In the early 80’s, there was a Starbuck’s either next to or combined with a place on Third (?) Avenue in Seattle, at Pike or Pine, or maybe Union. I don’t remember the exact location or the name, except that it wasn’t Mrs. Fields. I was working on 5th Avenue and in the afternoon we’d walk down and get a just-baked chocolate chip cookie and a cup of coffee.
I always put cream and sugar in my coffee so any bitterness/burned taste would be offset by that. We all thought the coffee was great, just because it had some flavor.
The only other Starbuck’s I went to was the one in the Market.
Then another coffee place opened up in Pioneer Square. Again, I don’t remember the name – I think it was Italian – and their coffee blew Starbuck’s out of the water, especially their iced coffee.