Starbucks itself was founded in Seattle in 1971, but initially it was a specialty store selling roasted coffee beans and equipment, not a cafe chain serving espresso drinks.
Around this time, dark roast coffee, like the Italian roast popular in Europe, was beginning to become popular, influenced by California's Peet's Coffee.
However, espresso had yet to become widespread.
Coffee was generally perceived as something to drink cheaply in large cups.
Italian cafe culture was unfamiliar, and people weren't accustomed to drinking strong coffee in small cups.
Espresso machines were also expensive and complicated to maintain.
Espresso was considered too bitter for American tastes at the time.
Drip coffee could be produced in large quantities at a lower cost, making it an established business model.
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