opening a new unopened Starbuck's coffee bag is it possible to open a new Starbucks coffee bag by pulling the flaps apart,  I've never been able to do so ? 

If you know of a way to separate the flaps by any other means without
causing a tear in the side of the bag, please let me know.
I always prefer to cut this type of bag open. There probably isn't TOO much chance of plastic ending up in your coffee grounds, but I feel better with a clean cut rather than the ragged ends.  Starbucks has top quality machinery, so their bags are always sealed very thoroughly, thus hard to open. With some other companies the heat seal on the bags is not as perfect, so the bags are easy to open.