I avoid the big green mermaid like the plague if I can, but there are some places that it just can't be avoided. Texas is a good example.

A lot of west coast roasters are gaining traction nationally; Blue Bottle, Equator, Fonte, Stumptown, D'Arte just to name a few. The trick is finding them, as most of the shops that feature these roasters are independents who don't have a big neon sign advertising their bean of choice.

It's also nice to see a lot of higher end hotels move away from Starbucks and into a higher class of coffee. W Hotels, St. Regis, Four Seasons have all jumped off the Schultz bandwagon.