10 of the best coffee chains across the US

Blue Bottle Coffee Company is a specialty coffee roaster that began in Oakland, California, in the early 2000s.

The chain started as a simple potting shed that was used for roasting coffee beans and a single coffee cart that was used for selling the product.

Today, the chain has over 90 stores across California, New York, Washington, Washington DC, Massachusetts, Japan, and South Korea.

The chain is known for its special brewing techniques and pour-over coffee.

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You might be familiar with its canned coffee drinks at the grocery store, but La Colombe is also a popular chain across the US.

La Colombe was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1994, and the coffee roaster now has 30 locations across Massachusetts, California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC.

The draft cold-brew latte is one of La Colombe's most popular beverages, both in its cafes and in grocery stores.

After backpacking in Alaska, Kimberly and John Puckett founded Caribou Coffee in 1992 with the goal of capturing the essence of their adventure in a cup of coffee.

There are now over 400 stores across the US — with over half of those based in Minnesota where the chain was founded — and over 270 locations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Caribou Coffee's claim to fame is that it serves Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, which is a seal "awarded to farms, forests, and businesses that meet rigorous environmental and social standards."

Based in Northern California, Peet's first opened as a Berkeley coffee bar in 1966.

The chain's late founder, Alfred Peet, knew the founders of Starbucks and, in its early years, Starbucks bought its beans from Peet's. Starbucks co-founder Jerry Baldwin also told The Seattle Times that Peet even taught him how to roast coffee.

There are currently over 250 Peet's locations across California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and Washington DC.

The chain serves both tea and coffee, and its signature blend is Major Dickason's, a dark-roast coffee.

The first Dunkin' Donuts opened in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950. Now, the chain has over 11,000 locations spread across over 30 countries.

The brand officially changed its name from Dunkin' Donuts to Dunkin' in January 2019 to symbolize its commitment to introducing new products, though it still offers over 50 varieties of doughnuts.

In addition to having an extensive food menu, Dunkin' also has some specialty drinks, like the Dunkaccino, which is a blend of coffee and hot chocolate flavors.

In 1992, brothers Dane and Travis Boersma shifted from dairy farming to coffee selling — and their first coffee shop was run out of their barn in Oregon.

Now, the company has over 380 stores in seven states: Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona.

Dutch Bros is known for its experimental flavors, and some of its unique menu items include an Irish cream cold brew, a chocolate macadamia nut mocha, and a banana bread latte.

Biggby Coffee was founded in East Lansing, Michigan, in 1995. As of February 2020, the chain has over 240 franchise shops that are primarily located across the Midwest.

Carmel Marvel, a caramel espresso drink, is one of the chain's most popular beverage options, but Biggby Coffee offers many unique concoctions, including blueberry lattes, Black Forest lattes, and cotton candy lattes.

Tim Hortons was founded in Canada, and it has nearly 5,000 stores around the globe. Although most of those shops are in Canada, there are almost 600 in the US and 25 across the UK and Ireland.

Former professional hockey player Tim Horton opened the first store in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario.

The store debuted one of its most loved items, the Timbit (a small, fried doughnut piece), in 1976, and the chain has been adding new baked goods and coffee drinks ever since.

Today, the company's Iced Capp, a blended, frozen coffee drink, is one of its most iconic beverage items.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is a Southern California-based chain that started in 1963 as a coffee roaster and now has 1,200 locations across the world.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf primarily boasts its customizable menu, giving customers seemingly endless flavor options and add-in ingredients.

One of its signature drinks is the Ice Blended, a frozen coffee- or tea-based drink that debuted in 1987.

Starbucks is the largest coffee chain, has more than 15,000 locations in the US alone. Around the world, the chain also has more than 30,000 locations total as of June 2019.

Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971, and its now-iconic name was inspired by the Herman Melville novel "Moby Dick."

Some of the chain's most iconic drinks include Frappuccinos and the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte.