It's worldwide too, I have never had a coffee that wasn't bitter from any Starbucks. A milk heavy coffee like a latte is a drink that shouldn't need it, but even those are too bitter at Starbucks.

What it actually reminds me of though, is the taste of a shot that was pulled then stored in a fridge. I wouldn't be shocked find out that they store excess shots for later drinks and they end up even more bitter.

You can request the coffee roast to be “blonde” (including espresso shots!) which basically means “not burnt”.

It’s still a pretty dark roast, but way more tolerable.

Still expensive for what it is.

Sure, you can also just not buy their coffee.