civ wrote: Can it be reasonably thought of as being coffee?

Starbuck's may not be your aunt's idea of good coffee but it most certainly is coffee. The brand is virtually synonymous with coffee. It's enjoyed by millions. It's not even close to being the worst coffee.

I drink it when I go backpacking, their instant version.

that is brave, some 15 years ago Starbucks would help me get through my business trips to the US (office coffee is horrendous in most countries, except for ...you guessed it; Italy) but since they changed gears and opened shops in every street of every town and changed equipment I rather go without coffee, let alone their instant.

Most I paid was when using Nespresso, soon after the day I did the math to calculate the price of coffee per kilo I bought my Faemina. Home roasting brought the cost of goods further down.
Their current Papua New Guinea is 50 or so cents a cup, which contains some 5.7 g.. 87 euro per kilo, I just bought a couple of Kg of Papua New guinea greens for 13 e/kg.

So far the most expensive coffee I bought was a roasted bean that had a crazy long anaerobic fermentation, for around 60 e/kg

Marcelnl wrote:that is brave...

Not brave, just unwilling to ruin my walking with too much weight. Food weighs more than everything else in the pack on trips longer than about 5-6 days, but at least the weight decreases with time. Coffee gets heavier each day. So instant is the obvious solution and there are no good instants. Starbucks VIA (with sugar) is one of the least offensive ones, and I've tried many.

It's interesting to hear that Starbucks has declined in quality in the last 15 years. That's probably how long ago I last had some (with lots of sugar and half & half). And yet I have a friend who only drinks Starbucks. Who am I to tell her she's got it wrong? She might turn her nose up at the coffee I like.

I'm a little surprised nobody has admitted to spending significantly more than my recent purchase. Maybe it's too embarrassing, like admitting you drink VIA. :-)

IIRC, I spent $70 / 8 oz for a Stumptown Reserve or maybe I balked at that and it was the $40 or so they wanted for a Finca Kilimanjaro selection back in the day.
Too many years back to recall.

haha, I understand where you're coming from with the instant on a hike even though I rather abstain.

I dunno exactly when it was changed yet Starbucks used decent equipment to make coffee and they had and they did great in helping me over any jet lag, around the same time they changed that gear (to probably more foolproof equipment) they also changed the software IMO. I totally understand there are folks who enjoy SB, the rest (other than the good specialty coffee shops) of the chains making coffee and catering to companies mostly produce coffee that IME is even worse.

$65/100g of coffee. More than once. Not often.

SB is so so & overpriced. Alternate milk option is also pricey for a few ounces.

Ninety Plus sells unroasted beans. The Lycello is my fav.......cost me $180/kg. Roasting 80g batches in the IKAWA Home makes for a special treat.

Several years back, Don Patchi (a phenomenal coffee) was around $80 for 12 oz from Klatch. Bought that whenever I hit big on a football pool. Would love to find that bean again.....

LOL, I still have one pound of the green Don Pachi natural geisha vac-sealed and buried at the very bottom of my chest freezer from 2011 or 2012! I still remember the day I received the package, one pound roasted and 2 pounds green. Literally bringing the still closed box thru the threshold of my doorway and I was engulfed in the most amazing raspberry aroma I've ever smelled from a coffee. I think we paid $60/lb green then.