Ran across this article, yesterday, about the world coffee situation. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has noticed a recent improvement in the availability of drinkable coffee.
Background: I tried - I really did - but the coffee you get at most restaurants should be illegal. I mean, do these people bribe the health department to let them sell hot, muddy, tasteless, water to innocent consumers? And it's common knowledge, too - you used to hear jokes about it, on sitcoms, all the time. Well, I had just about given up on coffee, in 2006, when I happened upon a Starbucks concession at a corporate office site, where I was working. Even though the coffee was not freshly ground, and it was set up to "serve yourself" from an air pot, I determined the end result to be the best coffee I had ever tasted! It was French Roast, their daily BOLD blend, and all I had to do was to put enough Half and Half in so that it didn't taste like ear wax! I was definitely impressed.
From then, on, I have been searching for more of that great flavor. I've tried the Folger's coffeehouse series (Black Silk is best). And I received a coffee grinder for Christmas, so I am delving into the ancient art of grinding my own beans (they aren't all great). But, even in small coffee shops and company cafeterias, the quality of coffee is getting better. (One of the better blends is found at OZO, on Arapahoe, in the People's Republic of Boulder.)
Apparently, Starbucks success has raised the bar on coffee. Now, the general public is aware that coffee can actually taste good.
Unfortunately, it appears that Starbucks has become a victim of its own success as the company does not continue to rake in increasingly higher profits.
My advice: Get rid of the ugly tip jar!
