First it was Seattle, then the West Coast, then most big U.S. cities, and more recently it was Rockford coveted as a new territory by coffee purveyor Starbucks.

Now having invaded the stateline, Starbucks felt safe enough to tackle a really tough market.

Paris, France, the first of what is expected to be several Starbucks opened in the city of light Friday.

It is daring to export American lattes to a culture, which prides itself in having invented the café and where having coffee is a social event.

Whether Parisians take to iced coffees and frappaccinos is a gamble.