Coffee Bean or Starbucks?

[xoxo]

i am in southern california and these are the options when you want to go to a coffeeshop..do you guys have a preference?
i have a friend who won't go to either on principle, due to the big-corporation nature of both.
i'm a hot chocolate girl every time, and the hot chocolate at coffee bean is waay better than the hot chocolate at starbucks..
and peet's coffee makes the worst hot chocolate i have ever had lol

[aabbcc]

I've never seen either one of these places, but I can only imagine that they are ridiculously overpriced ... the best coffee is the jar of instant Nescafe currently residing in my kitchen cabinet. Cheap and fast and I don't have to go out in bad weather or stand in long lines to enjoy it!

[PaintTheTownRed]

There are 4 Starbuck's near me, two I can walk to. I go alot this time of year to try out their holiday lattes and hot chocolate. I always forget about Coffeebean and Kelly's although they're pretty good too. My favorite hot chocolate is the stuff I make at home, the recipe on Hershey's Cocoa.

[CherubRock]

Starbucks has some really good peppermint hot chocolate. Their coffee is entirely too caffeinated, though.

[KrisNine]

I love Starbucks. I don't usually have any of their specialty drinks, until this time of year when the Gingerbread Lattes are available. Otherwise, I just drink their regular coffee daily because the crap they have at my office is like piss water.

[choozen1ne]

I live for Starbucks , I can drink it all day everyday , I can drink a Carmel Macchitio any time of the day

[Tati]

I try not to go to Starbuck's too much - firstly because it's a huge money-sink and secondly because it is a huge corporation - but they're actually one of the better big corps out there. They treat/pay their employees well, they sponsor charities and have scholarship programs, and I consistently get very good service when I do go there. I once asked for a drink I'd seen in ads - it was NOT listed on their menu - and when they didn't have it, they told me to choose something (anything) else for free.

But anyhoo. For higher-end chains we also have Second Cup in Canada and I like them a lot. They have owner-operators, so each location is different, different decor, atmosphere, etc. Not any cheaper than Starbucks though.

Basically, if I'm craving a treat, I'll go to either of the above, but I usually make a hot drink at home and then carry a thermos with me.

[twitchy]

Originally Posted by CherubRock

Their coffee is entirely too caffeinated, though.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

I like my caffeine buzz. It's gateway drug and it leads to cookies.

[choozen1ne]

Yeah , over caffinated is one of the best things , I gives you such a nice buzz -I can noramally deal with my coworkers after some Starbucks

[DeChayz]

Starbucks is my crack. People always complain about the prices, but their regular coffee is actually cheaper than Dunkin Donuts'. It's just the specialty ones that are a little more, but IMO the quality is much better than other coffee places.

[xoxo]

Originally Posted by twitchy

You say that like it's a bad thing!

I like my caffeine buzz. It's gateway drug and it leads to cookies.

lol..i love having a drink with a pastry or cookie, that's heaven on a work break, but now i'm on this major diet so i can't do that anymore
i agree that starbucks has good service and selection too.

[missbazilb]

Locally we have a small chain called Cafe Artigiano. I swear they put crack in their coffee. I'm so addicted to it! I managed to break away for awhile, but started up again on Friday. It's funny, because there is a Starbucks across the street from my local CA, and it's usually dead, while the CA has a line-up out the door

The owners just sold to a big company though, so we'll see if the quality tanks.

[CherubRock]

Originally Posted by twitchy

You say that like it's a bad thing!

I like my caffeine buzz. It's gateway drug and it leads to cookies.

I lurves a good caffeine buzz, but Starbucks' coffee gives me jitters to the point of nausea.

[chuckpony]

Neither. I do not even know what the Coffee Bean is.
I prefer the free 1/2 lb bags of coffee my sister gets for me every week at the locally owned, non-big corporation coffee shop. She grinds them french press style for me at work and I must say I make a damn good pot of coffee!

[PrettyGirl]

I think Starbucks is ridiculously overrated. Their coffee is bitter and really not that good. They're just a large company that is very well-known.

I like drinking coffee from Seattle's Best. They have GREAT coffee. You can even buy it at some grocery chain stores.