Starbucks

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeExpensive though it may be, Starbucks still has its regular flow of devotees come to drink from its altar of coffee excellence. And for no better reason than that it’s the best coffee in the world. One sip not only keeps you going for many an hour—as any coffee worth its salt should do—but Starbucks leaves behind a memory, a sense of something that’s as delicious as it is simple, as profound as it is memorable.

Coffee like this is rare indeed, and the price tag then goes out the window of our consciousness. America is known for a lot of great things. But in a world where coffee is grown expansively in the East, it’s surprising how the West caught on and beat the competition. Whatever they did right, Starbucks was the progeny of this competitive streak and we’re all the grateful for it.