I confess to liking Starbucks and their coffee. Of course, they are a three (long) block walk away, and the closest "real" (I guess that means non-chain, locally owned) coffee house is about 6 miles. I drink plain, black, coffee, and Starbucks charges me $1.40 for 14 oz. in my own mug. The price for a refill is 50 cents, and they charge me about half the time. I don't buy their beans...the local grocery sells fair trade, shade grown for $4.69 a pound.