JAWIN’ AT JAVA JUNCTION

It’s OK with me if Starbucks moves to Mars (“Will Starbucks Be Waiting for Us on Mars?” by Kim Murphy, Sept. 22). I’ve visited many Starbucks over the past few years and have never found them competitive with the local coffee houses/stores in the L.A. area or elsewhere, either in terms of service or taste. Furthermore, if you are over 30, the Starbucks staff simply doesn’t seem to see you. My advice: Try the donut/sandwich shop at your local mini-mall. It’ll probably be cheaper--and better.

Robert Duncan

Sherman Oaks

*

Starbucks brews a fine cup of coffee, and their shops are spotless. Yet they do not duplicate the warm atmosphere of the wonderful European coffee shops that CEO Howard Schultz talks about. I miss that spicy cup of cappuccino and that luscious piece of Black Forest cherry cake, served to me on real china. I miss treasuring every sip and bite while sitting at a dressed-up table no bigger than a bull’s-eye. I miss the homeyness that puts you at ease and makes you feel as though you’re at Grandma’s house.

For a good cup of coffee to go with good conversation or a good book--a place with elegance and charm--I look elsewhere.

Marita Braun-Meegan

Castaic

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So Starbucks coffee is a “passion,” an “art form,” an “inspiration,” according to Starbucks’ Julie Kouhia. How absurd to hear an adult utter such babble. She must be drinking and sniffing more than just coffee.

Starbucks offers a fine product in pleasant surroundings for a steep tariff. Its connecting-door relationship with Barnes & Noble in Pasadena is a rewarding experience for the consumer. However, I can get excellent coffee concoctions from any number of other cafes and shops in the immediate area.

To [Southwest marketing director Jon] Greenawalt: “Hopeless individuals” we are, “shallow” we are not. To Kouhia: Get a life!

Natasha Antonovich

Montebello

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The mentality of Starbucks executives illustrates what is wrong with corporate America today--the feverish quest for profits substitutes outlandish claims for the truth. But no matter how you brew it, serve it or advertise it, it’s still just coffee.

This is just another con job on the gullible American public. It’s designed to coax people into buying something they think will enhance their lifestyle--something it cannot possibly do. What’s next on the Starbucks agenda--portable coffee-scented air?

Scott Venning

Huntington Beach

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Starbucks has put a corporate spin on what was originally a wholesome European experience, but nevertheless it’s done America a favor in showing people how wonderful those real neighborhood coffee shops can be. Mom-and-pop cafes are springing up to answer a need for true community, which Starbucks can never hope to satisfy.

Lee Fischman

Santa Monica

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I wish the King of Korporate Koffee, $tarbuck$, all the luck in the world in its quest for world coffee domination. However, it seems to have lost focus on the most important part of the equation: the coffee beans themselves. Reading about huge warehouses full of roasted beans sitting around for months doesn’t convince me the company has its priorities straight.

Anyone who knows anything about coffee is aware that once the beans are roasted, the clock on spoilage starts ticking. And no fancy vacuum-packed, nitrogenfilled bag is going to stop the decline in flavor. You need to find a purveyor who can roast your beans and get them to you as quickly as possible.

Chris Criner

Aliso Viejo