At the airport though it's not hard to believe Starbucks might actually be the best option.
It might be true that they're addicted to caffeine, but it's likely also true that they're addicted to Starbucks
Well with a place like Starbucks, they might be addicted to the sugar.
Starbucks is only a little worse than boutique coffee shops in my experience, but they are fast, conveniently located, open earlier, open later, pay their employees well (for a coffee shop) and pay for their employees' educations.
Their coffee is significantly worse tasting (especially if you drink it black, as I often do). With milk it’s perfectly acceptable, especially if you go for their ‘blonde’ roast.
I totally agree about opening times! Starbucks is often the only place open after 5 or so.
If I get coffee, it's cold brew with almond milk, which tastes pretty different, or espresso drinks, like lattes or cappuccinos.
we used to take a 10m walk to a SB just to gtfo the office, to have a walk after the hour+ commute, to people watch, and to BS with the coworkers. it just also happened to be a great source of hot sugar that went well with the baileys. addiction to having a mental break from the stresses, yes, but in no way addicted to the caffine (nor sugar)