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Pound for pound, the Nob Hill Starbucks is a world heavyweight champion coffee stop - to mix a pun with a sports metaphor.

I have probably been in 200 different Starbucks from Montreal to Melbourne to Manhattan satisfying my venti latte fixes and have never been in one with as much personality punch.

No other local or branded shop I've been in can toe up to the Nob Hill store for that matter, and this is not to slight the out-of-sight friendly orbits of our locally brewed Satellites and Flying Stars.

It's not the coffee or even its funky cool Õ60s-throwback Route 66 chuck wagon architecture, belying its former-Arby's roots, which makes it such a knockout stop. Its roast-beef heritage, however, offers an ironic word play to the chain's sporty Starbys nickname.

I can well attest that a Starbucks is a Starbucks is a ubiquitous Starbucks, down to the expensive racks of espresso-makers, coffee paraphernalia, mugs-of-the-month, rejuvenated music legend CDs, and call-your-own drinks. All these are provided by a usually smiling eager staff amid soothing coffee-forest-colored-meets-Dwell-magazine decor.

"Starbucks is everywhere" is a common rejoinder that I appreciate whether at home or traveling for its worthy latte familiarity.

But, it is nothing material, hip-hype or pedestrian that makes the Nob Hill Starbucks one of the best Starbys on a planet with more than 14,000 sibling stores in 42 countries.

Simply, it is the people who work at the Nob Hill store who consistently make it such a rich experience - an affectionately lively and diverse addition to any family. The Nob Hill team more than meets their goal in striving to make Starbucks your "third place," in Starbucks parlance, beyond your "first place" (home) and your "second place" (work).

Charlene Gannon, manager of the Nob Hill Starbucks, is fervent about her partners, as Starbucks' employees are known. Starbucks offers a comparatively amazing benefits package for both part- and full-time employees.

Starbucks also encourages strong community participation by its stores and staff. Starbucks teamed up with the Albuquerque Rotary Club's famed Duck Pluck to heighten the event's great charitable success.

My antennae are tuned to pick up on excellent proactive teams like the Nob Hill troupe. Such groups of people are poetry in motion and a beauty to behold wherever they are encountered.

Heaven knows we all toil in teams, whether we call them family, office-mates or softball teams. Sometimes, perhaps often, our team experiences can be ineffectual, if not grueling, tortuous affairs where selfish wants trump group ‚lan.

Stepping into the Nob Hill Starbucks, its effective team dynamic emerges from the normal scurry of converting orders into caffeine. Usually, I am welcomed by name and my regular order started with almost nary a word, a la the old comfortable "Cheers" everybody-knows-your-name sitcom.

Observing more closely, the group flows with near-perfect task and timing, with hardly a command uttered yet with all details attended to for the customer or store, no matter the length of the line. Truly amazing.

Whether helped by generous Caitlin or her artful sister Audrey, alert Alison, graceful Olivia, pro barista Patrick, creative Shawn, clever Kira, jamming Joshua, caring Carissa, classy Clare, quick Kim, Brandon the best, beneficent Elizabeth, delightful Liz or champion Charlene, you will have encountered subtle though heavyweight greatness.

Kim is the young woman who recently stood up to a purse-snatcher who accosted a Starbucks patron, getting the woman's purse back as well as glowing news reports for her bravery.

Charlene attributes the success of the crew to the people having worked together as long as they have and for their inherent spirits they bring to their lives. More than half of the team are UNM undergrads or grad students, to which Starbucks offers tuition reimbursement, flexible work schedules and full benefits.

You have many choices for coffee. Next time, get your caffeine fix at the Nob Hill Starbucks on Route 66. Say hello to my favorite crew!