Coffee Guide

Over the past 30 years marketers have tried thousands of tactics to sell things. We have heard the ?Your to smart to be without this product? tactic. We have heard the ?Everyone needs this product? tactic. We have also seen the way that TV sells products making them more appealing then they really are. Has the coffee industry followed such tactics? Sure it has! Do you remember Folgers little jingle? ?The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.? That ad made Folgers famous! So, is the term ?Gourmet Coffee? another sales tactic? No! Allow me to explain.

Coffee is grown all around the world, and because of the many differences in governments, cultures, and religions people do things differently in other lands. So, how is Gourmet Coffee made? When you acquire coffee beans from different regions they for the most part go thru a similar process. Beans are picked, dried, and sorted pretty much the same way. The differences are the climate and the elevation they were grown in, and the pesticides the farmers used to protect their crop. Those are just a few factors. We also need to consider the roasting process. The roasting process is as crucial to coffee as air is to our lungs. If you under roast your coffee your coffee may turn out weak, and if you over do it your coffee will taste burnt. So, where does the word Gourmet fit in? The hardest coffee to acquire today is the Jamaican Blue Mountain. The reason is due to the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. This coffee is the most sought after coffee, because of its rich taste and divine smell. When roasted correctly this coffee is probably the best tasting in the world. What other factors makes coffee Gourmet?

When Roasters add flavorings such as chocolate syrups, or caramel to name a few, these additives give your coffee a unique taste that is qualified as Gourmet Flavored Coffee. The definition of Gourmet is a fine food or drink that has been judged by an expert to be excellent. When coffee experts say that a certain brand of coffee is excellent then their credibility is on the line. It better live up to the hype or their opinion and reputation becomes as worthless as the dust on a windowsill. If an expert deems a product as excellent then it has to be good. Right? Well, it should. We live in an imperfect world, but Gourmet Coffee is legitimate. Many people around the world take pride in there coffee and when you find one that stands out you will find that it is in high demand. It cost more then regular coffee, but depending on your preference in many cases it is worth its weight in gold.

Where do you find Gourmet Coffee? The best place is straight from a Coffee Roaster, and there are thousands to choose from. They all have different techniques, recipes, and philosophies about coffee. The great thing about them is that they always have fresh roasted coffee. Some other places would be at a supermarket, but I highly advise against these places. The coffee is usually never as fresh as it should be. I hope that this article was able to help you understand that Gourmet Coffee is real, and not a clever marketing tactic.

Don is the owner of several free information websites and the sole proprietor of Java Jakes Gourmet Coffee Co. http://www.javajakes.com http://www.healthyinfosource.com http://www.egolfplace.com Visit these sites today and become informed.

The coffee plant has two main species. There is the Coffea Arabica, which is the more traditional coffee and considered to be superior in flavor, and the Coffea Canephora known more commonly as Robusta. Robusta tends to be higher in caffeine and can be grown in climates and environments were Arabica would not be profitable. Robusta is also typically more bitter and acidic in flavor. Because of this Robusta tends to be less expensive. High quality Robusta is also used to blend espresso for more bite, and to lower costs.

A little known fact is that some coffee beans improve their flavor with age. It is the green unroasted beans which are aged; the typical length of time is 3 years, though there are some houses which sell beans aged to 7 years. Aged beans have a fuller flavor and are less acidic.

Growing conditions, soil types and weather patterns during the growing season all contribute to the flavor of the bean, creating the differences in flavor from points of origin, such as Kenya or Brazil. However, roasting adds its own flavor, sometimes to the point that it is difficult to tell where the beans originated from, even by experienced cuppers.

The lighter the roast the more the natural flavor of the bean remains. This is why beans from regions such as Kenya or Java are normally roasted lightly, retaining their regional characteristics and dominate flavors. There is a method of roasting in Malaysia which adds butter during the roasting producing a variety called Ipoh White Coffee.

Beans roasted to darker browns begin to taste more like the method of roasting than the original flavors. Dark roasts such as French or Vienna Roasts tend to completely eclipse the original flavor. Roasting to whatever degree, while adding stronger flavor does not effect the amount of caffeine of the bean.

Fry pan roasting was popular in the 19th century, since the beans were normally shipped and purchased still in their green state. You simply poured the green coffee beans in a frying pan and roasted them in the kitchen. This process took a great deal of skill to do in a consistent manner. Fry pan roasting became much less popular when vacuum sealing pre-roasted coffee was perfected. However, in order to vacuum seal roasted beans, you had to wait for them to stop emitting CO2, as roasted beans do for several days after the roasting process. What this meant was that vacuum sealed coffee was always just a little stale as the flavors begin to turn bitter and deteriorate in just about a week after roasting.

Home roasting is once again becoming popular with the creation of computerized drum roasters which help simplify the process. There are some people who have found methods of effectively roasting beans using their hot air pop corn makers.

The region the bean is from as discussed before is a primary factor to the type of flavor you can expect from the brew, though it is very true that ‘new’ or unexpected tastes come from every region.

Arabia and Africa grow their coffee beans in high altitudes in the rich black soils of Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Tanzania. The flavors of these beans are distinct and of legendary status.

The Americas coffees are grown in near rainforest conditions in areas such as Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Coffees of the Americas tend to be very well balanced and aromatic.

The Pacifics includes coffees from Sumatra, Java, New Guinea and Sulawesi, which are as various in flavor as the islands they come from.

Then there are the exotics such as certified Jamaica Blue Mountain and certified Hawaiian Kona. These are rare indeed and can go for as much as $60.00 per pound.

Jerry Powell is the Owner of a Popular site Know as Gourmet911.com. As you can see from our name, we are here to help you learn more about different kinds of Gourmet food and Wines, Coffees from all around the world. http://www.gourmet911.com/

Coffee is the second most-highly traded commodity in the world next to oil. It?s an enormous industry involving many players in the supply chain?the growers and farm workers, the processing mills, exporters and importers, small-batch roasters and huge commercial roasters, coffeehouses and cafes?all of who do their part to bring coffee to you, the final consumer.

Take a walk down the coffee aisle of a grocery store and read the labels. You?ll find one word dominates the label rhetoric: ?Gourmet.? Gourmet, it?s such a over-used term. By definition, it implies rare, expensive, high-quality, or at least sophisticated in some form of its preparation and service. Which, unfortunately, doesn?t seem to apply to the coffee most Americans drink on a daily basis. Considering how large the coffee industry is, how much of what?s marketed as gourmet could actually be considered truly gourmet coffee?

Sad to say, it?s estimated only 10 percent of coffee sold on the global market is of excellent quality. Meaning, 90 percent of coffee sold is considered poor to satisfactory in quality. That being the case, it becomes hard to believe the ads and labels on store shelves claiming rich, delicious, gourmet coffee. In fact, the reality is they?re much likelier selling the exact opposite of high quality coffee beans.

For instance, consider the ever applauded Dark Roast. Somehow the influential marketing gurus at roasting companies have managed to convince the masses that dark roasted coffee equals gourmet coffee. Not necessarily true. While there are some specific coffees that taste wonderful as a dark roast, there?s a reason most coffee today is roasted so dark. It?s precisely because of their low quality. Dark roasting covers a multitude of sins, including any flavor flaws.

And then there?s flavored coffee?a low-quality bean masquerading as gourmet coffee. Why use expensive, high-grade beans for flavored coffee, since the natural flavors themselves will never be detected over the added flavorings of Irish cream, French Vanilla, or Hazelnut.

Though the marketing says otherwise, coffee that is indeed gourmet should never require extensive roasting. Similar to grilling a steak, a great coffee will often taste great as rare to medium, or, in coffee terms, light to medium. Of course the actual lightness of the roast will depend on your personal taste. A lighter roast shows that the roaster has confidence in the quality of the beans. And for a true connoisseur of coffee, that?s what you should be looking for.

– Denver Wilkinson is founder, and currently head roaster of Cafe Avion, a roasting company based in Coeur d?Alene, Idaho, that specializes in small-batch roasting of exclusively organic and fair trade coffees. ?There?s a whole world of coffee out there (quite literally) and so many natural flavors to experience, don?t settle for the mediocre stuff. The darker the roast, the less likely you?ll experience the subtle apricot flavors in a great Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, or the blueberry notes in a wonderful Harrar, or the earthy, ripened notes of a great Sumatran Mandheling.? Adds Wilkinson: ?I?m on a personal mission to undo the myth of the dark roast.?

Without a doubt, coffee production and consumption is a major business throughout the world. Coffee production has the second largest commodity ranking in the world (oil production is first), and coffee is a major foundation among family circles worldwide. But when exactly did this worldwide love affair with coffee start? When was it first realized that the innocuous little coffee bean would cause so much enjoyment?

There are several conflicting stories about the origin of coffee. One such story involves a goat herder in Ethiopia around 800 A.D., who noticed that when his goats ate certain beans from a bush, they became more animated than normally. So he ate some himself and got the same reaction, and so he passed some around to his fellow herders, and pretty soon the coffee bean became a rage.

That story is probably untrue, and we really don?t know exactly where or when coffee was discovered and who discovered it. We do know that the coffee plant was originally found in Ethiopia, and the plant?s beans were eaten as is. We know Ethiopia later exported the beans. Also we know that by the first millennium, coffee was very well known in most parts of the world. Arabs were probably the first to discover the ability to roast the bean and drink the resulting mixture.

Eventually coffee became very popular throughout the world as an energizing drink. By the 1500s, in Istanbul, coffee houses were first created. They became so fashionable that other European countries soon followed suit, including France and England. Of course, these houses, just like the drink itself, were probably nothing like the trendy gourmet coffee shops we have today.

A man named Edward Lloyd set up one of the first coffeehouses in England, and that house later became the famous insurance carrier Lloyd?s of London. Of course when the British came to America, they set up coffee shops throughout the 13 colonies.

And the coffee beans were found to grow in different southern climates. Columbia started growing the plant in the early 1800s, with Brazil soon following suit. Of course today Columbia is one of the most famous and largest growers of the plant, as is Brazil. But also soon Hawaii got into the act with their Kona coffee, and of course the Indonesian island of Java became so widely known for their coffee, that one slang word for coffee is ?java.? And today there are many different types of flavored coffees to choose from, for all sorts of gourmet coffee lovers

So all together it took about 1000 years for coffee to start from a possible humble beginning as goat energy snack food, to becoming the 2nd largest tradable commodity in the world. Millions of tons of coffee are produced every year, and there is no doubt that the industry will continue to grow by leaps and bounds.

Jim Konerko is the publisher of http://www.coffee-craze.net where he provides interesting articles such as ?How To Buy Coffee?, and other advice, tips, and information about coffee.

In our fast paced society, Americans are constantly looking for quick fixes and instant gratifications. So, for some of us the typical morning cup of coffee of previous generations just does not have enough humph to kick start our morning. Many who need that little something extra have found it in a concentrated caffeinated drink called espresso. And thanks to manufacturing companies both here and abroad, every home in America can have an espresso coffee machine if they so desire.

The international influences that we have invading our culture on a daily basis, coupled with the gourmet coffee houses popping up on almost every street corner have brought Americans a variety of ways to consume coffee. Therefore, it is only natural that we would want to bring the coffee house into our own home, and add an espresso coffee maker to our growing number of kitchen appliances needed to make our lives easier and more convenient.

Espresso coffee makers come in a variety of makes and models. From the very simple machine that makes a single cup of espresso to the high priced imported machines that resemble those used in coffee houses. If one is interested in capturing the old world coffee house feel, they can purchase a piston operated machine. Or, there are the more technically advanced models for people with busy lifestyles that will do everything, including cleaning, with just the touch of a button. Considering most people fall into the later category, the super automatic espresso maker is quickly taking over the market place and saving consumers a considerable amount of time.

This is definitely not your father’s coffee maker. The automatic espresso coffee maker is on the cutting edge of technology by simplifying the process of producing a quality product. It can grind and tamp the beans; brew the coffee and froth the milk, then dump the leftover coffee grounds when finished. All of this can be done by simply pressing a button. This model of the espresso coffee maker is rapidly becoming more popular than the others worldwide. They are easy to use, time saving and offer quality espresso. However, all of this comes with a hefty price tag, as these super machines can cost several thousand dollars.

However, it is not necessary to go into debt to purchase a quality espresso coffee maker in order to achieve the eye opener this particular brew can bring. There are quite a few models on the market that can provide a great cup of espresso, latte or cappuccino for much less. These machines range in prices to fit within every espresso enthusiast’s budget and are guaranteed to bring the enjoyment of the coffee house experience into the home for years to come.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as Kona coffee at http://www.gourmetespressoandcoffee.com

You often see them in countless homes, offices, coffee shops and so many other places where people convene to sip good coffee. You guessed right! It is the old and trustworthy coffeemaker. What is the process involved in concocting those wonderful brews?

A coffeemaker is an electric appliance that makes brewed coffee automatically, consisting of a hotplate, a glass coffee pot, filter basket, and water reservoir. It is a low-maintenance, simple- to-operate and yet efficient piece of equipment.

The hotplate at the bottom of the coffeemaker is heated in a circular motion. The heating element is a hollow aluminum tube. Upon adding water on the reservoir, a small hole in the container?s bottom feeds a plastic hose attached to one end of the aluminum tube. When the coffeemaker is turned on, the heating element quickly gets hot. The heat sensors make sure that the temperature is kept at 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit (90-96 Celsius). This causes the water in the aluminum tube to boil, creating bubbles that go up the other side of the tube and travel upward to the exit hose so more water can enter the heating element.

Hot water inside these bubbles lifts a small stream of boiling water to the coffeemaker?s top, while the exit hose ends up on the drip plate, which in turn places the boiling water in an even amount. The water then exits to the coffee grounds below in the filter basket. The drip coffeemaker then fills the carafe with freshly-brewed coffee.

When buying whole coffee beans, you may use a coffee grinder for preparation prior to actual boiling. For coffee to taste better, it is advisable to grind the beans before brewing them. Finely ground coffee results in a refreshing espresso, which is made with an espresso machine and cannot be brewed in a coffeemaker.

A lot of coffeemakers allow for an automatic start through built-in timers. If you want freshly brewed coffee in the morning, you may turn on the timer at night. Coffee connoisseurs, however, frown on this practice since they do not want coffee beans to be ground in advance as they tend to lose freshness in the process. They believe that immediately after brewing, the coffeemaker should be detached from its hot plate since prolonged exposure to heat will make the coffee bitter.

A number of coffeemakers use either steel or paper filters. Steel filters allow more oils to pass through, creating a coffee that is headier and with more body. On the other hand, paper filters result in a lighter and cleaner coffee.

There are many ways to brew your coffee using the ever-reliable coffeemaker.

Coffee provides detailed information on Coffee, Coffee Makers, Gourmet Coffee, Coffee Shops and more. Coffee is affiliated with Gourmet Flavored Coffee.

How Do You Make A Perfect Cup of Coffee? To make a perfect cup of coffee every time you need:

- A Drip coffee maker

- A Stainless steel or gold mesh coffee filter, brown unbleached paper if you are insistent on paper

- A stash of vinegar and baking soda for cleaning

- A good quality whole bean coffee bean not the 1.99 a pound kind

- Fresh clean filtered water

- 30 minutes of you time (start to finish)

If you want a perfect cup of coffee, instant is not going to be in your vocabulary. To make an absolute unadulterated cup of coffee you need a little time and a few essential ingredients.

First off, almost any drip coffee maker will work. The 19.99 one all the way to the 99.99 ones all do the same thing. They heat the water and siphon it over coffee grounds. As the water is soaked into the coffee, picking up the flavor it is then drained through a filter into a glass pot. Honestly the coffee pot is not what makes the cup of coffee. If what you are looking for is the best tasting cup of coffee for your money and time, here is how to do it yourself.

A clean glass coffee pot is what you need to start off with. To clean this well, you need to place about ? cup of baking soda into the glass pot and with your fingers add a few drops of water. Use your fingers to spread the baking soda all over the pot, up the sides and such. After you have used this as a mild abrasive, add 1 cup of vinegar. Swirl and swish allowing the baking soda and vinegar to bubble away. Next, use a clean cloth to wash the inside of the glass pot. Now, rinse well under hot water. When you think it has been thoroughly rinsed, give it one more good rinse. We are trying to make sure our pot is clean with no residues of soaps, coffee oils, or vinegar and baking soda. A clean pot will make a lot of difference. No more washing the pot once a week, or just running it under the water and calling it good.

Second step to a great cup of coffee is the filter you use. Most of us buy the cheap white 150 for 1.25 coffee filters. Why are they cheap? Because, they are not good. Not only are they paper, but they add chlorine and bleach, and starches to your coffee. How are you supposed to have a good cup of coffee if you add those things to it. I recommend a metal strainer. Gold mesh or stainless steel is good. These are a little more expensive, but are not disposable so you can reuse them for a good long time. Average cost for these run 12.99-19.99. Clean these the same as the coffee pot. Rinse well!

Third step to a great cup of coffee is using good filtered water. I am not saying you need to use bottled water. But getting a Brita filter and filtering your water before brewing will take the extra minerals and chlorine and any other extras often found in tap water. Since coffee is mainly water that is heated and flavored doesn’t it make sense to use good quality clean water?

And of course the last step to a great cup of coffee is using a good whole bean coffee. No, coffee that is sitting on the shelf at Safeway will not do. You need to buy coffee beans from a good small company that buys their coffee in small batches, that are roasted daily or weekly. Only then can you be sure that the coffee you are getting is fresh. Choosing coffee this way runs about $12 a pound. But remember this is whole bean, you are getting a lot of coffee for the price. Grinding your own coffee bean at home is the best way to assure your very own perfect cup of coffee.

One more tip, do not reheat your brewed coffee, or leave it on for hours and hours. Brew only enough coffee that you will drink within the hour or so. Reheating and micro waving coffee just breaks the coffee down even faster. Yes, coffee does break down. When this happens you end up with a strong, sour taste. Not the perfect cup if you ask me. How do you brew just a few cups of coffee at a time? For every 6 ounces of water you add to your pot, add only 2 tablespoons of fresh ground coffee beans to the filter. When putting the ground coffee beans into the filter make sure it is level and spread evenly across the bottom of the filter. This assures even brewing. You now have no excuse to not enjoy your own perfect cup of coffee.

Owner of Oregon Gourmet Food sand Gifts. Offering FRESH roasted coffee direct from the Roaster. Visit us at http://www.oregongourmetfoods.com

Some like their cup of coffee steaming hot, while others drool over cold coffee shakes. Choices are endless these days because flavored coffee is the ?in? drink. Like ice cream, coffee now comes in various flavors that are just as delicious. Coffee lovers across the globe are experimenting with these flavors, and with new flavors being developed every day. Some people may prefer their tried-and-true black coffee with no whistles and bells, but other love French Vanilla, cappuccino-flavored, minty, or any number of other flavors of coffee.

Gourmet flavored coffee is prepared after applying oils to the roasted beans. These oils are created specially for flavoring coffee beans. The best oils are prepared using natural ingredients. Although more expensive than the synthetic substitute, natural ingredients preserve the natural flavor and enhances the richness of coffee. Oils manufactured by other chemicals tend to distort the actual taste of your coffee.

The concept of flavoring coffee is definitely not a new one. Long ago, South Americans loved having cinnamon in their cup of ?joe?. Africans are liked their coffee laced with citrus. Today you can choose your pick from chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, raspberry, mint and many more. They also are manufactured under a variety of creative names like Pumpkin Spice, Holiday Blend, Breakfast Blend, Almond Delight, etc. There are virtually hundreds of different varieties you can choose from.

When buying flavored coffee beans, go for quality. You may pay more, but the cup of coffee you will enjoy is priceless. Perhaps even the diehard regular coffee snob will be lured to your choice of flavored coffee.

Gourmet Coffee provides detailed information on Gourmet Coffee, Gourmet Coffee Beans, Gourmet Flavored Coffee, Decaf Gourmet Coffee and more. Gourmet Coffee is affiliated with Gourmet Coffee.

It wasn’t until I moved to the US that I started drinking coffee regularly and became what they call in the Netherlands a ‘koffieleut’, which translates literally into ?coffee socialite.? Although the average European drinks more coffee per year than the average American, the cultural importance and its effects on the average European seems to me smaller than that on the average American. After all, coffee is a cultural obsession in the United States.

Chains with thousands of branches like Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks dominate US daily street life. Especially in the morning (90% of coffee consumed in the US is in the morning), millions of white foamy cups with boldly imprinted pink and orange logos bob across the streets in morning rush hour and on the train. Coffee drive-ins are a saving grace for the rushing army of helmeted and tattooed construction workers. During lunch break, men and women in savvy business suits duck into coffee shops.

Students chill out from early afternoon till late evening on comfy couches at coffee lounges around campus. Police officers clutch coffee cups while guarding road construction sites on the highway. In short, coffee drinkers in the United States can be found just about anywhere you go.

This mass-psychotic ritual causes Americans to associate Europe above all with cars that oddly do not contain cup holders (to an American this is like selling a car without tires), or with the unbelievably petite cups of coffee European restaurants serve, so small that my father-in-law had to always order two cups of coffee. It is my strongest conviction that the easily agitated and obsessed nature of the ?New Englander? can be blamed on the monster-size cups of coffee they consume. Not without reason is the word ‘coffee’ derived from the Arab ‘qahwa’ meaning ?that which prevents sleep.? Arabs have cooked coffee beans in boiling water since as far back as the 9th century and drank the stimulating extract as an alternative to the Muslims? forbidden alcohol.

These days coffee is second only to oil as the most valuable (legally) traded good in the world with a total trade value of $70 billion. Interestingly, only $6 billion reaches coffee producing countries. The remaining $64 billion is generated as surplus value in the consumption countries. Small farmers grow 70% of world coffee production. They mainly grow two kinds of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. About 20 million people in the world are directly dependent on coffee production for their subsistence.

Table 1: production in 2002/3

country % 70% Arabica

30% Robusta

Brasil 42.03% Arab/Rob

Colombia 8.88% Arabica

Vietnam 8.35% Robusta

Indonesia 4.89% Rob/Arab

India 3.74% Arab/Rob

Mexico 3.54% Arabica

Guatemala 3.1% Arab/Rob

Uganda 2.53% Rob/Arab

Ethiopia 2.44% Arabica

Peru 2.24% Arabica

Table 2: consumption in 2001/2world consumption % kg per capita (2001)

USA 30.82% Finland 11.01

Germany 15.07% Sweden 8.55

Japan 11.47% Denmark 9.71

France 8.89% Norway 9.46

Italy 8.59% Austria 7.79

Spain 4.90% Germany 6.90

Great-Brittain 3.63% Switzerland 6.80

the Netherlands 2.69% the Netherlands 6.48

Although the consumption of coffee per capita in the world is decreasing (in the US alone it decreased from 0.711 liter in 1960 to 0.237 liter presently), world consumption is still increasing due to the population explosion. Considering that coffee consists of either 1% (Arabica), 2% (Robusta) or 4.5%-5.1% (instant coffee) caffeine, the average American consumes at least 200 to 300mg (the recommended maximum daily amount) of caffeine a day through the consumption of coffee alone.

The place I frequent to down a cup of coffee is the Starbucks in Stamford, Connecticut. The entrance can be found on the corner of Broad Street and Summer Street, to the left to the main public library with its plain pediment and slim Ionic columns. The location right next to the library harmonizes with Starbuck?s marketing plan. At the entrance of the coffee shop a life-size glass window curves around to the left, providing superb voyeuristic views of pedestrians on the sidewalk. As you enter, you step directly into the living room area with stacked bookshelves against the back wall. Velvet armchairs face each other with small coffee tables in the middle, creating intimate seating areas. The velvet chairs near the window are the prime seats, which people unfortunate to score a wooden chair prey upon. At the back of the long rectangular room is the coffee bar and a small Starbuck?s gift shop. There is a dark wooden table with electrical outlets suited for spreading out laptops and spreadsheets, dividing the living room area from the coffee bar.

Since I have been cranky for weeks I hesitate to order a regular black coffee. It is very easy to get cloyed with a favorite food or drink in the US because of the super-sized portions served. The smallest cup of coffee is a size ‘tall’ (12oz.=0.35l.), after which one can choose between a ‘grande’ (16oz.=0.5l.) and a ‘venti’ (20oz.=0.6l.). Half a liter of coffee seems a bit over the top, and it sounds absolutely absurd to my European mind. I finally end up choosing a ‘solo’ espresso.

Sitting in one of the booth-like seats against the back wall, unable to obtain a prime seat, I feign to read my book while eavesdropping on conversations around to me. Three middle-aged men sit in three ash gray velvet chairs and converse loudly. A vivid dialogue develops, exchanged with half roaring, half shrieking, laughter. They mock a colleague in his absence and then clench their brows in concern while discussing the teeth of one of the men?s daughter. Two African-American women sit at a small table opposite the reading-table in the murky light, one of them with a yellow headscarf with black African motifs. Close to the entrance, in the seating area next to the animated conversation, a vagabond is playing solitaire. One by one he places the creased cards with rounded backs over one another, as if he attempts to stick them together. He rendered a couple of dollars in exchange for a small coffee to feel, in the warmth of the front room, nostalgia for a cozy living room and relives a sense of intimacy of having your own house.

It’s a bright, sunny, early autumn day, a typical New England Indian summer. Sunbeams radiate through the coloring, flickering foliage, and throw a puzzle-shaped shadow into Starbuck?s window. Autumn?s hand turns her colorful kaleidoscopic lens. The green ash tree near the sidewalk resembles, with its polychrome colors, somewhat a bronze statue: its stem sulphur bronze, its foliage intermittently copper green and ferric-nitrate golden. On the other side of the cross walk the top of a young red oak turns fiery red. These are the budding impressions of the autumn foliage for which Connecticut is ‘world famous’ in the US.

In the world of marketing and entrepreneurship, Starbucks is a success story. It is one of those stories of ?excellence? taught as a case study at business school. Founded in 1971, it really began its incredible growth under Howard Schultz in 1985, and presently has 6,294 coffee shops. But what does its success really consists of? A large cup of coffee at Starbucks is much more expensive than at Dunkin’ Donuts: $2.69 compared to $3.40 for a Starbucks’ ?venti?. But while Dunkin’ Donuts offers only a limited assortment of flavors like mocha, hazelnut, vanilla, caramel and cinnamon, you will find exotic quality beans at Starbucks like Bella Vista F.W. Tres Rios Costa Rica, Brazil Ipanema Bourbon Mellow, Colombia Nari?o Supremo, Organic Shade Grown Mexico, Panama La Florentina, Arabian Mocha Java, Caff? Verona, Guatemala Antigua Elegant, New Guinea Peaberry, Zimbabwe, Aged Sumatra, Special Reserve Estate 2003 ? Sumatra Lintong Lake Tawar, Italian Roast, Kenya, Ethiopia Harrar, Ethiopia Sidamo, Ethiopia Yergacheffe and French Roast. So Starbucks offers luxury coffees and high quality coffee dining, reminiscent almost of the chic coffee houses I visited in Vienna.

Every now and then, I grin shamefully and think back at my endless hesitation choosing between the only two types of coffee available in most Dutch stores: red brand and gold brand. Even up to this day I have no clue what the actual difference is between the two, apart from the color of the wrapping: red or gold. Not surprisingly, Starbucks appeals to the laptop genre of people: consultants, students, intellectuals, the middle class, and a Starbucks coffee is a white-collar coffee, while a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is a blue-collar coffee. In Dunkin’ Donuts you will run into Joe the Plumber, Bob the barber, and Mac the truck driver. But what is it exactly, that attracts the white collared workers in the US to fall back into the purple velvet chairs?

I imagine their working days filled with repetitive actions and decisions within a playing field of precisely defined responsibilities. How many of the players in these fields get through the day with its routines for simply no other reason than being able to enjoy their daily 30 minutes-escape into the Starbucks intimacy where, for a brief moment in the day, you regain the illusion of human warmth and exotic associations of resisting the coldness of high finance?

For 15 minutes you fall back into the deep, soft pillow of a velvet chair and randomly, and alas how important is that moment of utter randomness, pull a book from the shelves. While, in the background, soothing tones resound of country blues, with its recognition of deep human suffering, a blaze of folk with the primary connection with nature and tradition, or of merengue reviving the passionate memories of adventure and love, you gaze out the window and ponder about that simple, volatile reflection in the moment, strengthened by the physical effect of half a liter of watery coffee that starts to kick in and the satisfaction of chewing your muffin, bagel, cake, brownie, croissant or donut.

It is, above all, that bodily ecstasy caused by a combination of caffeine, sugar and the salivating Pavlov effect. You remember the struggling musician behind the counter taking your order, the amateur poet as you pay her for the coffee and give a full dollar tip, feeling a transcendental bound in your flight from reality. You stare with a fastened throbbing of the first gulps of coffee at the advertisements and poems on the bulletin board, and dauntlessly you think: They are right, they are so right! and what do I care? Why should I care? Fuck my boss, fuck the system, fuck everybody!’

But then you look at your watch and notice you really have to run again. ‘Well, too bad, gotta go!’, or people will start gossiping for being so long away from your desk. And while you open the door, an autumn breeze blows in your face, the last tunes of the blues solo die out as the Hammond organ whispers: ‘I throw my troubles out the door, I don’t need them anymore’.

Coffee in the US is a subculture that massively floated to the surface of the consumer?s society. Starbucks is more than coffee, it’s more than just another brand on the market, it is a social-political statement, a way of perceiving how you would like to live, in other words it is a culture. Starbucks is the alternative to Coca-Cola and so much more than just coffee: it’s chocolate, ice-cream, frappuccino, travel mugs with exotic prints, cups and live music, CD’s, discounts on exhibitions and even support for volunteer work.

About The Author

Remko de Knikker is a contributor to Szirine.com (personal website: www.mindxp.com). Remko studied West European history in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is currently employed as a bioinformatics programmer at Yale University. He wrote two short stories ‘A Short Story about Andrzej and Roman’ (? 2003) and ‘Theombrotus or the Pharmacia’ (? 2003), is the editor-in-chief for Boilingpoint.nl, and a columnist for Sargasso.nl. He was a winner of the Bulkboek songtext contest (Stef Bos: Het verlangen vrij te zijn), and published two CDs: ‘Blockbuster’ (? 2003 Blockbuster) and ?Handful of maggots? (? 1999 Blockbuster).

remkocaprio@mindxp.com

Espresso, caff? normale and cappuccino are types of Italian coffee, and one might wonder if there are as many types of coffee in Italy as there are pastas. Quite surprisingly, there are and just like pasta, Italian coffee is also an art form linked to many customs and traditions. Be it a caff? corretto shot down like a drink, a cappuccino and brioche that would make a lovely snack, or a granita di caff? con panna to chill off from the hot noon sun, Italy has a coffee drink for every occasion and every mood.

The most famous of the Italian coffees are the cappuccinos — the caf? corretto and caf? latte. Cappuccino is prepared with espresso and milk. A cappuccino is commonly identified as 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk. Cappuccino is preferably served in a ceramic coffee cup to retain the heat, instead of glass or paper that is a comparatively poorer heat retainer. Caf? corretto is a coffee corrected with a measure of grappa, cognac or any other alcoholic content. Latte is Italian for milk, and caf? latte refers to coffee prepared with a larger measure of hot milk in it rather than coffee.

There are many other styles of Italian coffee, and they have all become world famous. In fact, Italy is the coffee house of the world, and has contributed to the entire world many different styles of coffee that have so become a part of our culture and lives. Even espresso had its origins in Italy. It was from Italy that Starbucks got most of their coffee recipes and rose to fame quickly in the West. Despite all the progress and spread of the coffee culture, Italy still remains the coffee capital of the world.

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