If you want to know the truth, their coffee was never really that good -- certainly not worth the prices they charge.
They have a lot of people believing that just because they dark-roast all their beans (you can't get anything else at a Starbuck's, or their imitators) they are giving you European grade coffee.
If you've ever tasted coffee in Europe, you's spit this stuff out -- extirpate it. (I just left lurking on the word-of-the-day thread.)
Reminds me of the story I once heard when Hills Bros was doing the "Picky buyer" ad campaign: it made them the laughing stock in the world market. American coffee producers get what's left over when the others have chosen. Starbucks hasn't improved on this any.
Best coffee I ever had was during an overnight boat trip across the Rio Platte from Montevideo to Buenos Aires. They served VERY STRONG coffee where they mixed each cup with about a third of warm milk. MAN that stuff was good!!!!!
I think that marked my beginnings as a coffee fanatic.