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Both drinks have fiercely loyal followings. Which side are you on?

STERLING, Va. (CBSDC) — If you enjoy packing heat while sipping a hot cup of coffee, Friday is your day. Firearms owners and gun rights advocates are heading to local coffee shops to celebrate “Gun Owners Support Starbucks Day.” It’s their way of saying ‘thank you’ to the Seattle-based coffee franchise for — as they see it — not infringing on their Second Amendment rights.

A Rohnert Park man was arrested after tearing apart a Starbucks and assaulting a police officer in Santa Rosa Saturday morning. Officers were called to the Starbucks near the intersection of Stony Point Road and Bellevue Ranch around 7:45 a.m., according to police. Police learned that a man had entered the store a few hours earlier and had been "exhibiting bizarre behavior" before locking himself in the restroom and pounding on the walls and door. At one point, the man allegedly tried to pull a Starbucks employee into the restroom with him. Police said an alert customer and workers evacuated...

“Room for smarm in your latte?” Isn’t there something creepy about Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz having [in Politico's words] “asked his Washington-area employees to write ‘Come Together’ on each customer cup today, tomorrow and Friday, as a gesture to urge leaders to resolve the fiscal cliff”? Did Schultz take a poll of his employees–sorry, “partners,” he calls them–before ordering pressuring asking them to join in this lobbying effort? What if he were, say, the CEO of Chick-fil-A and he “asked” his “partners” to write “Preserve the Family” on the outside of cups and containers.

A Canadian entrepreneur said his $500-per-pound coffee is made by plucking the beans from the dung of a herd of elephants in Thailand. Blake Dinkin, 42, proprietor of Black Ivory Coffee, said the beans are fed to elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation then later plucked from their dung, Sky News reported Friday. "When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness," Dinkin said. "You end up with a cup that's very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee." John Roberts, director of elephants at...

In the lush hills of northern Thailand, a herd of 20 elephants is excreting some of the world's most expensive coffee. Trumpeted as earthy in flavor and smooth on the palate, the exotic new brew is made from beans eaten by Thai elephants and plucked a day later from their dung. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what its founder calls the coffee's unique taste.

Coffee is $40 per half pound. See link for more detail.

Coffee aficionados have a difficult decision to make: Spend $7 on a full lunch or on a single cup of Starbucks coffee? The brew in question: The Seattle giant’s new Costa Rica Finca Palmilera, its most expensive offering ever and also one of its rarest. The coffee is part of the company’s Reserve line and costs $7 for a grande cup.

Eight O'Clock whole bean coffee has been my mainstay for years. Lately, it has been horrible. I can hardly drink it any more. Wonder why it's gotten so awful. Other family members have concurred. I'm looking for recommendations on some other brands to try that would be similar to what Eight O'Clock used to be in a similar price range. I'm not extremely picky but since I usually only have one cup of coffee per day, I would like it to be very good. I live in a rural area so don't have the luxury of bopping into a gourmet...

Police are investigating a North Carolina high school student who allegedly spiked his teacher’s coffee with “GluteBoost,” a supplement that purports to “enhance your butt size.”

A new Harvard study has discovered a high incidence of vision problems among men and women who drank three or more cups of coffee a day. The research, published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, http://www.iovs.org/content/53/10/6427.abstract?sid=9dd04ef5-beba-4204-b980-19a9afd4a3aa linked heavy consumption of caffeinated coffee with increased likelihood of developing exfoliation glaucoma, an eye disorder that affects about 10 percent of adults over age 50 and can lead to vision loss or blindness. Specifically, the researchers reported that adults who drank three or more cups of coffee daily were 34 percent more likely to develop exfoliation glaucoma, compared to those who abstained from...

States represented in gray are not participating in 7-Election. States represented with stripes are tied.

Add the National Republican Congressional Committee to the list of conservative groups capitalizing on former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina’s secret meetings with lobbyists at a Caribou Coffee near the White House. President Obama has repeatedly promised that his would be “the most transparent administration in history,” but the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report yesterday showing that high-ranking Obama staffers, including Messina, used private email addresses to bypass these rules and meet with industry lobbyists. “I will roll Pelosi to get the 4 billion,” Messina wrote Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America lobbyist Jeffrey...

One of the most deplorable habits still spreading amongst Canadian liberals seems to be anti-Americanism. The saddest thing about those who spout anti-Americanism is that their views aren't rebellious, original, or remotely unique. In fact, their views only exhibit their insurmountable ignorance and the nonsensical and hypocritical nature of their conformity. Canadians who proudly display their anti-Americanism in public and in private conversations haven't only failed at making themselves look intelligent, they've failed to provoke anything but laughter and ridicule from rational Canadians. The nature of anti-Americanism in Canada has no roots in logic, nor does it have any place...

I love coffee! Even before I was old enough to drink the brew, I enjoyed its alluring aroma. Coffee was also my favorite flavor of ice cream and still is. Fortunately, when I was about 10 years old we visited relatives and my Cousin Jerry who was a year younger than me was allowed to drink coffee so that pretty much made my case and the official drinking of the stuff was finally permitted although I had already sneaked sips on the sly for years. I can honestly say that coffee made me what I am...namely a writer because...

Gay marriage activists had a vision: Tuesday would be their clarion call for consumers to reject Chick-fil-A ... crowding into Starbucks and other more sympathetic companies. Though its still early in the day, National Marriage Equality Day...seems to be getting a mostly mild start. A Facebook profile created for the event by Equally Wed, a lesbian and gay wedding magazine, shows more than 34,000 people signed up to attend. But a photo page populated by submissions from supportive consumers had fewer than 20 images just before noon on the East Coast. ... “Let's show the right that the left can...

Starbucks Coffee Co. will continue expanding beyond its coffee-serving cafes with its first stand-alone tea shop. They also will be able to choose among iced teas, tea lattes and full-leaf tea sachets. In addition to tea, the store will feature packaged chocolates, infused sugars and honey. Other foods and brewing merchandise will also be available. Tazo already represents a $1-billion business for Starbucks, executives said in April, when they briefly referenced the brand's "unique opportunities … in multiple channels of distribution." Starbucks bought Tazo in 1999 for $8.1 million. Some estimates peg the global tea market to be worth $95...

In case the hot air isn’t enough to tell Democrats and Republicans apart, a new study has broken down the different kinds of things the two political camps apparently like. Meaning, they diverge not just on politics, but on favorite fast food, TV channel and coffee. All the important things, right? But according to Buyology, a brand-research company and author of the study, branding is big business. Alright, but does your politics have any connection with whether you like to drink a Starbucks Frappucino? Here’s a look.

Drinking a daily cup of coffee -- or even several cups -- isn't likely to harm your health, and it may even lower your risk of dying from chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests. NIH followed 400,000 men and women for 13 years, during which 13% died. In the study, both regular and decaf were associated with a lower risk of dying Overall, coffee drinkers were less likely than their peers to die during the study, and the more coffee they drank, the lower their mortality risk...

A study that tracked health and coffee consumption finds that coffee-drinkers had a lower risk of death. Subjects who averaged four or five cups per day fared best, though it's not clear why. Researchers have some reassuring news for the legions of coffee drinkers who can't get through the day without a latte, cappuccino, iced mocha, double-shot of espresso or a plain old cuppa joe: That coffee habit may help you live longer. A new study that tracked the health and coffee consumption of more than 400,000 older adults for nearly 14 years found that java drinkers were less likely...