Originally Posted by
99luftballoons
A grande of what is $5? How about getting some accurate figures there before you start playing Euclid. I get a venti drip and that's about $2. Americano is $3. It's cheaper than any local coffee shop and the pricing isn't different thank Dunkin'.
It's location-dependent, too. In NYC a venti coffee is $3-something. A grande latte with an extra shot is about $5.
As for the question of water purification...you could always go in to the store and ask about their particular setup. It would hardly be in keeping with Starbucks's brand image to sell coffee that some people can't drink.
In any case, heating water past about 160F will kill anything in it. Coffee is 195F and higher.