Hahahaha, I don't blame you. I probably shouldn't be saying this....but to me, much of our coffee tastes "burnt." I think the beans themselves are fine, but they seem to be waaaay over-roasted at the plant. It kills me; Starbucks is the largest buyer of Fair Trade coffee, and they work at and and with the farmers worldwide for sustainability, etc., etc. But then they BURN THE BEANS.
...And set up unrealisticly ridiculous policies at their stores. Le sigh.
that's exactly it. they call it an "Italian Roast", which to me is WAY over-roasted, giving that burnt flavor, but there's been studies that shows it also releases a lot more caffeine. so... addiction wins out over getting a decent cup of coffee. I'm a fan of their business practices and how employees are generally treated, I just think they make terrible coffee.