Coffee that tastes good. Starbucks coffee is just horrendous. I assume they are so successful because they mostly sell glorified milkshakes these dayd. If you don't believe me type "third wave coffee" into yelp and go do a flavor comparison.
I actually think Starbucks Americano is one of the best Americanos I've ever tried, and I've tried all kinds. I've lived in both SF and NY and been to many "famous" coffee shops like blue bottle, philz, etc. (in my book philz is better than starbucks but blue bottle is not so much) but haven't had many Americanos that top Starbucks. Plus they are the only ones with really large size (venti). I don't drink their regular coffee so I can't really say much about them but have you tried Starbucks americano?
