) my taste will vary from day to day/time to time - as determined by ingesting something which has known unchanging taste over a period of time. But I have not had a “really good" cup of coffee for a long time.

Not too long before leaving the US, I bought a Keurig coffeemaker (unavailable here), and tried MANY different sources of prepackaged coffee cups. I settled on one which made very good coffee, with a bonus of being one of the least expensive available - of probably 50 to 75! Interestingly, it was a product of a company which I always have disliked, and would not patronize unless nearly forced to do so - McDonald's! Again, neither the Keurig nor McDonald's K-cup is available in this country. I have tried many different sources/varieties/blends here, and have settled on Sagada dark roast pure Arabica beans, best when quite oily coming from the roaster. I get them from a local producer, Sagada being not far from Baguio, and also in the mountains.

Again, Starbuck’s cannot be judged fairly with regard to the quality of their coffee on the basis of one or even just a few trials of their many different offerings!!! Granted, one may not like any of their products, but at least give them a fair chance before condemning them as the worst of the worst; they obviously have a few continuing customers! That would be comparable to saying a particular software product was terrible without even giving it a fair trial!!!

Loren – in Beautiful Baguio City