By Kirk Johnson The New York Times October 23, 2012 Starbucks, which started with this Seattle store, epitomizes the coffee scene in a city where smaller shops are trying to compete. Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Ryan Williams via The New York Times SEATTLE — This city got caffeinated over the past couple of decades, buzzed on its rise in the pop culture as a symbol of hipster-geekster cool, but also on the real stuff: coffee. Like salt and pepper — or more aptly, cream and sugar — coffee and Seattle became an item, each word modifying and reinforcing the other, thanks mainly, of course, to Starbucks , the coffee giant that exploded around the world from here. Starbucks exported beans and brews, wrapping it all in a cool, earth-toned vision of Pacific Northwest life that may or may not have reflected reality. But what is it like to compete head-to-head, latte for latte, against Starbucks in the throne room itself? Ask Demi Larsen. She’s a 25-year-o...