As mentioned a few times upthread, their Pike Place Roast is actually quite decent and not burnt tasting. I tend to get that - but I also put milk and one splenda in my coffee as well, so take that as you will.
A lot of people claim to like McDonald’s coffee, too (not just tolerate but actually like.) I dunno. I drink Starbucks not because it’s especially good but because it’s convenient and I tend to linger for 20 minutes in the morning before going to work.
I agree with the earlier poster who said Peet’s is too strong. I’ve always had that complaint and most people seem to think I’m crazy!
From Wiki:
Bolding mine. Things might have changed recently, and may vary from location to location as well. Maybe you’ve just been lucky, or my experience is outdated. But clearly others felt the same about Starbucks roasts.
see below
That’s from 2007 (the reference to the burnt taste.) As mentioned a million times in this thread, they switched to Pike Place roast a few years ago, which I personally do not find burnt tasting, while I did the old house blend. Regardless, if you think that blend is roasted to charcoal, then I have no idea what you think their actual dark roast tastes like. (I do not drink any of the pour-over options.)
In fact, here’s Consumer Report’s follow up in 2008 after Pike Place was introduced. They kind of give it a meh for its blandness:
Hardly sounds like a review of a coffee roasted to charcoal to me.
The Starbucks beans they sell at the grocery store makes very good coffee.
But I prefer Dunkin’ coffee. I have a bag in the kitchen right now. I think it’s much better than Starbucks.
I love their espresso. And their cold brew.
On rare occasion I stop into Starbucks (generally an outlet at Barnes and Noble) for a plain coffee and a pastry.
I usually notice the quality of coffee only when it seems exceptionally good, or really bad. Starbucks falls into the vast middle ground of “OK”. I’ve never found their stuff burned-tasting or otherwise remarkable.
For what it’s worth, I like strong coffee and make Jackmanni’s Rip-Your-Eyelids-Open-And-Power-Detox-Your-Bowels-Brew at home.
Agreed, good point.
Although Starbucks is now apparently moving toward a $12 cup of coffee. 
Maybe it’s that kind that gets eaten and pooped out by weasels first.
And some people love their filet mignons cooked well done.
De gustibus non est disputandum. Let 100 flowers bloom.
Starbucks blonde roasts are pretty good.
Staff have always been willing to do pour overs if you want decaf, which I prefer after 8pm or so.
Refills are free for normal $2 coffees, the price is reasonable and about what others charge.
Staff are generally friendly.
Their outlets in book stores are very convenient, good for reading, meetings, work and people watching.
Their food is not great but seems popular.
There are many places that serve much tastier hot drinks and desserts in my town, and which have free newspapers, book exchanges, toast bars, better Wi-fi. But I like book stores. Starbucks became popular since many folks don’t like strong coffee or know good coffee. It does many thinks passably well.
Starbucks have been around for 40 years. Most of us formed our opinions of them before 2008. And they are predominately known for espresso based drinks, so they still mostly sell dark roasts for that purpose. It’s not like their reputation for over roasting their beans is unwarranted or unfair. Maybe, it’s slightly outdated, now that they have a medium roast as their default brew.
I’ve had Pike Place at home from my own coffeepot, and it’s good. And I went out of my way to say good things about them in my first post, including that the beans they sell make pretty good coffee, especially the lighter roasts. Gotta admit that I’m not a big fan of dark roasts or espresso in the first place, but that could be confusing cause and effect. Because come to think of it, the main reason I came to that conclusion and started drinking lighter roasts to begin with was because of my experience with Starbucks.
Either way, that’s not Starbucks’s fault, they’re a billion dollar business because they sell what customers want. Which is mostly coffee flavored milk shakes made with over roasted espresso. 
Indeed, and I totally understand that. I agree that they did have what I considered over-roasted beans for their coffee back then. I don’t feel that it’s been true for almost the past decade, though. To me, it’s like Domino’s. I absolutely fucking hated their pizza in the 90s. Terrible, bland, tasteless stuff. But they changed their crust a few years ago and now I think it’s actually perfectly serviceable pizza. Not great, but something I might order because I don’t feel like spending $20 on a local pizza place I love, whereas before I would never, no matter how cheap it was, order it.
I feel like Starbucks should be throwing a few bucks or at least free coffees my way after this thread. 
FWIW I didn’t say it was the worst ever, just consistently bad. How it got to be so popular and successful is a good question since it isn’t the taste of the coffee. Although I suppose it could have been better when it was a smaller chain.
I am honestly mystified by a world where anyone prefers Dunkin Donuts or 7-11 or McDonalds over Starbucks. To each their own, but I’m backing out of the thread now…
McDonalds is probably the largest sellers of hamburgers and they didn’t get that way by selling the worst ever. They are not however, selling their hamburgers at a premium price.
The only things I ever get at Starbucks are the mocha frappuccino or the blonde roast. The latter evidently isn’t very popular at the locations I visit, because they inevitably tell me that they don’t have any blonde roast ready and I’ll have to wait a few minutes for a pour-over.
I don’t like any of their other coffees at all. I sometimes feel like Starbucks is perpetrating a vast practical joke, and the members of the board of directors are laughing like lunatics at how they’ve convinced the world that burned coffee tastes good.
I will say that I appreciate their quiet, comfortable interiors, their reliable free wifi, and their omnipresence. I used to live in the Chicago area, and there was always a Starbucks nearby to provide a warm, quiet place to sit and check your email. It seemed like you could walk in any direction and find one within a few minutes.
Ditto. Both my husband and I enjoy their coffee a lot, as well as many of my friends. We all don’t have bad palates or buy caramel-laden, sugary drinks. I don’t enjoy McD, DD, or even our local, excellent bakery’s coffee. We have some excellent other coffee shops, but SB holds its own against them.
I’ve never had the espresso straight, so I’ll take your word it’s not great.
I need to make a point of stopping at a Starbucks. While decorating for xmas I found a couple of very old gift cards and am curious if they’ll be honored.
I tried paying my bar tab with one the other day. When the bartender told me she couldn’t take it, I pointed out where it said, “treat this card like cash”. She was puzzled, but I paid cash.