Sadly yes. I do have a friend in Oregon City, but I haven’t visited in 7 years. Oh well… 
I guess I’m destined to make my own coffee…
I’ll be glad to make your coffee each morning. 
If I have to hit you, it will hurt! Besides, Hubby makes a mean cuppa.
The last time I went to Starbucks, I asked them to remake my latte twice, because it was so bitter.
After asking several probing questions, I learned that they had removed the automatic grinders and were grinding the coffee manually, instead of using the timer. The result? Over-ground coffee. And the fastest way to make good coffee bitter is to overgrind it.
They reground the beans and made me another cup.
It was perfect.
Just sayin’.
-gulp- No offense intended there… 
I drink my coffee with LOTS of skim milk & VERY sweet, thank you (I used to drink it very sweet & black, but found that I started getting bad heartburn, which the milk seemed to resolve - plus I’m a fool for dairy).
I tried a local place, but wasn’t too pleased with the quality of what I got, so I tend to go back to Starbucks when I’m jonesing for a caf fix. The one in Pioneer Courhouse Square has some (but not all) pretty competent baristas; there’s one in particular I’m fond of (not that way - he’s kinda cute, but pretty sure he’s gay).
Anyway, I think it’s because it’s a busy urban location (heart of downtown Portland) that they’re better than some of the Starbucks’ I’ve been to in outlying locales. As someone said above, compare what you get in Portland to … well, someplace not in Oregon, really, but anyway, you get the picture. I can’t get anything drinkable when we go to Utah or Florida.
So - is there somewhere better to go that’s right in the heart of downtown Portland? If so, I’ll stop giving Starbucks my occasional $3.55 and give 'em a try.
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
I saw an episode of America’s Test Kitchens in which they concluded that there’s absolutely no difference between the flavour of real vanilla extract and the various less real alternatives.
That’s their opinion. I can certainly taste (& smell) the difference.
Starbucks, schmarbucks. Caribou is where it’s at, IMO. Their joe rocks ass. Send for some if you don’t live near a location. You absolutely will not regret it. I messed with Starbucks from time to time before I found Caribou. Now, BarStucks is a memory, and I no longer drink their awful, bitter poison.
None taken, I know you’re harmless.
[complete and total tangent]
I swear to Og when I first glanced at this comment I read it as “None taken, I know you’re a dumbass.”
No wonder we as a species get ourselves into so many wars…
[/complete and total tangent]
After reading this thread and its heartfelt paens to black as-God-intended-it coffee, I decided to give it a try this weekend. While on various errands and outings, I had the opportunity to stop in at Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and Starbucks. At each place I ordered a “regular, black coffee” and gave it a try.
In each case, I was served something pre-made from a pot and in every case, upon drinking (I drank at least half the cup before giving up), the sensation was almost exactly like drinking the contents of an ashtray dissolved in vinegar. I can’t imagine choosing to drink such a horrible substance for pleasure. While the Starbucks coffee was slightly improved by generous supplementation of milk and sugar, mysteriously, adding milk and sugar to the vile McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts fluids only made them worse.
I love Starbucks coffee-flavoured milky sugar chocolate drinks (I actually go for the soy myself). You can keep your black coffee.
Were you attempting to add your own cream and sugar to the Dunkin’ Donuts? Because you have to ask for it while you’re there at the store. That’s when they press the button that puts the secret addictive drugs in, and you’re not truly experiencing Dunkin’ Donuts coffee without those secret addictive drugs.
There is a Peet’s coffee 2 blocks north - corner of Broadway and Washington.
If you’re more towards the Pearl there is another Peets on 11th and Couch (that’s the one I hit everyday around noon). Really nice people work there as well.
There’s one down the street from me. It’s OK. Nothing to write home about. They’re pretty much interchangeable with Starbucks as far as I’m concerned.