Monday, November 15, 2004

Bou, You Whore

Blogger/ex-barista Kathleen Nelson goes on the funniest and most informative blog tirade I've read in months. It's about the difference between Starbucks and Caribou. I won't tell you whose side she's on, but the essay culminates in this cri de coeur:

"Honestly, some days it was like being a sommelier at a five star restaurant and having to convince people that no, Night Train is not what wine is supposed to taste like."

I understand that Kathy's blog isn't solely about coffee-related matters, but maybe it should be. I need to know what her position is on Illy.

[You're not calling this nice lady a "whore," are you? -ed No, you doofus; rent Mean Girls.]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Question for Nelson re: "It's crap." Do you mean Illy or Mean Girls? I'd have to disagree on both counts.

Kathleen Nelson said...

Illy, not Mean Girls. I haven't seen the movie, although I've been told it's quite good.

I have tasted Illy, however, and I wasn't impressed. While it is better than some prepackaged/preground coffee, like Folgers or Maxwell House, it's still preground and I have issues with preground coffee that costs as much as Illy does: it's starting to go stale, no matter how it's packaged, from the get-go---it's just the nature of the beast.

The best pot of coffee is made from beans that, at the beginning of the process are fresh (and by that I mean the beans are within two weeks of roasting)and whole. Beans are best preserved in their whole form. Grinding right before brewing ensures the freshness makes it into the pot. It's a noticeable difference. Spending $14 for one of those Braun grinders and only buying whole bean coffee will make your mouth happy for years.

Ok, and that's enough coffee geekness for one day.