Everyone has different tastes. Mine is definitely not for Starbucks coffee.
I'm almost 58 years old now and have been drinking coffee since I was
perhaps eight years old, when my dad would bring home fresh ground 8 O'clock
Coffee from the A&P. (That's The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company to
you young'uns. - No, it did not stunt my growth.) My favorite coffees are
pure Kona or Blue Mountain, but they are quite expensive and rarely
available from coffee houses, though some independents will have Blue
Mountain on occasion or will order the beans for me. Sometimes I can
convince them to put several small crystals of sea salt in with the grounds
when they brew it. Starbucks over roasts their beans, and they do it for
good fiscal reasons. The over roasted beans have a longer shelf life and
have fewer problems in shipping. Over roasting produces a darker and more
acrid coffee with somewhat less caffeine. A darker look and an acrid taste
does not equal a rich flavor. Good beans, properly roasted and brewed
properly at the right temperature with the right flow, produce a rich,
flavorful, highly drinkable, non acrid taste. FYI, Starbucks is not in the
business of selling coffee any more than Kodak was ever in the business of
selling cameras. They are in the business of selling lattes, mochas and
various other made up drinks with Italian sounding names. These are drinks
with coffee in them, but with so much extra stuff that the taste of the
actual coffee is more like a condiment than the main course. As to
Starbuck's coffee requiring an "acquired taste", keep in mind that anything
that tastes like crap can become an acquired taste, even to the point that
you may believe that you can't live without it. This explains Scot's (or
scotch to some) whiskey. You may ask, "well how do you explain the great
popularity of Starbuck's?" First, they have the best marketing since
MacDonald's, and second, The common lemming effect. "Everyone thinks it's
good so it must be good and if I say I don't like it, then I will betray my
immaturity as a coffee connoisseur so I will drink it until I acquire a
taste for it and when I finely get to the point where it no longer gags me,
I'll tell everyone it's an 'acquired' taste thereby showing my
sophistication regarding the world of gourmet coffee." I am currently typing
this from "It's A Grind" where the coffee is smooth, rich and flavorful and
where the wireless internet is totally free.
Regards,
Bob...
-----------------------------------------
"Don't be a lemming!" - R. Blakely
From: "frank theriault" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Bob aptly noted:
> It's an American peculiarity to equate high popularity with high
> quality.
Well, I can't dispute that. Popularity proves nothing. Witness McDonalds,
Coca-Cola, and Budweiser. But as a lifelong coffee drinker who consumes
upwards of a quart a day, I still contend that Starbucks is more
drinkable than most. However, I didn't like it at first. The dark roast
is definitely an acquired taste. I continued to drink ti because I found
the one Starbucks that i frequent a pleasant place to spend an hour or
two. Now I enjoy their coffee. Although I must add that I can make better
coffee at home with Sumatra beans that I purchase in bulk and a simple
coffee press. In any case this has wandered far off topic, and I'm sure
it's taking far too much space.
Paul
You're right, Paul, this is getting more than a bit OT, but that never
stopped me before! <g>
I'm far from an expert in coffee (or anything for that matter <g>),
but I'll tell you (and everyone else) something. If you want good
coffee, buy green beans and roast them yourself. It's quite easy,
doesn't take all that long, and one learns a bit about the whole
coffee roasting thing. I can't tell beans from one country or region
to another. But, there's nothing as good as coffee from fresh (as in
5 minutes ago) roasted beans, freshly ground, brewed properly in a
French Press coffeemaker.
cheers,
frank
--
"Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
