Janet Kaiser on sun 16 apr 00
Am I to understand from this thread, that at long last, coffee in the US is
now finally drinkable? The lamentable beverage called coffee in the US in
the past, is being replaced by the real thing? No ersatz any more? WOW! Now
that is impressive. Quite a revolution. They just need to start serving it
with real fresh milk and cream instead of that non-diary whitener or "cream"
out of an aerosol and it will be enough to send coffee bean prices soaring
world-wide.
Maybe the UK will follow suit? What passes as coffee here is generally
better than the US, but a long way from the real thing. What I consider real
coffee is served just about anywhere from the English Channel onwards.
Gradually gaining in strength the further south you travel, until you can
stand your spoon up it the brew served in Greece and Turkey... No wonder
they serve a glass of water with it... It is needed to wash the grounds out
from between the teeth!
Having apparently discovered real coffee, perhaps US consumers will be able
to turn their attention to tea now? Replace that weak luke warm dishwater
with the real thing? Then not only the MUG, but the FUNCTIONAL TEAPOT
market would lift off and save quite so many people having to make
dysfunctional teapots? Cups, saucers, sieves, tea bowls, milk jugs... An
endless list of "new" desirable products.
It will also stop confusing foreigners who have difficulty distinguishing
between tea and coffee when visiting the US... It will also prepare US taste
buds for visits to countries where tea and/or coffee is taken seriously. I
say and/or because coffee in Germany (for example) is wonderful, but the tea
leaves something to be desired. Forgive the pun! But a tea bag on a string
served in a glass of hot water with a slice of lemon or a 5 ml portion of
evaporated milk is not my idea of a cuppa! Only one better than "instant"
tea granules.
Snobs with more money than sense drink real coffee? Dear me! What an
attitude! Is it considered wrong to want the "real thing"? Be able to savour
the luxury of a decent cup? Not be fobbed off by the manufacturers laughing
all the way to the bank, because they have educated folk to consider instant
coffee and tea in the buy-2-get-1-free mug (made in China) the norm and
acceptable? How sad! No wonder there is a market for teapots which do not
work...
Janet Kaiser - drinking tea from a utilitarian tea pot.
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----- Original Message -----
> Gee I'm surprised no one from Seattle has jumped in to defend quality
> coffee. John (or was it David) is certainly right that there is a fair
> bit of marketing involved but then again there is a fair bit of
> marketing in convincing people that the McDonald's swill is worth
> drinking at all, much less for a dollar or whatever they charge these
> days.
>
> Actually around here I think the coffee culture has grown beyond
> snobbism -- what's the snob appeal when everyone walks around with their
> latte? My personal favorite was the Country Gentleman restaurant and
> espresso. Get your biscuits and gravy with a double tall.
>
> I'm a bit concerned about the somewhat condescending attitude expressed
> in some of the posts on this thread, like people who buy espresso have
> more money than brains. Hey, these folks are the market for hand
> crafted goods! If you think paying for quality is stupid then maybe you
> shouldn't be trying to sell relatively expensive quality pots.
>
> Actually what I would like to see is the coffee places selling locally
> produced handmade mugs.
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