7-Eleven is against Tim Horton's generally, from a corporate standpoint..

Hard to think that both would compete against one another.. Since 7-Eleven sells Tim Horton donuts..

God, I miss Dunkin Donuts. Born and raised in Boston and Dunkies are few and far between here in XNA. Looks like they're coming in a year or so, but even regionally, they're just no the same.

I miss Dunkin Donuts and Country Style Donuts..

loved Peaberry Coffee in Colorado until they closed their doors. :( They still operate online though.

I see Timothy's Coffee around quite a bit.. and Waves Coffee as well..

How do you guys rank these coffees compared to Starbucks?

In DE, PA, NJ, MD and VA it's Wawa for me.


http://www.wawa.com/WawaWeb/Coffee.aspx


http://blogs.delawareonline.com/seco...10/09/wawa.jpg

For me, it depends on my mood and how much attention I want to spend on enjoying my drink. Dunkin Donuts is my everyday brewed coffee. Their coffee is consistent, predictable, plentyful and they have lots of locations with drive-throughs. The flavor is distinctive and I like it, but it's not distracting. I choose it when I want something hot but want to keep my mind on other things -- driving, attending meetings/phone calls, reading/writing for work, keeping deadlines...

If I have the luxury of time to focus on the coffee, I'll go out of my way to get Starbuck's or better. Something strong and bold which will call my attention at each sip.

Well, Starbucks is crap (other than Pike Place roast) and their espresso drinks are weak, so it doesn't take much to be above them. Having said that, Waves is very inconsistent in terms of product and service, but their espresso beverages are at least a better strength than Starbucks. When their product and service is good, it is very good.

I would rather support them than Starbucks, and take my chances on the food product being hit or miss or out of stock. I put them slightly behind Bean Around the World (which also suffers from inconsistency from store to store) I haven't been in a Timothy's in over a decade I suspect but it was pretty awful when I was forced to drink there or nowhere in past.

Frankly, most North American coffee chains with few exceptions are nothing great, and there is a lot of really awful coffee around too (I put 7-11, Tim Horton's etc in that category)

But then again, this is all subjective and I have read many people hating the coffee drinks served in other parts of the world.

And I still mourn the loss of Sin in Winston Salem.

Sounds like chain coffee doesn't suit your fancy? Is that pretty much your norm..

If you had to pick a chain which is best, which one would you pick?

It is a matter of taste, as many posters have already stated. Many North American chains serve very weak espresso drinks, or even worse to me flavoured coffees, which don't appeal to tastebuds used to something else.

Tchibo had been serving decent coffee and espresso drinks long before it became popular in North America, but I would put Illy well above them for a chain. For UK chains already mentioned are Pret (not the US version however), Costa, and I will add Apostrophe. There are many chains I enjoy, but very few North American ones I like. Hence I tend to see out micro-chains or independents in North America, as they often serve stronger espresso drinks and better quality coffee.

I'm adding Edinburgh's Chocolate Soup to my list as well - somewhat inconsistent in service but when they are good, they are very good. And the location gives them extra points (albeit it by yet another Starbucks)

And edited again to add Julius Meinl which counts as a decent chain.

Thanks! Sadly nothing in the UES wasteland where I live. :(

Sacrilege!

I like Connecticut Muffin http://www.connecticutmuffin.com/location.php for Brooklyn.

Their Montague St location is in Brooklyn Heights, not too far from the courts.

The US is certainly the place for you then, young man, because that's a beverage that you won't find there :D

Blue bottle! :)

Had a double chocolate chip frappe at a Starbucks located in a new but rather surprisingly unsanitary Safeway yesterday..

Do Starbucks filter their water, had a bit of sore throat yesterday for a couple of hours after the afternoon drink?..