In the US I am not a Starbucks guy unless that is the only real choice, like DanTheMan said, "The McDonald's of coffee." That being said....While I do not drink there in store that often, I do however buy their coffee bean and grind them at home for personal consumption. Yes more expensive than local brands but in my opinion I am able to get coffee from around the world and the quality is often better than some of the local brands. Just my opinion.

I often go to the Starbucks here and find the staff very friendly and most of them speak English. Not as much of a selection as at some of the other Starbucks, though the ham and cheese croissants are very good along with the scones. Large seating area indoors and out. Try the vanilla latte!

The venti cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso is the best coffee you can get in China. The staff are really friendly. I was waiting for my friend and just sat down without ordering anything, a waiter came out and gave me some hot water. When I later asked if they had a phone he gave me his personal phone to use. In a couple of other times they have helped me with their personal phones to give me codes for the Wifi. The negative with Starbucks is the price. Now it's increased again. A venti cappuccino with an extra shot is not 34RMB anymore it's 37RMB.

This is my second experience with Starbucks in China - the last time someone else was paying and I didn't pay enough attention to the price. I was guessing the prices would be about 80% of what they are in the States, since that's how much most imported chains charge. Starbucks is different. The prices are not merely equal, but 30% more expensive! 30 yuan for the smallest size Frappucinno. Ridiculous!

There are other coffee houses in Kunming that charge slightly less for equal quality beverages. But more importantly, the atmospheres of these establishments are vastly superior! It's not that Starbucks has a bad atmosphere - it just has a mediocre one, while others are superb.

I'm not sure why nearly every table was occupied today. I'm guessing the Chinese come here because they think it's more prestigious, luxurious, and noteworthy. But its competitors have it beat by a mile.

It's great to be able to order a 4 shot espresso and not have to explain how much it should cost. The last time I tried this at other Kunming coffee establishments, they wanted to charge me for two doubles.

Glad to have starbucks here!!!

Now if we could only learn how to queue :-)