I don't look down on Starbucks because it's trendy, but because the coffee is poorer than even average cafés in my city...
You can see just from looking in the grinders that their beans are over-roasted (which I guess improves consistency but destroys flavour) and they make up for that with syrups huge amounts of milk.
I have huge respect for what Starbucks does. For decades, most roasters got their start at Starbucks or Tullys.
In the 10 million pounds of beans Starbucks buys every year, there's some percentage that must be awesome. Buying for myself, I'll get seasonals, varietals, vs the blends. Panama, harar, sumatra. Starbucks also sells whole bean light roast for tastes like my gf's, like the blond, which is sometimes available as drip over the counter.
But mostly I buy either Herkimer or Lighthouse. They're indies, who obsess over the product, from purchasing thru roasting thru pulling the shots.
You can see just from looking in the grinders that their beans are over-roasted (which I guess improves consistency but destroys flavour) and they make up for that with syrups huge amounts of milk.