>>>I admit I am not a fine connoisseur of coffee but I have never liked any cup of coffee from Starbucks.
Because they burn their beans.
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“Charbucks” as someone cruelly branded them. They burn their beans because they have compromised the quality of their coffee. Very dark roasts hide a mediocre coffee’s weakness because it adds a rich toasted flavor without really losing anything. A coffee buyer and cupper I know described their coffee as ‘high end mediocre’, which is a fairly objective summary.
When Starbuck’s started out they really did offer top notch specialty coffees, as do many independent roasters and coffee shops. This is usually defined as the top 3% or so of coffees, for distinctive, complex and pleasantly flavorful profiles. When they became the mass market McDonald’s of coffee shops however, sheer volume combined with the corporate obsession with consistency meant they -had- to move their coffee towards a more average, more generic blend. No way around it, really, and they’ve done what they could, but their decision was for quantity over quality.
For a truly outstanding cup of specialty coffee, go to a small scale independent shop, preferably a roaster - and do indeed get a French press or other single cup style of preparation of a single origin coffee, *IF* you like coffee. Most people want sugared confections that simulate cocoa rather than a really good cup of black coffee, which is another way to hide second tier (or worse) coffees.
Don’t be surprised to pay over $3 - 5 for a cup or press pot of good stuff. Average prices only pay for average coffees. Its just that simple.
I gave up my shop a year ago, but I still roast and sell. My roaster can only max at about 18 pounds, so all my roasts are small, and my coffees are great Arabicas.